I believe most of that team arrived there this summer, correct? And they were dominating by day one. I agree that they’re the best around. But I believe that’s called “scouting,” not development.
2005 DA Standings
- Thread starter BJ18
- Start date
Dr. Richard Hurtz
SILVER
Excellent point xavi10.
I agree with you. You make a valid point.
Except for the fact that the original 2004 LAFC boys are damn good.. the original 2005 LAFC boys are damn good.. and their new arrival 2006 LAFC boys are damn good. All three of these teams kick ass continuously every game day. Now for sake of argument we can disregard the 2006’s cause they’re new.. but then how do you explain the existing 04 and 05 team? There are still players on these teams who are originals. They were playing before LAFC even had their name made up. They were playing when Joey Cascio was their only coach. I’m talking about over two years ago... there’s still about 7 to 10 of these boys who were the very first originals. The originals of the originals. And I’m giving these boys the respect they deserve. So if you hate LAFC cause they win or you hate LAFC cause they recruit or you hate LAFC cause they’re MLS.. I don’t care what your reasons; I will stick up for these boys. I’ve watched them before there was a stadium. I’ve watched them before they had a name. I’ve watched them before they had a home to practice on. I’ve watched them four to five nights a week busting their butts for over two years... so if you think I care that they recruit but not develop? You’re wrong Sir. I’m happy they recruit only the best and develop only the best.
L
Love your passion! They deserve much respect, no doubt. I was just looking from the very wide angle of developing US players to international excellence, which we struggle with. Are these kids undergoing the technical development of skills which will permit them to be on a national team which is a world leader, or are they developing the skills which will bring them to the world’s best leagues? Time will tell I guess.
Distraction
BRONZE
Surf is hard at work at just that task. Last summer they picked up three top players (Albion 05 striker, Albion 04 central mid, LAFC d-mid). This November they grabbed two from the Chula Vista 04s. Now they are working on two more pieces of the puzzle to shore up their defense. If they pull it off it will be quite a coup.
Dr. Richard Hurtz
SILVER
Xav10
I agree with you 100%
Everyday I wonder are these kids really getting trained? The answer is I just don’t know. I don’t think anyone really knows. But what bothers me is if LAFC can get it right and with Surf trying to get it right and all these other DA teams trying to do just that, then why can’t our national teams get it right. I think these US scouts should recruit these young boys right now!! Yes the eleven and twelve yr olds right now too!! But they’re not doing that. They’re grabbing the wrong kids. Well at least that’s my opinion. If LAFC is tearing it up on every game day and I was a Scout, well guess where I would be? I’d be watching them play and I would grab the whole lot. Kill more than two birds with one stone. But they’re not doing that. I don’t know what’s wrong with our system but I do know it lacks common sense sometimes.
Wez
DA
I must have missed the part where Xav said he hated LAFC...
I think we have too big of a country maybe. In Germany, they appointed a national soccer "czar" 10 years ago who implemented national identification and training programs, culminating in a world cup. England has similar standards and requirements.
Here, too much geography to cover all the areas where great players are and too many different philosophies of training. There is no US identity where those kids from LAFC or wherever can be brought together and trained in our system...we don't have a system!
YaYaTorres
BRONZE
They (US Soccer) is doing just that (But at an older age)-- The most recent 03 National Team pool had I think (8) LA Galaxy players on it. You would have to assume its because they are the best DA team at that age group and their birth year is in the rotation for U15.
Nobody on this board would argue that LAFC was able to collect a pool of players which at this point is hands down the best "Team" right now. However, if you pooled the two or three best players from Albion, Surf, LAGSD, Strikers, Pats could you honestly say LAFC would be steamrolling? (and thats only the south teams). Remember, thats the very question scouts need to address. -- Lastly, U13 is too young to annoint any kids right now and its only been half a season.
mahrez
SILVER ELITE
Ussda has one full time scout for the entire Western region and a bunch of part timers. They don't have enough resouces to id more kids from a broader base so what happens is selection tends to be a limited scope focusing on too few. The selection process is flawed, realizes on who knows who more, and scouts unevenly in favor of the more known entrenched clubs.
When there is more than a couple of players from the same team out of a pool of 100's of clubs I don't care how good the team might be but the scouts obviously missed some of there marks, you only have to see what players stood out at the latest event to see that was the case.
