CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS – Matchday two of the U.S. U14 Boys National ID Camp is complete here at Middlesex Prep School, with another trio of matches completed Tuesday among top 1996 birth year players from around the country.

Everything changes tomorrow as the first pool of 40-45 players will square off against one another as head coach Manny Schellscheidt and his experienced staff begin crystallizing the selection process for this age group. While the staff are quick to emphasize that the pool makeup can change from day to day at this event and for future U14 BNT events during the cycle, there’s no question that the players are here playing to get their name on a list posted at the campus cafeteria Wednesday morning.

Assistant coach Manni Klar said the match and training performances of the players have a way of making most of the pool decisions fairly self-evident.

“I think we have a pretty clear idea now. We picked a certain amount last night,” Klar, a veteran German coach with extensive European ties, said. “Tonight when we meet we’ll have a pretty clear idea who is going to be in the pool for tomorrow, but of course then it might change for the next day.”

Klar said his impression of this year’s cast of players has been mainly positive thus far.

“I haven’t seen all of all the games because I have this team (Team 5), but from what I’ve seen the players who are here are trying to really play soccer,” he said.  “In the first half today for instance, Region IV really played well. There are good athletes here but a lot of players are technically strong with really good clean technique, much better than we have seen in the past. They are trying to move the ball around and have good finishing on top of it. Today our group tried to play, and also Region III (their opponents on the day) tried to play very good possession. We ended up watching a very good game. Teams tried to play out of the back and possess the ball, not just shoot it upfield and see what happens.”

Klar pointed to tactics and technique as areas where improvement is needed.

“There’s always room for the tactical part of the game to improve,” he said. “The kids can organize themselves better on the field and manage the game a little bit smarter. The other thing is you can still improve technically.”

Still, Klar agrees that this is one of the better environments to be in for both players and coaches.

“It’s wonderful to work with the kids, because you have very good kids who can also play,” he said. “It’s always good to have the camaraderie we have with the coaches here, and on top of all that it’s a great facility, so it’s always a good event here.”

Following are some match details, observations about players (from me, not from coaches) and lineups for Tuesday’s matches. Keep in mind that with overlapping games, it is not possible to follow each match closely in its entirety. Scroll down for a full camp roster (now including clubs and hometowns).

Team Five 4, Region II 4

It was goals galore in this afternoon matchup. New Hampshire Classics’ striker Guyllain Kabala opened the scoring with a good individual effort followed by a close-range finish. Long Island goalkeeper Oliver Roberts was good again coming off his line, but there was no stopping a well-taken penalty kick by Michigan Wolves’ Samuel Brown. Springfield, IL, goalkeeper Elijah Brower saved a spot kick on the other end, and then watched as his Region II team went up 2-1 with Nathan Schultz of Ohio's  Ambassadors scoring on a nice pass from Bavarian SC’s Jack Menard. Team Five leveled the score at 2-2 just before halftime when Seacoast United’s Jason Underhill hit a first-time strike on a good cross from Michigan Wolves’ Daegan Dabano.

Eclipse Select defender John Moderwell is a smart defender who tackles well and is good on the ball. The teams scored an equal number of goals in the 2nd half for a 4-4 draw.

Lineups

Team Five
GK: Oliver Roberts, Aleksandar Gogic
D: Miles Davis, Zachary Zandi, Declan McCabe, Brandon Curtis
M: James Buonavita, Ezequiel Cei, Sebastian Joly
F: Daegan Debono, Guyllain Kabala, Neil Martorana
Subs: Jason Underhill, Daniel Apajee, Derek Etienne, Teon Fountain, Alex Tejera, Brandon Tetro, Imad Mojaddidi, Harrison Roche

Region II
GK: Elijah Brower Craig Duggan
D: Jeffrey Rhodes, Connor Ballantyne, John Moderwell
M: Viet Nguyen, Toby Khounviseth, Samuel Brown, Jack Menard
F: Morris Kamara, Nathan Mclean, Nathan Schultz
Subs: Matthew Nance, Andres Torres, Jackson Weiss, Hunter Barone, Gary Huang, Samuel Akpik, Alex Underwood, Thomas Dieffenthaller

