It’s been a dramatic week in the life of new winger, Jonathan Lewis.
The 19-year old was selected as NYCFC’s third round pick at the SuperDraft in LA last Friday before he was called up to Tab Ramos’s United States U20s squad just two days later.
Ramos, a former international teammate of NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna, clearly sees something in the forward as the team builds up to the U20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Costa Rica next month.
Qualifying
The CONCACAF U20 Championship, which kicks off in Tibas on February 17, serves as the qualifying tournament for the World Cup.
Teams are split into three groups of four with the United States taking part in Group B alongside Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Haiti.
The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the classification stage – another group style format where the two top teams will both qualify for the U20 World Cup and the two nations placed first will advance to the CONCACAF Championship final.
The Finals
South Korea will host the 21st edition of the FIFA U20 World Cup from May 20 – June 11.
24 teams from six confederations will face off in the biennial competition which is currently held by 2015 champions, Serbia, who beat Brazil in the final in New Zealand.
Record
No team from CONCACAF has ever won the tournament but the United States have finished fourth once, in 1989.
The Coach Says…
“We are very excited to be getting closer to competing for a U-20 World Cup spot,” Ramos said. “We are now working with players within our core group of 35, and I am confident that with the hard work during this camp we will be closer to achieving our goals.”
In Jonathan’s Words…
Jonathan told American Soccer Now: “I bring a little something different to the team. I can run at players with pace. That's why I like playing in his system. It's a very European system.
“He's [Ramos] teaching us different styles of play that fit into those countries like Germany, England, and Spain where we can go out there and actually get on the ball and dominate possession instead of the other way around where we are just fighting and scrapping.”
CONCACAF Championships Schedule
US v Panama – 02/18
US v Haiti – 02/21
US v St Kitts & Nevis – 02/24