SoccerisFun
BRONZE
I am not sure I understand your logic here or if it even makes sense. Couldn't you say the same thing about the LA teams? For example, if you pooled the best players from LAFC, Galaxy, and LAUFA the south teams wouldn't have a chance. I don't necessarily believe that but I'm following your logic.
The point I would make is that the talent is too spread out. Realistically, you only have enough talent to make 3-4 really good DA teams. Teams that could compete nationally and be very hard to beat. Teams that scouts would be silly not to come watch.
Right now, LAFC plays the best style of soccer and does better executing what their coaches teach. It's not just about talent. Although, you could say that in a few case against the bottom teams like Nomads, Arsenal, etc. And as you mentioned, the season is still young and I expect other teams to start playing better. It's hard to play at such a high level and continue that over a 8-9 month season.
How many of the 8 Galaxy 03 players is in the final 20 for the Nike U17 friendlies? None, This is the group that will make up the U17 team next seasons. Only 1 03 from FC Dallas is on the squad he was one of the stand out at the last camp..
So far this season training camp and National Pool players are mostly coaches pick.
U.S. U-17 Men's National Team head coach John Hackworth has named a final 20-player roster for the 2017 Nike International Friendlies, which run from Nov. 29-Dec. 3 at Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
U.S. U-17 MNT 2017 Nike International Friendlies Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Norridge, Ill.), Kashope Oladapo (Portland Timbers; Happy Valley, Ore.)
DEFENDERS (6): Axel Alejandre (FC United Soccer Club; Chicago, Ill.), Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Co.), George Bello (Atlanta United FC; Douglasville, Ga.), Mason Judge (Chargers Soccer Club; Tampa, Fla.), Kenny Nielsen (Pateadores; Irvine, Calif.), Joseph Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Joshua Atencio (Seattle Sounders FC; Bellevue, Wash.), Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greenboro, NC), Adam Saldana (Real So Cal; Panorama City, Calif.), Gilbert Fuentes Perez (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.), Maximilian Goeggel (VFB Stuttgart; San Francisco, Calif.), Peter Stroud (New York Red Bulls; Chester, NJ)
FORWARDS (6): Julian Gaines (Lonestar Soccer Club; Austin, Tex.), Cade Hagan (Sockers FC; Naperville, Ill.), Diego Lopez (FC Golden State; Chino, Calif.), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Fresno, Calif.), Dante Sealy (FC Dallas; Frisco, Tex.), Ray Serrano (Seattle Sounders FC; Graham, Wash.)
The 2017 Nike International Friendlies will feature three doubleheaders, with the USA playing the evening game of each match day. The U.S. will face England on Wednesday, Nov. 29 (7 p.m. ET), Netherlands on Friday, Dec. 1 (7 p.m. ET) and close out the competition against Brazil on Sunday, Dec. 3 (5 p.m. ET). All six matches will be live streamed on U.S. Soccer's Facebook Page, YouTube channel, and ussoccer.com.
Development Academy Ties:
U.S. U-17 MNT 2017 Nike International Friendlies Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Norridge, Ill.), Kashope Oladapo (Portland Timbers; Happy Valley, Ore.)
DEFENDERS (6): Axel Alejandre (FC United Soccer Club; Chicago, Ill.), Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Co.), George Bello (Atlanta United FC; Douglasville, Ga.), Mason Judge (Chargers Soccer Club; Tampa, Fla.), Kenny Nielsen (Pateadores; Irvine, Calif.), Joseph Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Joshua Atencio (Seattle Sounders FC; Bellevue, Wash.), Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greenboro, NC), Adam Saldana (Real So Cal; Panorama City, Calif.), Gilbert Fuentes Perez (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.), Maximilian Goeggel (VFB Stuttgart; San Francisco, Calif.), Peter Stroud (New York Red Bulls; Chester, NJ)
FORWARDS (6): Julian Gaines (Lonestar Soccer Club; Austin, Tex.), Cade Hagan (Sockers FC; Naperville, Ill.), Diego Lopez (FC Golden State; Chino, Calif.), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Fresno, Calif.), Dante Sealy (FC Dallas; Frisco, Tex.), Ray Serrano (Seattle Sounders FC; Graham, Wash.)
