The Seattle Sounders will be represented as the United States opens U-17 World Cup play in Brazil today. First-teamers Danny Leyva and Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez were both key contributors in the qualifying tournament and Sounders Academy player Ethan Dobbelaere was a somewhat surprising addition to the team during the final training camp. Dobbelaere, 16, made seven appearances for Tacoma Defiance and scored one goal.
Ocampo-Chavez led the USA during qualifying with four goals and scored eight goals during the entire World Cup cycle. The United States ended up finishing second in Concacaf qualifying, falling to Mexico 2-1 in the final.