Region I 4, Region IV 4

One field over, U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Regional teams from the east and west duplicated the eight-goal flurry from the first game. This game was a bit quirky however. In the opening half, Region IV thoroughly dominated. Redwood City Juventus midfielder Danya Kafai scored a pair of goals, with FC Barcelona forward Oscar Martinez adding a lovely overhead volley and West Coast FC’s Andonis Amaya adding another for a 4-0 halftime lead by the Westerners. Eugene, Oregon’s Rolando Velazquez was dangerous with his crossing and San Diego Surf midfielder Corey Baird was a good facilitator in the middle.

I didn’t see the 2nd half but it must have been a complete turnaround for the new cast of characters (most players here play just one 30-minute half per day) as Region I not only tied the match at 4-4 but had a potential game-winner ruled out in the final minute for offside.

Lineups

Region I
GK: Brendan Burke, Gianni Carillo
D: Noah Snyder, Bruno Scodari, Theodore Miller, Rico Lizbinski
M: Anthony Viteri, Doluwamu Oyewole, Jony Karahbetyan, Adonis Martinez
F: Akeem Ward, Kevin Herrera
Subs: James Ellis, Jorge Calix, Jake Rozhansky, Chase Gasper, Joseph Swenson, William Stevens, Cartern Manley, Luka Martinovic

Region IV
GK: Andrew Ferber, Andrew Epstein
D: Joab Santoyo, Sam Tweeteon, Esteban Reyes, Fischer Gallinger
M: Rolando Velazquez, Corey Baird, Moises Rodriguez
F: Andonis Amaya, Danya Kafai, Oscar Martinez
Subs: Sebastian Bouchet, Rubio Rubin, Alejandro Segovia, Axel Mendez, Antonio Porreca, Ricardo Ruiz, Djair Parfitt-Williams, Nicolas Arevalo

Team Six 2, Region III 1

FC Dallas attacking midfielder Emerson Hyndman, back for his third visit to this camp but the first playing with his own age group, was active in the 1st half, darting to and fro on the ball and hitting some very useful passes for his team. Hyndman, who had a good camp with the U15 Boys National Team last week in New Jersey, didn’t quite manage to pull the strings on a goal of his own, but started a move from which New England Eagles forward Trevor Davock completed a nice rebound finish for a 1-0 lead for Team Six. Santa Barbara SC’s John Requejo doubled the lead with a good finish later in the half. Tampa-area midfielder Omar Castro scored a rebound goal in the 2nd half for the final scoreline of 2-1.

CASL fullback Michael Clemmons had a very strong game, showing a good first touch, accurate passing and the ability to mark and win balls in defense.

Lineups

Team Six
GK: Brayan Velez, Nicolas Zadan
D: Elijah Martin, Eric Holt, Manuel Padilla, John Requejo
M: Denis Kalamar, Issa Hassan, Patrick Khouri, Trevor Davock
F: Jacob Kempf, Emerson Hyndman
Subs: Ethan Levy, Dakota Brinkman, Sergey Ptachik, Sebastian Clark, Carter Perry, Evan Enders, Nathan Kohl

Region III
GK: Marius Heislitz, Jefferson Caldwell
D: Andrew Raad, Vernon Bailey, Wilfred Williams, Michael Clemmons
M: Jack Gayton, Arturo Paz, Arthur Paterson, Alan Winn
F: DeAndre Robinson, Dembakwi Yomba
Subs: Omar Castro, Reynaldo Cevallos, Jeremy Colvin, Reginald Epps, Austin Stamey, Lawrence Taiwo, Ivan Alvarado, David Mejia
 

Camp Roster with Clubs and Hometowns (courtesy US Soccer)

