Louisville City FC defender Brandon Dayes has earned another call-up to represent the United States at the international level, this time with the U-19 team for a regional tournament.
Dayes will join the U.S. U-19 National Team for the upcoming Concacaf U-20 Championship, set for July 24-August 9 in Mexico.
This marks the 17-year-old Dayes’ second-ever call-up to represent the United States. He joined the U.S. Under-18 National Team for a tournament in Portugal in March.
A central defender, Dayes has stepped into a starting role for LouCity this year in his first season as a professional. He has started all 16 games in which he has appeared, playing 1,385 minutes across all competitions. Dayes has scored one goal for LouCity.
In USL Championship play, Dayes ranks second on the team with 14 interceptions, third with 42 clearances and is tied for third with three blocks.
The tournament serves as the confederation’s qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru and 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a tournament the U.S. has already qualified for as host country.
The team will train in Utah beginning July 17, before traveling to Mexico for the tournament on July 21.
Drawn into Group A, the U.S. will face Haiti on July 25, take on El Salvador on July 28 and round out the group stage against Cuba on July 31. All three matches will kick off at 9 p.m. ET from Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico, and will air nationally in the U.S. on FS2.
The top two teams in each group, as well as the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinal round, held Aug. 4-5 in Puebla. The winners of those matches will qualify for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as well as the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
The competition will shift to the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the semifinals on Aug. 7, before the stadium hosts the final on Aug. 9. The tournament winner will also qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but should the U.S. win the tournament, the Olympic berth will be awarded to the runner-up.
Dayes, a Louisville native, is the only Kentuckian on the roster and one of just two players from the USL Championship to be selected for the squad. The remainder of the roster includes 13 players from Major League Soccer clubs, three professionals based in Europe and one collegiate player.
“We are excited to bring together this group of players to represent our country,” the team’s head coach, Gonzalo Segares, said in U.S. Soccer’s roster announcement. “This tournament provides us important, competitive matches for qualification to the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the Pan American Games, which will provide this group more high-level competition as they continue to develop. We are grateful to the clubs that worked with us to provide the players this important opportunity to represent their country and take on this incredible challenge.”
2026 CONCACAF U-20 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN)
Goalkeepers (3): William Lodmell (Sporting Lisbon/POR; Lisbon, Portugal), Lucas McPartlin (St. Louis City SC; St. Louis, Mo.), Kayne Rizvanovich (Minnesota United FC; Mettawa, Ill.)
Defenders (7): Chris Applewhite (Nashville SC; Waldorf, Md.), Tristan Brown (Columbus Crew; Novi, Mich.), Christopher Cupps (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Brandon Dayes (Louisville City FC; Louisville, Ky.), Braden Dunham (Furman University; Peachtree City, Ga.), Javaun Mussenden (New England Revolution; Dallas, Ga.), Joshua Torquato (FC Dallas; Aubrey, Texas)
Midfielders (5): Colin Guske (Orlando City SC; Saint Johns, Fla.), Santiago Morales (Inter Miami CF; Weston, Fla.), Cooper Sanchez (Atlanta United FC; Holly Springs, Ga.), Ervin Torres (Austin FC; Laredo, Texas), Dylan Vanney (LA Galaxy; Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Forwards (6): Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; High Point, N.C.), Jaidyn Contreras (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Din Klapija (RB Leipzig; New York City, N.Y.), Xanti Oyharçabal (Athletic Bilbao/ESP; Hendaye, France), Ruben Ramos Jr. (LA Galaxy; La Puente, Calif.), Colton Swan (Charleston Battery; Ann Arbor, Mich.)
