Former Carpinteria High soccer star Johnny Requejo has been selected to the United States under-17 national team that will play in the AGS Cup in Alicante, Spain, starting Saturday.
This is the second time Requejo has played in the tournament. He was a member of the U.S. squad that finished second at the AGS Cup in 2011.
Requejo is beginning his second year at the U-17 Residency Program in Florida. He was invited into the program after his freshman year at Carpinteria High. He led the Warriors to the CIF Finals.
Requejo plays left fullback for the U-17s.
The 20-man U.S. squad is in a group with Azerbaijan, Georgia and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. coach Richie Williams said playing in tournaments like the AGS Cup is good preparation for World Cup qualifying and beyond.
“The most important thing is having our players get the experience of international competition, playing in foreign countries against foreign clubs,” Williams told U.S. Soccer. “For us, usually we’re home playing against teams from the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, now we get the international competition, the experience of traveling, the experience of the games and they are difficult games in sometimes a difficult environment. Especially for age groups like us, the U-17s and U-20s, when we have to go for World Cup qualifying it’s a good experience to have.”
