Deer Park freshman Christian Myrick named to USA Football national team

Deer Park High School freshman Christian Myrick was named June 18 to USA Football’s 15U Boys U.S. Flag National Team, putting a Suffolk County teenager on one of the sport’s highest youth stages.

USA Football listed Myrick, a Deer Park, New York resident who plays wide receiver and linebacker, on the final 12-athlete roster for the 2026 team. He joined 11 other players selected to represent the United States at the Junior International Cup, the sport’s annual international showcase for its boys’ junior national teams.

The 2026 tournament was scheduled for June 17 through 21 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. USA Football said the event included team practices from June 17 to 19, games from June 19 to 21 and award ceremonies on June 21. Teams from Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea and the United States competed.

For Deer Park, Myrick’s selection offered a visible sign that a local freshman had advanced into a national pipeline built for the most accomplished youth players. USA Football describes its 15U and 17U boys’ national teams as the highest level of youth flag football competition, and the organization said the U.S. boys’ junior national teams have won four gold medals in the 15U division and three gold medals plus one bronze in the 17U division since the Junior International Cup began in 2022.

Myrick reached the final roster through a process that began with 18-athlete initial pools. USA Football held a training camp April 16 to 19 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California, then trimmed the roster to 12 players and alternates for the Los Angeles competition. The 72 athletes named to the 2026 junior national teams came from 14 states.

The selection also reflects how quickly flag football is moving from an alternate youth option to a serious competitive pathway. USA Football says the Junior International Cup gives athletes exposure to five-on-five Olympic-style flag football, and the sport is set to make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028. For Suffolk County, Myrick’s rise ties a Deer Park student to that larger national track and gives the district a homegrown name on a stage far beyond Long Island.