CHICAGO, Ill. (June 7, 2013) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Friday that midfielder Victor Pineda has been selected by U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos for the 21-man roster to participate in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey from June 21-July 13.
The United States, drawn into Group A, open play against Spain on Friday, June 21, at Ali Sami Yen Arena in Istanbul. The match will be broadcast at 12:45 p.m. CT (ESPN2/WatchESPN). That match is followed by a June 24 matchup against France in Istanbul at 9:45 a.m. CT (ESPN2/WatchESPN). The U.S. closes out group play on June 27 against Ghana at Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri, Turkey at 11:45 a.m. CT (ESPNU/Watch ESPN).
Pineda, the first Homegrown player in Fire history, scored three goals and added one assist in six appearances for the U-20s in 2012. The Bolingbrook, Ill. native missed the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship while rehabilitating from meniscus repair surgery that he underwent Nov. 15, 2012. Pineda was recently a member of the squad that participated in the Under-21 Toulon Tournament in France.
Utilized as a forward for the U-20s, the Fire Academy product has been with the national team since May 25 and will return to Chicago following the World Cup.
Additional information on the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup can be found here.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Cody Cropper (Southampton FC; Maple Grove, Minn.), 12-Kendall McIntosh (Santa Clara; Santa Rosa, Calif.), 21-Zach Steffen (FC DELCO; Downington, Pa.)
DEFENDERS (7): 13-Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), 3-Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Guadalajara; Riverside, Calif.), 5-Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids; Boulder, Colo.), 18-Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), 4-Caleb Stanko (SC Freiburg; Holly, Mich.), 14-Javan Torre (UCLA; Santa Monica, Calif.), 2-DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 16-Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Texas), 10-Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), 8-Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), 15-Mikey Lopez (Sporting Kansas City; Mission, Texas), 6-Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew; Gahanna, Ohio)
FORWARDS (6): 20-Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), 17-Danny Garcia (North Carolina; Dallas, Texas), 7-Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bolingbrook, Ill.), 19-Alonso Hernandez (C.F. Monterrey; El Paso, Texas), 9-Mario Rodriguez (1. FC Kaiserslautern; North Hollywood, Calif.), 11-Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy; Inglewood, Calif.)
