USAfootball

USA Football selects U.S. Under-18 National Team roster

Forty-thee (43) players from 13 states and Washington, D.C., will represent the United States on Wednesday, Feb. 6 – National Signing Day – in Austin, Texas, as the U.S. Under-18 National Team in football takes part in the fourth annual International Bowl festivities.

Team USA’s players and coaches are selected by USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States.  The U.S. Under-18 National Team head coach is CHRIS METZGER of Pinehurst (N.C.) Pinecrest High School.

The International Bowl is an annual competition that unites 64 countries spanning six continents that are part of the International Federation of American Football.

The Metzger-led U.S. Under-18 National Team, composed of top high school juniors and sophomores from across the nation, will face Team Canada. The matchup will be webcast live at 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) at www.youtube.com/usafootballtv.  Team USA U-19 and U-16 teams also will compete that week. The U.S. Under-19 National Team plays 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET) Tuesday, Feb. 5, against an IFAF World Team that representing the 63 member federations outside the United States live. That game will be telecast live on CBS Sports Network.

Media members can schedule interviews with the players or coaches by contacting Steve Alic (salic@usafootball.com) or Joe Frollo (jfrollo@usafootball.com).

Metzger is 33-19 since taking over in 2007 at Pinecrest, leading the team to the playoffs each season. Metzger took over a program that had won just 12 games in the previous 10 seasons. He also was the head coach at Lely High School in Naples, Fla., and was an assistant at schools in Florida, Maryland and Kentucky.

Metzger has served as the U.S. defensive coordinator at Under-19 National Trials and as a head coach for the U.S. Under-15 National Team last June in Austin.

“It is such an honor to have those three letters on our chest,” Metzger said. “What a great opportunity to represent our country, to represent the great game of football.”

International Bowl games are recognized as a U.S. National Team competition by the NCAA and state high school associations. They are not all-star games. International Bowl participation does not count toward a high school senior football player’s limit of two postseason events.

“The U.S. National Team program is dedicated to assembling the ‘top-right’ coaches and players from across the United States to represent our country in international play,” USA Football Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK said. “Chris has shown that he is a great football coach and a terrific example for young men. We are proud to have him lead our inaugural Under-18 team.”

U.S. Under-18 National Team roster:

U.S. Under-18 National Team coaching staff:

USA Football’s national team program is supported by corporate partners Marriott, Riddell, Sports Authority, Rawlings, Gatorade, Upper Deck, Shock Doctor, Cutters and St. Vincent Sports Performance.

About USA Football: USA Football, the sport's national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mid-American Conference and the Patriot League. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competition and awards $1 million annually in equipment grants to youth and high school football programs based on merit and need. Endowed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.