Lauren Miller Called up to U-15 National Team

St. Louis Park, Minnesota’s Lauren Miller has been called up to the U-15 Girls’ National Team.

14-year-old MTA player Lauren Miller

US Soccer announced on Monday that 14-year-old Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA) player Lauren Miller was selected for the Under-15 Girls’ National Team training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA from Feb. 13-20.

Interestingly, IMS featured Miller in an article in January of last year which was entitled, “Lauren Miller, A name to look for in the not so distant future”

“I first saw her at 11 and it was hard to believe she was 11, playing with the U13s,” said Mark Cook, MTA coach. “She had such an ability and knowledge of the game, you could tell she would be a special player. I started working personally with her last year and even in the last year I’ve seen a huge change in her work ethic. She’s getting a lot stronger and she’s always been special technically, with good vision. Now she’s matured mentally and physically and is taking it to the next level.”

“I’ve had the privilege of seeing and working with youth National Team players Caroline Smith (ODP), Catie Sessions (Woodbury), and Olivia Schultz (Bangu Tsunami FC) when they were Miller’s age,” said former MTA Director Mark Abboud in last year’s IMS article. “The three of them developed into terrific players in their own right, but I think Miller has demonstrated a rare combination of silky smooth talent, instinctual tactical sense, and intense drive to go even further than her predecessors in this sport.”

“If she continues to develop the way she has, even just in the last year where she has put in a lot of time to develop physically, and her work ethic keeps growing, the sky is the limit to be honest,” Cook said. “She already has great technical ability and she’s creative. Her work ethic was really the thing and even in the last year we’ve seen a complete change in her mentality. I’ve had some kids with national teams come back and think they can coast, but she’s been working even harder.”

It looks as if Abboud and Cook were correct in their assessments of Miller. She is being called up to an elite group of 24 players who could eventually make the U-17 World Cup squad in 2012. Miller has been called into the elite camp as a forward.

“Soccer is just basically my life,” said Miller in last year’s article. “I want to keep improving and keep moving up through ODP and making teams,” she said. “I want to push myself to the highest level.”

U-15 girl’s head coach Mike Dickey has called in 24 players, all born in 1995. This is the first training camp as U-15s for this group of 1995s, all but one of whom attended the U.S. Soccer U-14 I.D. Camp in Pomona, Calif., last August. The U-15s will play several scrimmages during the camp, including a game against Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 19. The core of the players called into this camp will make up the  USSF 2012 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup squad.

Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (NASA G13 Elite II; Kennesaw, Ga.), Carissa Miller (Sereno Soccer Club; Cave Creek, Ariz.), Morgan Stearns (Mclean MPS Power; Burke, Va.)
DEFENDERS (5): Madeline Bauer (Slammers FC; Newport Beach, Calif.), Kelly McCann (So Cal Blues; Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), Taylor Nelson (Arsenal FC; Fort Collins, Colo.), Shea Newman (FC Stars of Massachusetts; Medfield, Mass.), Jenna Romano (Team Chicago; Naperville, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Morgan Andrews (FC Stars of Massachusetts U-17; Milford, N.H.), Joanna Boyles (94 CASL Spartan Elite; Raleigh, N.C.), Kaitlyn Clark (KC Select; Liberty, Mo.), Rose Dimartino (Albertson Fury Elite; Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Miranda Freeman (Team Boca U17’s; Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), Lauren Kaskie (Neusport Football Club; Las Vegas, Nev.), Victoria Manfredonia (San Diego Surf; Escondido, Calif.), Lydia Simmons (Seacoast United, Londonderry, N.H.), Morgan Stanton (Colorado Rush Soccer Club; Lakewood, Colo.)
FORWARDS (7): Elizabeth Boon (Columbia Timbers Premier SC; Washougal, Wash.), Frannie Crouse (Beadling Soccer Club; Jeanette, Pa.), Summer Green (Michigan Hawks 95 Black; Milford, Mich.), Ariel Kupritz (Brentwood Soccer Club; Maryville, Tenn.), Lauren Miller (Minnesota Thunder Academy; St. Louis Park, Minn.), Amber Munerlyn (So Cal Blues; Corona, Calif.), Zoe Swift (NSA Premier Fury; Naperville, Ill.)