Bulls Abroad: Santiago Castano and Matt Miazga called up for US U-20 MNT camp in Honduras

US U-20 Men's National Team coach Tab Ramos has named a 19-man squad for a week-long excursion to Honduras. This is the last big trip for the U-20s before the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, which starts in Jamaica on January 9.

The roster for the Honduras trip includes two New York Red Bulls: 'keeper Santiago Castano and center back Matt Miazga. Former RBNY man, Amando Moreno, is also in the squad.

Miazga spent the first week of December in Florida as part of a 10-man group Ramos summoned for fitness training, as part of an effort to keep players without active club duty from sitting idle. Nine of those players, including Miazga, will be on the plane to Honduras.

Castano is one of two goalkeepers called up (the other is Zack Steffen, who just left the University of Maryland to sign for SC Freiburg) for the Honduras trip. Castano has made four appearances for the US U-20s so far this year: the most of any 'keeper in the player pool.

The U-20s will play the Honduras U-20s on December 18 and December 21. They return on December 22. Ramos has indicated there will be a final pre-CONCACAF Championship camp in Florida before the squad selected for the tournament heads to Jamaica.

For Castano and Miazga, being selected to the roster for the U-20s last games of 2014 is surely better than not. It guarantees neither a place on the plane to Jamaica, but it is encouraging for their development and their careers.

The semifinalists of the CONCACAF tournament will qualify for the 2015 U-20 World Cup, to be held in New Zealand in June.