Recent success only baseline for U.S. squad

Recent success only baseline for U.S. squad
October 26, 2010
The United States Under-17 Men’s National Team continued on its path to the 2011 FIFA U17 World Cup, with three friendlies played last week.

A 3-1 victory over New York Red Bull Academy U18 was followed by a 3-0 shutout against Crossfire Premier FC U18, and a 3-3 draw versus Sounders FC Academy U18.

Even though two wins and a draw is a good set of results overall, in the grand scheme of things, the U.S. U17 MNT Head Coach, Wilmer Cabrera, understands that results  aren’t the main focus at this stage of preparation.

“What we are trying to do is to make the kids feel an environment that is the professional environment in the United States,” Cabrera said. “It is important that they play in stadiums in which we are going to perform, so that they get acclimated playing in front of a hostile crowd. It’s different than playing in a park.”

boys club soccer coach wilmer cabrerraCoach Wilmer Cabrera
Players that impressed in the recent matches included Marc Pelosi, Alejandro Guido, Mario Rodriguez, and Daniel Flores, just to name a few.

However Cabrera seemed reluctant to express any specifics on player performances. According to him, the most important thing is the development of the squad as whole, and to build a cohesive unit to compete on an international stage.

“Our goal is not find the most valuable player, but to see if everyone can perform at this level as a team,” he said. “We try to use players the best way possible and analyze their reaction to this style of surroundings at the same time.

“We want to see how they can fix any problems in their play, and how they can respond to some good and tough pressure. It’s definitely something we look for when playing these type of games.”

The U.S. will have some natural growing pains to reach that level worthy enough to qualify for the U17 World Cup, but Cabrera has already seen many positive notes coming from last week’s games. He constantly reminds his kids of the importance of focusing on the task at hand, and always play what you know how to play.

“The kids are starting to play very well. They are improving technically and gaining more confidence with the ball. They are learning how to move the ball as a team instead of individually,” he said. “As for the individual improvements, the new players are being more composed and learning what to do with and without the ball to get positive results.”

And there are several new players making their debut with the national team. Colton Storm, Alessandro Mion, Edwin Luna, and Mobi Fehr (whom we recently profiled) would be examples of residency rookies.

Even though the current residency roster includes 40 names to choose from for the qualification rounds as well as the World Cup, Cabrera has an open door policy and will not hesitate to include new players if the conditions are right.

“We want to be able to have all 40 players available at every moment, but some get injured and others get sick,” Cabrera said. “So if there is a player that has the desire to be here and has shown it in the field, the door is always open.”

boys youth club soccer player mobi fehrResidency rookie, Mobi Fehr.
An example of such player is Matthew Dunn. He plays for FC Koln U18 in Germany, joined the U.S. on their previous Spanish tour, and played as a starter. With the U.S. headed back to Europe, Dunn is an option to be called up if Cabrera so chooses.

The team will be traveling across the Atlantic once again in early November to play a trio of youth teams.

“Right now we will continue to further develop the team by playing international games,” Cabrera said. “We will play somewhere where we can compete and be under pressure. We will have an international camp, then play in an international competition.”

The U.S. will face Manchester City U18, Blackburn U18, and finally the Scotland U17 National Team, which has already qualified for the European final.

After those confrontations the U.S. will come back home and participate in the NIKE Friendlies in December in Arizona. It will be the final test before getting started on the qualifying stages.

“The NIKE Friendlies is a competition where we have to compete for one trophy, one championship. That is a really important concept for the kids to understand,” Cabrera said. “We will play with real-game scenarios. Having them last all 90 minutes, limiting the substitutions and replicate other aspects needed to adjust to the qualifiers and the World Cup.”

The CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers are now underway, but the U.S. doesn’t play until January, with the 2011 FIFA U17 World Cup set for mid-June in Mexico.
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