Inter Miami CF Academy duo Nicholas Almeida and Santiago Morales have been called up to the U.S. U-16 Men’s Youth National Team by new head coach Michael Nsien for the Football Federations Cup U-16 in Albir, Spain to take place Nov. 16-28. The USA will face Spain in the opening match on Wednesday, Nov. 23. From there, the U-16 MYNT will play two placement games against a tournament field that also features Belgium, England, Japan, Germany, Mexico and Wales.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2007 are age-eligible for this U-16 MYNT cycle and 20 players will make the trip to Spain, 19 born in 2007 and one born in 2008, for the first camp of Nsien's tenure. All 20 players are age-eligible for next winter’s Concacaf U-17 Championship in Guatemala.
Both Morales and Almeida have previously been called up to the international stage. The two Inter Miami CF Academy athletes have been featured internationally for a combined six times. This is Almeida’s second appearance internationally; Morales has been called up a total of four times.
Almeida and Morales capped off a spectacular season with the Inter Miami Academy U-15 side earlier this year, becoming national champions by claiming the MLS NEXT Cup title. Morales scored the winner in the final of the tournament and was also selected as the MVP of the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
Almeida and Morales are among a growing list of current and former Inter Miami CF Academy players to be called up to a national team, including: Noah Allen, Tyler Austin, Edison Azcona, Logan Batiste, Israel Boatwright, Benjamin Cremaschi, Justin Ellis, Tyker Hall, and Felipe Valencia, among others.
For additional coverage of our team, you can follow our Academy’s journey online via Twitter @InterMiamiAcad and Instagram @InterMiamiCF_Academy.