The 2017 Nike International Friendlies will feature three doubleheaders, with the USA playing the evening game of each match day. The U.S. will face England on Wednesday, Nov. 29 (7 p.m. ET), Netherlands on Friday, Dec. 1 (7 p.m. ET) and close out the competition against Brazil on Sunday, Dec. 3 (5 p.m. ET). All six matches will be live streamed on U.S. Soccer's Facebook Page, YouTube channel, and ussoccer.com.
Development Academy Ties:
- All 20 players on the roster have ties to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
- The roster includes two players who have signed professional contracts as MLS Homegrown Players: George Bello (Atlanta United FC) and Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City)
- Bello is the only DA Champion on the roster, helping lead Atlanta United FC to the 2017 U-15/16 Development Academy national title.
- Forward Alfonso Ocampo Chavez paces the roster with four seasons spent with a Development Academy club; Ocampo Chavez spent three seasons with Merced Atlas Soccer Academy before moving up to Seattle Sounders FC, where he is currently in the midst of his second season.
- At the end of the 2016-17 Academy season, five players were named an Academy U-15/16 Best XI selection to their respective conference, in their respective positions: Axel Alejandre (Central), George Bello (East), Mason Judge (East), Gianluca Busio (Central) and Damian Las (Central).
- Along with the Sounders trio, a total of 12 players on the USA roster represent Development Academy clubs in Major League Soccer: defenders Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids), George Bello (Atlanta United FC) and Joseph Scally (New York City FC), midfielders Joshua Atencio (Seattle Sounders FC), Gilbert Fuentes Perez (San Jose Earthquakes) and Peter Stroud (New York Red Bulls), and forwards Busio (Sporting Kansas City), Alfonso Ocampo Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC) and Dante Sealy (FC Dallas).
- Fourteen of the 20 players were part of the team that finished runner up to Mexico at the 2017 CONCACAF U-15 Championship in August, while sixteen were part of the team that took home the Torneo delle Nazioni championship trophy.
- Maximillian Goeggel is currently the only player plying his trade internationally, playing in VFB Stuttgart's youth system.
- MLS club Seattle Sounders FC has the largest representation of players with three: Joshua Atencio, Alfonso Ocampo Chavez and Ray Serrano.
- Forward Dante Sealy is the only 2003 birth year players on the roster.
YaYaTorres
BRONZE
You are arguing my point. Dr. Hurtz was saying that US scouts should kill two birds with one stone by simply focusing on LAFC since they are the dominant team right now.
If you look what I'm saying, I agree with you. If you pooled the best players North or South, LAFC would not steamroll, so to speak. Focusing on LAFC gives scouts a false sense as the other talented top 10% is spread out on other 12 teams.
YaYaTorres
BRONZE
T
The 03 example is a totally different age group from Nike Friendlies and the US camp I was speaking of happened recently (last couple of weeks or so) in Chula Vista. If anything could be argued, The 03 Galaxy team took up the bulk of Spots available for Cal South kids under Dr. Hurtz notion that the dominant team should supply the most Candidates. Again, this may be a false pretense, since the MLS clubs act as all star teams with evenly distributed talent. The other DA clubs still fill spots with kids that may not be at the level of MLS but we shouldn't ignore the op kids on those teams.
The 03 example is a totally different age group from Nike Friendlies and the US camp I was speaking of happened recently (last couple of weeks or so) in Chula Vista. If anything could be argued, The 03 Galaxy team took up the bulk of Spots available for Cal South kids under Dr. Hurtz notion that the dominant team should supply the most Candidates. Again, this may be a false pretense, since the MLS clubs act as all star teams with evenly distributed talent. The other DA clubs still fill spots with kids that may not be at the level of MLS but we shouldn't ignore the op kids on those teams.
U17s defeated 5-1 at 2017 Nike Friendlies
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida - The word of the night was unacceptable. U.S. U17 Men’s National Team head coach John Hackworth uttered it multiple times in describing the 1-5 loss to Netherlands at the 2017 Nike International Friendlies.
The U.S. was played off the pitch for most of the game. A late strike from Alfonso Ocampo Chavez gave the U.S. a positive to hold onto from the outing, but the night would better be classified as a learning experience or a punch in the mouth for a young squad that did not look up to the quality needed to play at the international level.
