Two Atlanta United academy prospects will be representing the club and their country at the world’s premier youth tournament this year. Defender Alexander Bahr and midfielder Alessandro Castro have officially been named in the Honduras squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup that kicks off in October.
Bahr most recently featured for the U-15/16 Atlanta United squad, while Castro played in midfield for the national championship-winning U-17 side last season. Bahr is from Flowery Branch, Georgia and Castro is from Lilburn, Georgia – both have eligibility to play for the U.S. National team in the future. Both players featured for Honduras in the U-17 CONCACAF Championship earlier this year when the team secured one of the four World Cup bids from North and Central America.
“It is a fantastic achievement for these two players to be selected to play for their country,” said Atlanta United Academy Director Tony Annan. “The experience and development they will gain from being in this environment will be invaluable to both of them. This will make the possibility of 7 players away for USA and Honduras for this huge event which is also a great achievement for the academy as we enter our second season. We wish all the players well and hope they are successful”.
The U-17 FIFA World Cup is a tournament between the 24 best teams in the world every two years since 1985, with this year’s tournament held in India from October 6th to the 28th. Honduras will face Japan, France and New Caledonia in the group stages with the possibility of advancing to the group stages after that. Other squads – including that of the U.S. national team – have not yet been officially announced.
