When the U.S. U-15 national team convenes for a training camp next week at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., there will be some Dynamo representation among the crowd.
Dynamo Academy midfielder Christian Lucatero, a 15-year-old who helped guide the Dynamo U-15s to first place in the Texas Pre-Academy League last season, has been called in for September's training camp by head coach Tony Lepore. This will be the fifth youth national team training camp for Lucatero, who was last called in roughly 15 months ago.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to show what I have worked for,” the Houston native said. “I’m just going to try my best to impress the coaches.”
During his last call-up, Lucatero suffered a bone injury in his right foot that limited his ability to dribble and shoot. He was forced to watch training throughout the week and left camp disappointed.
“It was very hard on him,” said James Clarkson, Dynamo Director of Youth Development. “He is a good kid and it was disappointing that he did not have the opportunity to showcase himself at the camp.”
Lucatero joined the Dynamo Academy two years ago from Houston-area club Houstonians. Clarkson is proud of how far he has come in the past two years and has high expectations for the young player.
“He is a very talented player with a lovely left foot,” he said. “His vision of picking out the correct pass and putting the right amount of weight on his pass is excellent. He is capable of the unexpected and is a game-changer for us.”
Lucatero hopes this stint with the national team will go much more smooth than the previous one.
“I want to show them that I’m a different type of player,” he said. “My one-on-one ability and my finishing are my strong traits. Hopefully, I can go to the camp and make myself stand out.”
