Houston Dynamo Academy forward Zeke Soto was named to the U.S. U-17 Youth National Team for the upcoming Concacaf U-17 Championship in Guatemala. The tournament begins on Feb. 11 and will determine the national teams that will represent the region at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru this fall.
The U.S. will compete in Group F against Barbados, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago. The United States will face Barbados on Feb. 11 and two days later they are scheduled to meet Trinidad and Tobago. Group play comes to an end on Feb. 15 when the U.S. face Canada.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the knockout round to meet four group winners from the 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Qualifiers. The four semifinalists will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled for early Nov.
Soto is currently in his second season with the Dynamo Academy and has been a regular member of the U-17 USYNT camp cycles and competitions since joining the club. He is also the first Dynamo Academy player to represent the Club at the U-17 level in a Concacaf qualifying event. The forward is the youngest player on the roster for the tournament and has earned eight caps for the U-17 USYNT.
The 16-year-old has trained with the Dynamo first team and with Dynamo 2 to start 2023 as the teams prepare for their respective MLS and MLS NEXT Pro seasons.
For the full schedule, highlights and additional information on the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship, click here.
