The United States U-19 national team announced Thursday that Charleston Battery forward Colton Swan has been named to the 21-man roster selected by head coach Gonzalo Segares for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
Set for July 24 – August 9 in Mexico, 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 the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which the U.S. has already qualified for as host country.
“The U-20 World Cup has been circled on my calendar for years now, so to have the chance to help my nation qualify, it means the world to me,” said Swan. “Every call-up is another step forward for me, and it is definitely something I don’t take for granted. I’m looking forward to this new test.”
Swan has been a regular with the USYNT recently, and the call-up is a deserved recognition for the striker, whose 11 goals in 18 matches for the Battery across all competitions this year are the most on the team, in addition to two assists.
“The Battery continue to help my development as a person and a player each day,” said Swan. “My teammates and the coaching staff push me to reach a higher level every day, whether it’s in video review, training sessions, or individual work.”
For his career with the USYNT, Swan has earned one cap (one goal) with the U-20 team, one cap with the U-19 team and four caps (one goal) with the U-18 team.
“We are excited to bring together this group of players to represent our country,” said Segares 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.”
The U.S. were drawn into Group A of the tournament and their group stage games include facing Haiti on July 25, El Salvador on July 28, and Cuba on July 31. All three matches will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on FS2 from Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico. The U.S. are three-time champions of the tournament.
The top two teams in each group, as well as the two best third-place teams, will advance to the all-important quarterfinals from August 4-5 in Puebla. The winners of those matches will qualify for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2027 Pan American Games.
The competition will shift to the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the semifinals on August 7 and the final on August 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.
Real Salt Lake’s America First Training Ground will host the team’s pre-camp beginning June 17, before the squad travels to Mexico on June 21.
Best of luck, Colton!