“I learned a lot, to be fair, and I learned that we have a lot of work to do,” Hackworth told TopDrawerSoccer after the game when asked what he learned from that performance. “We have some young players that we needed to give an opportunity to to see if they were ready for this moment. Clearly, the moment got the best of them. I don’t think that was a good performance especially the start of the game. Until they go through that experience, it’s impossible for me to tell if they are going to handle it the right way or not. I feel it’s tough for them. They’re young kids. I’m sure this is a big moment in their lives. This occasion and the moment got the best of them.”
The night started terribly for USA with a mistake from goalkeeper Kashope Oladapo giving the Netherlands an indirect free kick from the center of the six-yard box. The visitors converted on the set piece inside three minutes. It didn’t get much better for USA after that.
Netherlands extended the lead in the 20th minute on an unmarked header off a cross. USA could not get their footing and fell behind 3-0 on a deflected shot in the 30th minute.
It nearly got completely out-of-hand at the end of the first half when Netherlands picked off a pass in the center of the field and looked free on a breakaway, but Mason Judge did well to recover and block the shot. A minute later, the USA gave away possession in the defensive third and required a good stop from Oladapo to keep it 3-0. He had to make another save in the 38th minute as Netherlands was again running free at the U.S. goal down the right channel.
“The key is that the players who were on the field tonight need to reflect and have some resolve and answer,” Hackworth said. “We will have to look at it very hard to see the specific areas where they need to take the step and improve. The hard part is we play Brazil so another really hard test. Hopefully we can put on a much better performance because that was unacceptable.”
The U.S. starting line-up on Friday featured many new faces compared to the group that played on Wednesday against England. After the loss to England, USA coach John Hackworth mentioned that he wanted to get a look at new faces during this game. The result from the opening 40minute half was not positive as they lacked much cohesion and struggled to keep the ball against Netherlands during the first half. The frustration, and the 0-3 deficit, had the USA subs warming up in the 32nd minute.
“That was a good team,” Hackworth said about the opponent. “You can’t gift a team at that level the kind of goals that we did. The first two goals were completely unacceptable. They have some really good quality. Their fourth goal was exceptional. They’re a very good team. That’s what we want. That’s what we need to test ourselves against. From that regard, it’s great to have opponents like that come to Nike Friendlies. You can see what a big difference there is [between the two teams] at this point. It’s a challenge to our coaching staff and the players themselves. We have a lot of work to do.”
Rey Serrano had a chance to pull one back early in the second half but the Netherlands goalkeeper made a good diving save to keep USA off the scoresheet.
Netherlands extended the lead minutes later with another goal from the top of the 18-yard box with little pressure on the dribbler and a clean look on the net. Damian Las, who came on to start the second half, did not have a chance on making the save. Netherlands scored their last goal in the 64th minute.
USA managed to pull one back in the 74th minute when Alfonso Ocampo Chavez scored on a nice finish to salvage some positivity from the rough night.
“Just to try to get these guys to forget about this a little bit,” Hackworth said about his approach for Sunday. “I don’t think they are playing their best (through the first two games of the Nike Friendlies). I’ve seen them play some really good games. I know they have it in them.”
USA is back in action on Sunday against Brazil to wrap up the 2017 Nike Friendlies. Brazil defeated England 2-1 on Friday. Brazil is 2-0 at the event and sitting in first place heading into the final day of action.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida - The word of the night was unacceptable. U.S. U17 Men’s National Team head coach John Hackworth uttered it multiple times in describing the 1-5 loss to Netherlands at the 2017 Nike International Friendlies.
The U.S. was played off the pitch for most of the game. A late strike from Alfonso Ocampo Chavez gave the U.S. a positive to hold onto from the outing, but the night would better be classified as a learning experience or a punch in the mouth for a young squad that did not look up to the quality needed to play at the international level.
“I learned a lot, to be fair, and I learned that we have a lot of work to do,” Hackworth told TopDrawerSoccer after the game when asked what he learned from that performance. “We have some young players that we needed to give an opportunity to to see if they were ready for this moment. Clearly, the moment got the best of them. I don’t think that was a good performance especially the start of the game. Until they go through that experience, it’s impossible for me to tell if they are going to handle it the right way or not. I feel it’s tough for them. They’re young kids. I’m sure this is a big moment in their lives. This occasion and the moment got the best of them.”
