At least one New York City FC player will be busy during the September international break. Mitja Ilenič was called up by the Slovenia U-21 squad looking to qualify for the 2025 UEFA Euro U-21 Championship, which will be held June 11-28, 2025.
🚨 Selektor #SLOU21 🇸🇮 Milenko Aćimović je danes predstavil seznam nogometašev, na katere bo računal na septembrskih preizkušnjah proti Franciji 🇫🇷 in Cipru 🇨🇾
— NZS | FA Slovenia (@nzs_si) August 27, 2024
Več na https://t.co/0tLdeAEdGK pic.twitter.com/jdquJ36Gke
Slovenia currently sit at the top of Group H with 12 points after five matches, ahead of France, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus. The nine group winners plus the three best runner-ups will qualify, and the six next-best runner-ups will compete for three spots. Slovakia, as hosts, automatically qualify for one of the tournament's 16 spots. Slovenia failed to qualify for the 2023 UEFA Euro U-21 Championship.
Slovenia will face France on Friday, September 6 at 12:30 pm ET at Stade Raymond Kopa in Angers, France. Then they will host Cyprus on Tuesday, September 10 at 12 pm ET at Fazanerija Stadium in Murska Sobota, Slovenia.
2025 UEFA Euro U-21 Championship Qualification
Group H
| MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| France | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 9 |
| Austria | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 3 |
| Cyprus | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | -13 | 2 |
Ilenič will rejoin New York City before they resume their Major League Soccer season on Saturday, September 14, when they face DC United at Audi Field.
Ilenič currently has eight caps for the Slovenia U-21 team. The 19-year-old was in the Starting XI for the U-21's 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 22, and the 1-0 win over Austria back on October 17, 2023.
He made his U-21 debut on March 25, 2022, when the 17-year-old Ilenič was in the Starting XI for a 0-0 draw with Kosovo. Earlier this year, the right-back earned his first cap for the senior Slovenia national team when they played the United States men's national team in January. Ilenič made a substitute appearance in Slovenia's 0-1 win at Toyota Field in San Antonio, TX. The Slovenska nogometna reprezentanca are currently ranked #52 in the world by FIFA.
