Casa Grande, AZ (Monday, July 8th, 2013) – The Real Salt Lake U-16 Academy team is going to be a little shorthanded next week in Houston for Finals Week, as Brooks Lennon and Justen Glad have been called up by U.S. Soccer to participate in a international tournament in Niigata, Japan.
This is the second call up for Lennon, who made a name for himself after his stellar performance with the U-17 MNT at the Caspian Cup in Azerbaijan. In three games, Lennon notched his first hat-trick against Kyrgyzstan in the opening game of the Cup, and then scored four goals in the final game against Uzbekistan.
“The second international call up this year and it feels great,” Lennon said. “I feel more comfortable with the team and I feel that I can play a big role in the team.”
Glad has been a fixture for the U-17 team this past semester, as he was a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program. He played with the U-17’s in the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship that determined the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup participants from the CONCACAF region. He also played in the Caspian Cup with Real Salt Lake Academy teammates Lennon and Bofo Saucedo.
“It feels great. It’s always an honor to get to play for your country,” said Glad, after learning he had been called up. “I’m excited to be out here with the team to help us get some wins in Japan.”
Glad and Lennon have trained with the U-17 MNT for the past four days at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California. They depart on Tuesday for Japan, and will open up the international tournament against Japan on Saturday, July 13th. They then will take on Croatia on Sunday, followed by the Niigata All-Stars on Monday.
The international tournament in Niigata will overlap with U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy Finals Week, which kicks-off for the Real Salt Lake U-16 Academy team on Sunday, July 14th. Real Salt Lake Academy coaches are hopeful Glad and Lennon will be able to return in time for their third group game on Thursday, July 18th.
“Really bittersweet because we worked so hard to get to Finals Week and I really want to be with my RSL teammates,” Glad said. “But on the other hand Japan will be an amazing experience that I wouldn’t want to pass up.”