The U.S. U18 Men’s National Team recently completed its first training camp of 2011, competing in Phoenix against a trio of Major League Soccer teams preparing for the start of their 2011 season.

The team, many of whom are veterans of the U.S. Soccer U17 Residency Program,   faced Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, and Vancouver Whitecaps. The fourth match with Portland Timbers was canceled due to inclement weather.

Head Coach Mike Matkovich’s boys performed well at the camp, going undefeated the three-game span.

Midfielder Khiry Shelton notched the game-winner against Sporting Kansas City, and the American side took the match with the 1-0 margin.

“The goal came off a corner kick,” Texas-native Shelton said. “It was a well-driven ball across the box and one of my teammates got his foot on the ball which then popped out right to me to finish it.”

The U.S. proceeded to beat the Rapids by the same 1-0 score later that day.

Playing against MLS teams is a great opportunity for these youngsters, not only as a gauge of their abilities against professionals, but also to understand what needs to be done to improve to the professional level.

“The experience was incredible, it felt amazing to be around a professional atmosphere and be treated like a pro,” U.S. forward Robert Kristo said. “Playing against MLS teams was a challenge, but helped me realized what I need to accomplish to get to the next level.”

Kristo was the scorer of the first U.S. goal in the match against Vancouver, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

“It was just being at the right place at the right time. We earned a corner kick, so I was in the box waiting for the cross,” Kristo said. “The ball came to Alec Cochran, who headed it down in the box right to my foot, and I volleyed it into the net.”

The second half saw Aaron Kovar score off Vince’s Cicciarelli assist to give the U.S. a tentative 2-1 lead before the Whitecaps tied the match for good 10 minutes later.

Shelton said he has reveled in the opportunities that this training camp was able to give him.

“The competition was great, I love being in that environment,” he said. “The training sessions were hard and made you think on and off the ball, find gaps and spaces to go into so you find the ball and do a different variety of things.”

Kristo was a little more subdued about his performance in camp.

“It’s an honor to represent your country. I am excited to play with the best of the best at my age and prove myself,” he said. “But in order to get back, I need to keep doing my job as a forward and score goals. I have to be able to recognize at what I’m good in and keep practicing to get even better to impress the U.S. coaches.”

Roster by Position (Courtesy of U.S. Soccer):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jeff Gal (Sockers FC; Bartlett, Ill.), Jesus Guzman (San Jose Earthquakes Academy; San Jose, Calif.), Andrew Wolverton (Concorde Fire; Snellville, Ga.)

DEFENDERS (11): Michael Ambrose (FC Dallas Juniors; Frisco, Texas), Alec Cochran (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri;d, Mo.), Jack Coleman (FC Dallas Juniors; Norman, Okla.), Dakota Edwards (Albertson SC; Sayville, N.Y.), Nat Eggleston (DC United Academy; Chevy Chase, Md.), Jordan McCrary (North Carolina; Marietta, Ga.), Pablo Ocegueda (UANL Tigres; Riverside Calif.), Boyd Okwuonu (FC Dallas Juniors; Edmund, Okla.), Timothy Parker (Albertson SC; Hicksville, N.Y.), James Petruccelli (Seacoast United; Brentwood, N.H.), Walker Zimmerman (GSA; Lawrenceville, Ga.)

MIDFIELDERS (17): Stefano Bonomo (De Anza Force; Hillsborough, Calif.), Robert Botchway (Concorde Fire; Dacula, Ga.), Seth Casiple (CDA; Sacramento, Calif.), Darvin Ebanks (GSA; Macon, Ga.), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Tomas Granitto (Weston FC; Weston, Fla.), Aaron Kovar (Seattle Sounders Academy; Seattle, Wash.), Miguel Lopez Jr. (Classics Elite; Alton, Texas), Daniel Metzger (NY Red Bulls Academy; Holmdel, N.J.), Eric Miller (Creighton University; Woodbury, Minn.), Steve Palacios (United Football Club; Santa Ana, Calif.), Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bollingbrook, Ill.), Marcus Salandy-Defour (DC United Academy; Kensington, Md.), Khiry Shelton (Lonestar SC; Leander, Texas), Christopher Somerville (Baltimore Bays Chelsea; West Chester, Pa.), Will Trapp (Crew Soccer Academy; Gahanna, Ohio), Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler (CASL Chelsea FC; Cary, N.C.)

FORWARDS (5): Villyan Bijev (California Odyssey; Fresno, Calif.), Vince Cicciarelli (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro; Peoria, Ill.), Robert Kristo (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; Maryland Heights, Mo.), Luis Rendon (FC Richmond Magic; Chesterfield, Va.), Jonathan Top (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas)