Chicago Fire FC Homegrown player Robert Turdean has been named to the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team roster for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held Nov. 19-Dec. 13 in Doha, Qatar.
Turdean signed a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player in January 2025 to become the youngest field player signing in Club history and the 10th youngest field player acquisition in MLS History. He became the youngest player to take the field in Fire history at 16 years, 207 days old when he made his debut with the Men in Red during Leagues Cup 2026, earning a spot in the starting lineup in the 3-1 victory against Santos Laguna on Aug. 9. Turdean was also on the Chicago Fire game day roster for two regular season MLS matches, joining the first team against Inter Miami CF on Sept. 9, and against the New England Revolution on Sept. 13.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, are age-eligible for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup. U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team head coach Alex Aldaz selected 18 players born in 2009 and three born in 2010.
The U.S. was drawn into Group J of the tournament alongside Algeria, Chile and Montenegro. The USA will open the tournament against Montenegro at 8:30 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 21. The Americans will then face Chile on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 8:30 a.m. CT and close group play against Algeria at 9:00 a.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 27. All three of the USA’s Group J games will be played at the Aspire Zone Sports Complex in Al Rayyan/Doha, with the final staged at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium for specific matches. All matches will be streamed on FS2 and FSD.
The U-17 MNT squad will begin pre-camp in Salwa, Qatar on Monday, Nov. 9, before transitioning to Doha, Qatar on Wednesday, Nov. 18. This roster features players from 17 clubs, including 14 from 10 different MLS clubs. Atlanta United FC, Columbus Crew, New England Revolution and the New York Red Bulls lead the way with two players apiece. Chicago Fire FC, LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City all are represented with one player each on the roster.
At the international level, Turdean has represented the U.S. at the U-14, U-15 and U-16 age levels. Most recently, Turdean was selected by Aldaz for an international training camp in Marbella Spain in September and October. Turdean follows in the footsteps of Homegrown defender Christopher Cupps and Chicago Fire II midfielder Oscar Pineda, who were members of the U.S. and Mexico U-17 Men’s National Teams, respectively, at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.