U.S. Soccer announced today that Cooper Sanchez has been named to the Under-19 Men’s National Team by head coach Gonzalo Segares that will represent the United States at 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 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a tournament the U.S. has already qualified for as host country. Sanchez will be available for Atlanta United’s match vs. Nashville SC (8 p.m. ET, Apple TV, FOX/FOX Deportes) before leaving for camp.
Real Salt Lake’s America First Training Ground will host the team’s pre-camp beginning July 17, before the squad travels to Mexico on July 21. Drawn into Group A, the USA 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 on FS2 from Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico.
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 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 August 7, before the famed venue hosts 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.
All tournament matches will be broadcast in English on FOX Broadcast networks with select matches on the Concacaf YouTube channel. Fans can follow all the action on ussoccer.com as well as U.S. Soccer Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sanchez, 18, signed as a Homegrown on Aug. 5, 2025 and made his First Team debut as a substitute in a Leagues Cup match against Atlas on Aug. 6 and his MLS debut on Sept. 13 against Columbus Crew. He made his first MLS start against Inter Miami CF on Oct. 11, 2025. He has started 13 of his 15 career MLS appearances. This season, he’s started 12 of his 13 MLS appearances and recorded four assists. He scored his first goal with Atlanta United’s First Team in Atlanta’s 2-0 win against Charlotte FC in U.S. Open Cup on April 28, 2026.
The midfielder has represented the U-16, U-17 and U-18 United States National Teams. In 2025, Sanchez was called up to represent the United States in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar where he started three games as the U.S. advanced to the round of 16.
