SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, July 12, 2017) – Real Salt Lake DF Justen Glad and FW Brooks Lennon are among 18 players selected MLS Homegrown Team head coach Brian McBride and assistant coach Mike Magee for the 2017 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer®. The roster features some of the league’s most accomplished young stars who will take on the Chivas de Guadalajara Under-20 Team in the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer® on Tuesday, August 1 at 6 p.m. MT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.
“We are extremely proud of Brooks and Justen and the work they have put in to get recognized in the Homegrown Game,” RSL General Manager Craig Waibel said. “Our youth development is a point of pride in the organization and to continue to have players earn spots in games like this is confirmation in that emphasis.”
This will be Glad’s third appearance in the Homegrown Game and the first appearance for MLS newcomer Lennon. Both players also represented the U.S. U-20 National Team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, where the U.S. reached the quarterfinals.
In four matches this season, Glad has been integral to RSL’s success in recent matches. The 20-year-old center back missed the first two months of the season after suffering an injury in the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in March, helping the U.S. to its first ever title in the tournament. Lennon, 19, has one goal and one assist in 12 matches, 11 of them starts, in his first season with RSL while on loan from Liverpool in England.
RSL is among five teams with two or more players on the team.
Tickets, starting at $10, can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com and include entrance to the 2017 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer® and the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star soccer match held immediately prior at 4 p.m. MT at Toyota Park.
MLS Homegrown Game assistant coach Mike Magee will host a live Q&A session on the Chicago Fire Facebook page (facebook.com/chicagofire) tomorrow, July 13 at 12:30 p.m. MT to talk about the young Homegrown talent, coaching in his native Chicago, and answer questions about the match.
The MLS Homegrown Game will feature some of the most talented young players in North America, as the Homegrown Team will take on famed U-20 side Chivas de Guadalajara, the defending Liga MX U-20 champions, which features a roster with five players who represented Mexico at the U-20 World Cup. Several of the players have also received time with the Chivas reserve team along with the first team side that captured its record 12th Liga MX title in May. The Chivas U-20 travelling roster will be named at a later date.
The MLS Homegrown Game provides an annual platform in which to showcase MLS’ burgeoning young talent and demonstrate the growth of the league’s youth development system. MLS academies continue to attract and cultivate topflight prospects and have now produced over 170 Homegrown Players who have signed professional contracts with MLS clubs.
MLS Homegrown Players aged 22 or under were available for selection.
As part of a week of festivities surrounding the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, Toyota Park will host a full day of events on August 1 beginning with the adidas ESP game at 2:30 p.m. CT. In addition, MLS WORKS and ESPN will be hosting the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star soccer match immediately prior to the MLS Homegrown Game.
2017 MLS Homegrown Team Roster
Goalkeepers: Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas), Evan Louro (New York Red Bulls)
Defenders: Marco Farfan (Portland Timbers), Kortne Ford (Colorado Rapids), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls), Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Derrick Etienne Jr. (New York Red Bulls), Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union), Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas), Ballou Tabla (Montreal)
Forwards: Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC), Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy)
