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It’s a brand new year when there is news coming from Red Bulls land, as the New York Red Bulls youth academy continues to churn player after player for their clubs, as well as getting them prepared for the International stage.
The news came out this Friday afternoon as three players have been called into their respective Youth Nationa Team sides from US Soccer as Ben Mines, Omir Fernandez & John Tolkin have been called in.
Midfielder Ben Mines who scored his first MLS Goal back at the beginning of the league season, when the club hosted the Portland Timbers, slid into a nice pass from Alejandro Romero Gamarra to lead the club into a win with a four goals to nil victory on March 10th.
Mines will be called into the USMNT U-19 squad as this will be his first appearance. He was having a solid USL season, until injury struck and then was sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken left clavicle on August 31st.
Then there is Midfielder Omir Fernandez who just finished his sophomore season at Wake Forest, will be joining the USMNT U-20 squad, as head coach and club legend Tab Ramos has called him up to be apart of the team.
The Bronx, NY native has convert 18 goals and six of those are match winners, with 11 assists for the Demon Deacons in the ACC. He has played in forty-four matches within his college career.
Then their is the Chatham, NJ Native in Defender/midfielder John Tolkin who will be joining the USMNT U-17 squad. This will be his third stint this cycle, that Tolkin has been apart of the U-17’s and it continues to show why the Red Bulls are one of the top Youth Academies within the United States.
This three players have been called up to compete in an intra-squad set up as to see where these players are, as Tab Ramos has once again qualified for another U-20 World Cup as the USA will head to Poland and compete.
As we have seen from this club, they are willing to give young players a chance to go out there, and make a name for themselves when there is fixture congestion, to give some of the veterans a break.
So far Ben Mines and Brian White have proven they have done a fantastic job along with Sean Davis. Derrick Etienne Jr. and the recently departed Tyler Adams, as he will be using his talents for sister club Red Bull Leipzig. It’s been a breath of fresh air to develop, keep and compete at the same time.
Anytime your youth players are given a chance to succeed within the Academy, or playing for the clubs within the Red Bulls structure, and their respective college teams. Once again the Red Bulls are showing their full riches of developing talent from within the NYC Tri-State area.