Philadelphia Union Homegrown products Matt Real and Mark McKenzie have been paired together since the beginning. Both Academy products grew up playing together in the system and were signed at the same time by the Union as Homegrown Players on Jan. 18.
This past weekend, Real and McKenzie shared the pitch once again as they logged their first minutes of 2018. The two started on the backline for Bethlehem Steel FC, the Union’s USL affiliate in a 4-1 win over Richmond Kickers. As soon as the match ended, the two left Bethlehem for their next mission.
Both Homegrowns have put in the work in training each day at the club level, and now they’ll have an opportunity to perform at the international level. This past week, U.S. Soccer announced that McKenzie and Real were named to the roster for the United States Under-20 National Team’s training camp in Spain.
Real and McKenzie have joined the USYNT in Alicante, Spain for the team’s first international preparation for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2019. The camp includes three friendlies on March 21, March 23 and March 27.
For McKenzie, he is no stranger to reporting to duty for his country. The defender previously was called up for the inaugural United States Youth National Team Summit Camp in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, where he was with the U.S. U-20s. He previously played for the U-18s while also attending camps for the U-16s and U-15s.
With that same token, Real also joined McKenzie at the USYNT Summit Camp. Previously, he was with the U.S. U-18s, including for the 2017 U-18 Lisbon International Tournament, where he started all three matches against Japan, Norway and Portugal.
The opportunity Real and McKenzie will have this week as they train in Spain and prepare for international friendlies will be valuable as they return stateside and train with the First Team. Fans will want to check out Philadelphiaunion.com for updates on how Real and McKenzie are competing in Spain.
