By Ridge Mahoney

All facets of the opportunities on offer to young American soccer players — college, MLS, overseas — are represented on the 18-man roster named by Coach Sigi Schmid to face Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, and Costa Rica, beginning tonight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. with two spots in the 2005 Word Youth Championship finals to be decided.

''They all feel it's very important to play for the U.S. and there's a lot of reasons for it when you get to the next level and on the full national team,'' says Schmid, who coached the U-20 team at the 1999 world championships before embarking on a five-year stint with the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy.

''A lot of them were the top dog on their college teams or close to it, or they're now a pro coming into the team. Getting them to understand we have to divide the roles on this team and telling them, 'You might still be a workmanlike guy here even though you want to be a little bit more of a maestro,' is part of putting this together.''

Thirteen of the players are on college rosters. Blending these players of disparate experiences and backgrounds into a cohesive unit has been Schmid's main task since he took over the U-20s from Thomas Rongen in late October.

Fiveámembers of the U.S. under-17 team that finished fourth at the 2003 world championships are on the under-20 team. Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Eddie Gaven (MetroStars), and Danny Szetela (Columbus) went to MLS; Jacob Peterson took the college route (two-time national champion at Indiana), and starting goalkeeper Quentin Westberg plays for Troyes' reserve team in the French CF2 (Fifth Division).

Besides Adu, the forwards are college products: Chad Barrett (UCLA), Charlie Davies (Boston College) and Peterson. Their college stats were solid if not spectacular in 2004: Barrett (6 goals, 10 assists); Davies (9, 4); Peterson (11, 2).

''The players from the under-17s have matured a lot in the two years since we've had qualifying and the [U-17] World Cup,'' says Szetela, whose quest for playing time in midfield is shared by Benny Feilhaber (UCLA) and Will John (Saint Louis University) as well as Alvarez, Gaven and Patrick Ianni (UCLA).

''But the college players have come right in even though they don't have the same experience and they've been in their college seasons. The pros on the field are a little different sometimes than the college guys, but right now the team looks good and I think we're going to have a great qualifying tournament.''