Serna named to US U-17 WCQ Roster

Rapids Academy and U.S. U-17 midfielder Dillon Serna_DL

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera today announced his 20-player roster for the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and it includes Colorado Rapids Academy midfielder Dillon Serna.

The U.S. team will travel to Jamaica on Saturday, Feb. 12, ahead of its opening Group B match against Cuba on Monday, Feb. 14, at Catherine Hall Stadium at 3 p.m. ET. The U-17s round out play in the three-team group on Friday, Feb. 18, against Panama with a 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Jarrett Park. Fans can follow all of the U.S. games on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker with updates on Twitter @ussoccer_ynt.

Serna was selected to join the U.S. U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida in September 2010. Last month, he had an emergency appendectomy but returned 10 days later and scored a goal in the final friendly match against Honduras, which allowed him to be considered for the final roster.

MORE: SURGERY DOESN'T SLOW U-17'S SERNA

The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals with Group B set to crossover against Group A which is made up of Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Haiti. The winner of Group B will face the second-place finisher in Group A, and vice versa. The quarterfinal winners will move on to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

In Jamaica, the U.S. will be looking to continue its record as the only country to have qualified for all 13 editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Two years ago at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Tijuana, Mexico, the U.S. won all three of its group games to advance to the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup before the semifinals and final of the tournament were canceled because of precautionary measures surrounding the H1N1 virus.

U.S. Under-17 MNT Roster by Position

GOALKEEPERS (2): Kendall McIntosh (Mustang Academy; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Fernando Piña (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas)

DEFENDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), Joe Amon (South Carolina United FC; Summerville, S.C.), Zach Carroll (Vardar; Grand Blanc, Mich.), Mobi Fehr (Tokyo Verdy 1969; Tokyo, Japan), Nathan Smith (Cal Odyssey; Clovis, Calif.), Andrew Souders (Crew Soccer Academy; Amherst, Ohio)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Jordan Allen (Empire United; Rochester, N.Y.), Matt Dunn (FC Köln; Dallas, Texas), Alejandro Guido (Aztecs Premier; Chula Vista, Calif.), Marc Pelosi (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Esteban Rodriguez (Cosmos Academy West; Palmdale, Calif.), Tarik Salkicic (Strictly Soccer; Pinellas Park, Fla.), Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids Academy; Brighton, Colo.)

FORWARDS (5): Paul Arriola (Arsenal FC; Chula Vista, Calif.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Chelsea SC; Arlington, Texas), Jack McBean (LA Galaxy; Newport Beach, Calif.), Andrew Oliver (Westside United; Indianapolis, Ind.), Mario Rodriguez (Central Aztecs; North Hollywood, Calif.)

U.S. Under-17 MNT CONCACAF U-17 Championship Schedule

MORE FROM USSOCCER.COM: CABRERA NAMES 20-MAN ROSTER