According to rosters making the rounds on social media, the US U18s are coming together for some friendlies in Japan. The US is scheduled to play Nigeria on September 12th, Japan on the 14th, and Peru on the 16th.
North Texas SC’s Leonardo Orejarena has been named to the squad. Orejarena was signed from Barca USA Academy back in November of last year and has played 1 minute for North Texas SC since. So the reality is he’s really a paid Academy player as that’s where he gets the bulk of his playing time.
FCD acquired his homegrown rights from Chicago Fire for $100k in General Allocation Money (GAM) for 2024, with the potential for an additional $300,000 in General Allocation Money based on performance-based incentives in MLS
Orejarena was the FC Dallas participant in the 2024 MLS Next All-Star game.
