Two of the USL Championship’s top young defenders, Birmingham Legion FC’s Ramiz Hamouda and Orange County SC’s Pedro Guimaraes. were named on Monday to the United States U-17 Men’s National Team squad which will compete in the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Championship.
The United States will head to Costa Rica this week to compete in Group F, with the group winner advancing to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar this November. The side will face the U.S. Virgin Islands on Monday, Feb. 10, St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, Feb. 12 and Cuba on Saturday, Feb. 15.
All three of the USA’s group stage matches kick off at 8 p.m. ET, with the first two games at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose and the third at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela.
Hamouda earned his selection after recording 438 minutes in 14 appearances for Legion during the 2024 USL Championship campaign. The 16-year-old center back made six starts for the side and won eight tackles at a success rate of 72.7 percent and 27 duels at a success rate of 67.5 percent.
A native of Parkside, Kansas, Hamouda turned pro with Legion from the Sporting Kansas City Academy shortly before the start of the 2024 campaign, and saw action in the side’s preseason opener against Atlanta United FC this past Saturday at Protective Stadium.
“Ramiz played really well, and it tees him up nicely to head into national team camp,” said Legion Head Coach Tom Soehn following the contest. “You can see that he is getting better at a young age and as he grows, it’s exciting to see what type of player he can become.”
Guimaraes joins the squad having logged 269 minutes in six appearances for Orange County after joining the side last August. The 16-year-old won seven tackles at a 63.6 percent success rate and 16 duels at a 59.3 percent success rate while notching two chances created and a passing accuracy rate of 84.3 percent.
Hamouda and Guimaraes are the latest young USL Championship talents to earn opportunities with the United States youth national teams. In January, Sacramento Republic FC defender Chibi Ukaegbu and Birmingham Legion FC midfielder Matthew Corcoran were each named to the United States U-20 Men’s National Team for the first time.
Previously, Corcoran was joined by Orange County SC’s Bryce Jamison and San Diego Loyal SC’s Duran Ferree in the U.S. U-17s squad that competed at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, while Championship alumni such as Joshua Wynder and Korede Osundina have seen their performances for club and country translate to notable moves to European competition.
“We are delighted for both Ramiz and Pedro as they prepare for this opportunity to represent the United States in international competition,” said Oliver Wyss, USL Head of Global Football Development & Sporting Director. “Each player has already gained invaluable experience competing in First Team competition in the USL Championship over the past 12 months. Now they will get a chance to both showcase their talent and help the United States earn a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup later this year.”