The night started terribly for USA with a mistake from goalkeeper Kashope Oladapo giving the Netherlands an indirect free kick from the center of the six-yard box. The visitors converted on the set piece inside three minutes. It didn’t get much better for USA after that.
Netherlands extended the lead in the 20th minute on an unmarked header off a cross. USA could not get their footing and fell behind 3-0 on a deflected shot in the 30th minute.
It nearly got completely out-of-hand at the end of the first half when Netherlands picked off a pass in the center of the field and looked free on a breakaway, but Mason Judge did well to recover and block the shot. A minute later, the USA gave away possession in the defensive third and required a good stop from Oladapo to keep it 3-0. He had to make another save in the 38th minute as Netherlands was again running free at the U.S. goal down the right channel.
“The key is that the players who were on the field tonight need to reflect and have some resolve and answer,” Hackworth said. “We will have to look at it very hard to see the specific areas where they need to take the step and improve. The hard part is we play Brazil so another really hard test. Hopefully we can put on a much better performance because that was unacceptable.”
The U.S. starting line-up on Friday featured many new faces compared to the group that played on Wednesday against England. After the loss to England, USA coach John Hackworth mentioned that he wanted to get a look at new faces during this game. The result from the opening 40minute half was not positive as they lacked much cohesion and struggled to keep the ball against Netherlands during the first half. The frustration, and the 0-3 deficit, had the USA subs warming up in the 32nd minute.
“That was a good team,” Hackworth said about the opponent. “You can’t gift a team at that level the kind of goals that we did. The first two goals were completely unacceptable. They have some really good quality. Their fourth goal was exceptional. They’re a very good team. That’s what we want. That’s what we need to test ourselves against. From that regard, it’s great to have opponents like that come to Nike Friendlies. You can see what a big difference there is [between the two teams] at this point. It’s a challenge to our coaching staff and the players themselves. We have a lot of work to do.”
Rey Serrano had a chance to pull one back early in the second half but the Netherlands goalkeeper made a good diving save to keep USA off the scoresheet.
Netherlands extended the lead minutes later with another goal from the top of the 18-yard box with little pressure on the dribbler and a clean look on the net. Damian Las, who came on to start the second half, did not have a chance on making the save. Netherlands scored their last goal in the 64th minute.
USA managed to pull one back in the 74th minute when Alfonso Ocampo Chavez scored on a nice finish to salvage some positivity from the rough night.
“Just to try to get these guys to forget about this a little bit,” Hackworth said about his approach for Sunday. “I don’t think they are playing their best (through the first two games of the Nike Friendlies). I’ve seen them play some really good games. I know they have it in them.”
USA is back in action on Sunday against Brazil to wrap up the 2017 Nike Friendlies. Brazil defeated England 2-1 on Friday. Brazil is 2-0 at the event and sitting in first place heading into the final day of action.
mahrez
SILVER ELITE
This "friendly" " showcased" how badly the divide is between the USA and international standard youth teams at certain ages.
Looked liked men vs boys, USA totally outclassed, woefully defending, much too slow, touch missing, etc.
We really need to revamp the selection process, training, and camps. I hope ussf follows through and does take the well known coaches and director's out of influencing the selection, training, and teams and turn that process over to independent third parties. Retreading the same coaches and limiting the training pools to a limited scope of players is not working.
By definition, the kids who are dominant at 12 years old (ie LAFC) will not, except for 1 or 2 exceptions, be the kids who are dominant by 17 and 18. If you are not looking for the kids with potential who need development to be better later, than you are doing a disservice to youth soccer in the US, ignoring the kids with more potential while seeking glory today with your dominant team.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida - The U.S. U17 Men’s National Team battled to a 1-1 draw against Brazil in the final game of the 2017 U17 Nike Friendlies. Brazil won the tournament after wins over the Netherlands and England in the previous two games. USA finished with an 0-2-1 record from the three games.
Brazil scored first in the 15th minute. Peter Stroud commit a foul about 40 yards from the goal. USA was in a zonal marking scheme and did not match up well in the key areas. Brazil scored on a header than Damian Las could not save.
