After celebrating in the confetti shower in Columbus, Ohio when Austin FC II hoisted the MLS NEXT Pro Cup in their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season, attacking midfielder Micah Burton is set to take his talent to the world stage. Burton was 1 of 21 players selected to play for the U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team (MYNT) at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia.
During the season for ATXFC II, Burton played 24 matches for the Verde & Black, scoring two goals and clocking 1,214 minutes. The 17-year-old ranked fifth in attacking assists for ATXFC II, and his passing percentage of 84.3 percent ranked sixth among players who appeared in at least 20 matches.
On April 16, he became the youngest-ever professional goalscorer for Austin FC II when he netted against St. Louis CITY2. He also played in three postseason matches en route to the team’s championship victory, starting the quarterfinal match against Sporting KC II and seeing action in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final against Colorado Rapids 2 and MLS NEXT Pro Cup against Columbus Crew 2.
Burton has made 12 appearances for the U.S. U-17 MYNT and has scored five goals in 611 minutes of play. Three of those goals were scored in the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in February 2023, against Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, and Canada in the semifinal. He is 1 of 3 players to appear in 9 of 11 matches since the training camp cycle began in November of 2021.
The U.S. U-17 MYNT will play in Group E, where they will face Korea Republic, Burkina Faso, and France on November 12, 15, and 18 at Jakarta International Stadium. The group-stage matches will be available to watch in the United States on FS1. The top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the knockout rounds, while the four best third-place teams will also move on. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
