FORT LAUDERDALE — Four Inter Miami CF Academy products represented their national teams at the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship, with First Team players Santiago Morales and Alexander Shaw helping the United States U-20 side reach the tournament final and clinch qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Morales and Shaw anchored a U.S. squad that posted three group-stage victories without conceding a goal, beating Haiti 3-0, El Salvador and Cuba. Shaw scored in the 5-0 win over Cuba, while Morales found the back of the net in the 3-0 victory over Haiti. The dominant run continued in the knockout rounds with a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Guatemala and a 2-0 semifinal victory over Costa Rica before the U.S. fell 2-0 to Mexico in the championship match, finishing as runners-up.
Academy defender Cai McLean represented Jamaica in Group C, where the Reggae Boyz opened with a 2-1 victory over Honduras before recording consecutive 2-2 draws against Panama and Canada to finish second in the group. McLean was an unused substitute in Jamaica’s first two group-stage matches before featuring as a second-half substitute against Canada. Jamaica’s tournament ended in the quarterfinals, where Canada secured a 3-1 victory after extra time.
Academy defender Kendry Villafuerte represented Honduras in the same group and started all three of his team’s group-stage matches. Honduras opened with a 2-1 defeat to Jamaica, drew Canada 1-1 and fell 4-0 to Panama in its final group-stage match, ending its tournament run.
The four players’ participation across three national teams marks a significant output for Inter Miami’s youth development pipeline. Morales and Shaw now turn their attention to the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where they will have the chance to represent the United States on the global stage in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.