International Duty: Herons at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

July 6, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Inter Miami CF News Release

Two Inter Miami First Team and four Inter Miami CF II players, all of them Academy products, represented the club at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship that took place in Honduras from June 18 through July 3: Noah Allen (USMYNT), Edison Azcona (Dominican Republic), Israel Boatwright (Dominican Republic), Kobi Thomas (Jamaica), Bryan Destin (Haiti) and Dairon Reyes (Cuba).

Let’s take a look at how our players performed at the tournament, in which they had the opportunity to compete to help their respective countries clinch a spot in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia and the Summer Olympics in 2024.

Noah Allen

Allen and the United States had a tournament to remember. The young Homegrown defender helped his country clinch its third CONCACAF U-20 Championship title, advancing to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia and the Summer Olympics in 2024.

Allen, 18, was a fixture in the team’s lineups throughout the competition, making five appearances, including four starts and starting in the final. He even managed to get on the scoreboard in the final against the Dominican Republic on July 3, netting the team’s fourth goal in the 39th minute of the match en route to the title-clinching 6-0 victory.

The Dominican Republic, meanwhile, began its participation in the Round of 16 of the competition after qualifying directly to the knockout stages of the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship through a preliminary knockout round that took place in November 2021. Azcona captained the side throughout its historic run at the tournament as it achieved a pair of milestones.

Azcona and Boatwright, 18 and 17 respectively, both started in the team’s debut in the tournament on June 26 against El Salvador. Both players netted in a thrilling matchup, with Boatwright opening the scoring in the sixth minute of play, and Azcona registering an assist and scoring the winner in the 4-5 win for the Dominican Republic in the 78th minute. This marked Boatwright’s international debut with the Dominican Republic as well as his first goal, just a week after scoring his first professional goal with Inter Miami CF II.

Both Inter Miami Academy products then started in the 1-0 win over Jamaica in the quarterfinals match on June 29, which would see Boatwright conclude his participation in the competition as he came off injured. With the win, the Dominican Republic earned a historic 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup berth, as…