GOALKEEPERS (11): Elijah Brower (Springfield Area Soccer; Springfield, Ill.), Brendan Burke (Freestate; La Plata, Md.), Jefferson Caldwell (High Country; Todd, N.C.), Gianni Carillo (FC Westchester; Pine Bush, N.Y.), Craig Duggan (Vardar SC; Chesapeake, Va.), Andrew Epstein (Ft. Collins Arsenal; Ft. Collins, Colo.), Andrew Ferber (Mustang Hotspurs; Danville, Calif.), Aleksander Gogic (PASCO; Ft. Lee, N.J.), Oliver Roberts (POB Piranhas; Massapequa, N.Y.), Bryan Velez (Laguna Niguel BSC; Anaheim, Calif.), Nicholas Zedan (West Pines United; Pembroke, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (23): Nicholas Arevalo (Woodburn United; Salem, Ore.), Vernon Bailey (FC Dallas Juniors; Duncanville, Texas), Connor Ballantyne (Vardar SC; Shelby Township, Mich.), Reynaldo Cevallos (Weston FC; Weston, Fla), Brendon Curtis (Monroe United; Stony Point, N.Y.), Miles Davis (Hawks; Leesburg, Va.), Thomas Dieffenthaller (Palatine Celtic SC; Palatine, Ill.), Fischer Gallinger (Washington Premier FC; Gig Harbor, Wash.), Eric Holt (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Sebastian Joly (United Junkyard Dawgs; Chesapeake, Va.), Carter Manley (Bethesda SC; Elkridge, Md.), Jack Menard (Bavarian SC; Whitefish Bay, Wis.), Theodore Miller (Massapequa SC; Brooklyn, N.Y.), John Moderwell (Eclipse Select; Lake Forest, Ill.), Matthew Nance (Vardar SC; Washington, Mich.), Doluwamu Oyewole (Freestate SA; Waldorf, Md.), Manuel Padilla (Elk Grove Everton; Sacramento, Calif.), Andrew Raad (Discoveries SC; Rock Hill, S.C.), Esteban Reyes (San Juan Lightning; San Marcos, Calif.), Jeffrey Rhodes (West Side United; Bloomsburg, Ind.), Harrison Roche (Upper Dublin Force; Ambler, Pa.), Samuel Tweeton (Real National; Ft. Collins, Colo.), Zachary Zandi (Penn Fusion; West Chester, Pa.)