USA controlled the ball for much of the first half, but did not generate many scoring opportunities. Gilbert Fuentes had a couple of looks from about 20 yards out, but both of his shots were blocked. Cade Hagan had the best shot of the first half in the 20th minute, but his effort went wide of the post.
In the second half, USA was by far the better side. The intensity and pace of the game picked up, which played to USA’s strengths in the attacking third. Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez had the first chance of the second half when he linked up with Fuentes at the top of the box. The quick combination resulted in Ocampo-Chavez getting a shot on goal from 12 yards out, but the goalkeeper for Brazil was quick off his line and blocked the shot.
Diego Lopez entered the game for Hagan in the 52nd minute. He scored in the 54th minute.
The FC Golden State forward scored on his first touch of the game. The play started on a corner kick from Fuentes. The San Jose Earthquakes playmaker delivered a great ball to Axel Alejandre who put a shot on frame. Lopez poked the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
In the 61st minute, Lopez nearly stole the victory for USA. The tall striker caught the Brazil goalkeeper being casual as they tried to swing the ball across the field. Lopez pressed hard and forced an awkward pass to the center back, who tripped up on his first touch. Lopez poked the ball off of him and drilled a shot, but it hit off the goalkeeper’s body.
USA had the run of play late in the game, but they could not find a final shot to make the difference in the game. Brazil came up with a couple of blocks, and effectively killed off some of the clock with dribbling to the corners.
In the final seconds, USA looked to have a chance to find the winner when they were given a free kick from 28 yards out, which is Gianluca Busio’s wheelhouse. However, Busio’s shot hit off the header of one of the defenders in the wall after they kept encroaching on the set piece. Busio and the USA squad were visibly frustrated that the referee allowed the wall to move within the 10 yards, and then the center referee blew the whistle to end the contest at 1-1.
This was the first event for the 2002 birth year players under the U17 moniker. This group will be preparing for the next two years for the 2019 U17 World Cup. In the immediate future, the group will get together again in January for a domestic camp in Florida.
Brazil scored first in the 15th minute. Peter Stroud commit a foul about 40 yards from the goal. USA was in a zonal marking scheme and did not match up well in the key areas. Brazil scored on a header than Damian Las could not save.
USA controlled the ball for much of the first half, but did not generate many scoring opportunities. Gilbert Fuentes had a couple of looks from about 20 yards out, but both of his shots were blocked. Cade Hagan had the best shot of the first half in the 20th minute, but his effort went wide of the post.
In the second half, USA was by far the better side. The intensity and pace of the game picked up, which played to USA’s strengths in the attacking third. Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez had the first chance of the second half when he linked up with Fuentes at the top of the box. The quick combination resulted in Ocampo-Chavez getting a shot on goal from 12 yards out, but the goalkeeper for Brazil was quick off his line and blocked the shot.
Diego Lopez entered the game for Hagan in the 52nd minute. He scored in the 54th minute.
The FC Golden State forward scored on his first touch of the game. The play started on a corner kick from Fuentes. The San Jose Earthquakes playmaker delivered a great ball to Axel Alejandre who put a shot on frame. Lopez poked the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
In the 61st minute, Lopez nearly stole the victory for USA. The tall striker caught the Brazil goalkeeper being casual as they tried to swing the ball across the field. Lopez pressed hard and forced an awkward pass to the center back, who tripped up on his first touch. Lopez poked the ball off of him and drilled a shot, but it hit off the goalkeeper’s body.
USA had the run of play late in the game, but they could not find a final shot to make the difference in the game. Brazil came up with a couple of blocks, and effectively killed off some of the clock with dribbling to the corners.
In the final seconds, USA looked to have a chance to find the winner when they were given a free kick from 28 yards out, which is Gianluca Busio’s wheelhouse. However, Busio’s shot hit off the header of one of the defenders in the wall after they kept encroaching on the set piece. Busio and the USA squad were visibly frustrated that the referee allowed the wall to move within the 10 yards, and then the center referee blew the whistle to end the contest at 1-1.
This was the first event for the 2002 birth year players under the U17 moniker. This group will be preparing for the next two years for the 2019 U17 World Cup. In the immediate future, the group will get together again in January for a domestic camp in Florida.
LAFC 3-1 over Pats, U13