MIDFIELDERS (50): Ivan Alvarado (Dallas Texans; Ft. Worth, Texas), Corey Baird (San Diego Surf; Escondido, Calif.), Dakota Brinkman (CASL FC Chelsea; Durham, N.C.), Samuel Brown (Derby County Wolves; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Omar Castro (Plant City Area SC; Plant City, Fla.), Eziquiel Cei (Merlin Soccer Club; Elizabeth, N.J.), Michael Clemmons (CASL FC Chelsea; Raleigh, N.C.), Jeremy Colvin (Houstonians; Houston, Texans), Daegan Debono (Derby County Wolves; Lapeer, Mich.), Derek Entienne (New York Red Bulls Academy; Patterson, N.J.), Teon Fountain (Madison FC; Madison, Wis.), Chase Gasper (LMVSC Hawks; Alexandria, Va.), Jack Gayton (Concorde Fire; Peach Tree, Ga.), Issa Hassan (Eastside United SC; Portland, Ore), Marius Heislitz (Forsyth Fusion; Cummings, Ga.), Gary Huang (Derby County Wolves; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Emerson Hyndman (FC Dallas Juniors; Plano, Texas), Danya Kafai (Juventus; Redwood City, Calif.), Jony Karahbetyan (Olney Boys and Girls; Gaithersburg, Md.), Jacob Kempf (Washington Premier FC; Camas, Wash), Patrick Khouri (Daniel Island; Charleston, S.C.), Eithan Levy (Weston SC; Charleston, S.C.), Rico Lizbinski (Olney Boys and Girls; Gaithersburg, Md.), Elijah Martin (Cal Odyssey; Fresno, Calif.), Adonis Martinez (Long Island United; Levittown, N.Y.), Luka Martinovic (POB; Bayville, N.Y.), Neil Martorana (Michigan Burn; Sterling Heights, Mich.), Declan McCabe (MPS; Weston, Mass.), David Mejia (Weston SC; Weston, Fla.), Axel Mendez (LAFC Chelsea; Mentebello, Calif.), Imad Mojaddidi (LMVSC Hawks; Fairfax Station, Va.), Viet Nguyen (Derby County Wolves; Canton, Mich.), Djair Parfitt-Williams (Elk Grove Everton; Sacramento, Calif.), Arthur Paterson (Miami FC Kendall; Key Largo, Fla.), Arturo Paz (West Pines United; Miami Gardens, Fla.), Antonio Porreco (Westside Metros; Beaverton, Ore.), Sergey Ptachik (Crossfire Premier; Burlington, Wash.), Jake Rozhansky (Olney Boys and Girls; Germantown, Md.), Ricardo Ruiz (Fullerton Rangers; Lake Elsinore, Calif.), Joab Santoyo (Arsenal FC; Fontana, Calif.), Noah Snyder (Lehigh Valley United; Warrington, Pa.), William Stevens (NHP; New Hyde Park, N.Y.), Joseph Swenson (POB Piranhas; Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Alex Tejera (New York SC; Ossining, N.Y.), Brandon Tetro (PDA; Marlboro, N.J.), Andrew Torres (Chicago Fire Juniors; Chicago, Ill.), Anthony Viteri (BW Gottschee; Flushing, N.Y.), Jackson Weiss (Bavarian Juniors; Fox Point, Wis.), Wilfred Williams (Fusion FC; Johnson City, Tenn.), Alan Winn (Solar SC; Garland, Texas)

FORWARDS (35): Samuel Akpik (Waza FC East; Waterford, Mich.), Adonis Amaya (West Coast FC; Westminster, Calif.), Daniel Apajee (Black Watch Premier; Cranston, R.I.), Hunter Barone (Grand Rapids Crew Juniors; Kentwood, Mich.), James Buonavita (Arsenal FC; Oakland, Calif.), Jorge Calix (Team America; Alexandria, Va.), Sebastian Clark (FC Vestsjaelland; Korsoer, Denmark), Trevor Davock (New England Eagles; MA), James Ellis (United Junkyard Dawgs; Chesapeake, Va.), Evan Enders (Space Coast United; Melbourne, Fla.), Reginald Epps (Columbia FC; Irma, S.C.), Kevin Herrera (North Shore United; Lynn, Mass.), Guyllain Kabala (New Hampshire Classics; Manchester, N.H.), Denis Kalamar (Washington Premier FC; Shoreline, Wash.), Morris Kamara (Alliance FC; Grand Rapids, Mich.), Toby Khounviseth (Minnesota Thunder Academy; Lakeville, Minn.), Nathan Kohl (OP Eagles; Hilliard, Ohio), Oscar Martinez (FC Barcelona; South Gate, Calif.), Nathan McLean (Novi Jaguars; Commerce, Mich.), Carter Perry (BNSC; Boise, Idaho), John Requejo (Santa Barbara SC; Carpinteria, Calif.), DeAndre Robinson (GAS; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Rubio Rubin (WSM; Beaverton, Ore.), Nathan Schultz (Ambassadors FC; Highland Heights, Ohio), Bruno Scodari (Olney Boys and Girls; Silver Spring, Md.), Alejandro Segova (Westside Metros; Beaverton, Ore.), Austin Stamey (Highland SC; Arden, N.C.), Lawrence Taiwo (Raliegh SC; Raleigh, N.C.), Jason Underhill (Seacoast United; Bow, N.H.), Alex Underwood (FC United; Winnetka, Ill.), Rolando Velazquez (Eugene Metro FC; Junction, Ore.), Dembakwi (Cobb FC Georgia; Lithonia, Ga.)