U.S. U17 squad earns draw with Brazil

U.S. U17 squad earns draw with Brazil
December 6, 2009
PHOENIX, Arizona - Temperatures were still cool on the second day of the Development Academy Winter Showcase, but the action continued to heat up.

Here is a rundown of a few of the standouts during Day Two.

Robert Botchway, U15/16 Concorde Fire: A tall and well built striker who stuck out on the field for more than his physical abilities. Though not fast, Botchway showed a nimble side and played with a pretty good pace.

Zachery Wenger, U15/16 Baltimore Bays Chelsea: Wenger had one of the best goals of the day, chipping in a well played 25-yard shot upper V. He is a solid right back who gets the ball forward decisively.

Ishmaiah Calwrie, U15/16 Baltimore Bays Chelsea: Tall and very shifty, Calwrie utilizes change of pace to fool defenders. With a better work rate and improved play in the air - where he should dominate - Calwrie could be even better.

Ruben Luna, U17/18 Dallas FC: No one scored more goals in the Development Academy last year than Luna. He put one in on a penalty kick during his team’s victory against LA Galaxy. Though on the stocky side, Luna has deceptive quickness - especially when he gets a goal chance.

Jose Perez, U17/U18 Dallas FC: Scored a header on a great cross from teammate Steven Adams. He is a speedy player with a great feel for the game and an aggressive mentality.

Harrison Petts, U17/U18 Indiana United Academy: Petts showed off his usual command in the midfield during his team’s 2-2 tie with Real So Cal. Petts quarterbacks his team with communication and pinpoint passing.

Tom O’Brien, U17/18 Sockers FC: Fast and decisive in the midfield, he combined well with teammates Tim Kruetz and Nick Janus to dominate possessions against Santa Cruz County Breakers.

Ethan Hall, U17/18 CASL Chelsea FC Academy: Though not imposing, Hall showed off his hands and vertical leap in an impressive performance against the Dallas Texans. While the Texans broke though 1-0, Hall held off the opposing attack as long as he could.                     

Lenox Evans, U17/18 Dallas Texans: An athletic defender, Evans is a good marker and has good anticipatory skills.

Alec Sundly, U17/18 Irvine Strikers: Sundly dominated the middle with his technical ability and showed his unselfish side during Irvine’s 2-1 victory.

NIKE FRIENDLIES

In defense of the U.S. team - because that’s all they were doing for 70-plus minutes of the match against Brazil on Saturday, playing defense - the Americans weren’t expected to win.

That made their 1-1 tie all the more rewarding, especially considering the 2-1 defeat they absorbed to Portugal the previous day.

After having the Brazilians control nearly all of the possession and eventually taking a 1-0 lead the U.S. team rallied late in the second half to earn the tie.

Kellen Gulley was the benefactor of a well executed sequence - a battle won in the midfield and two quick passes that gave Gulley the lane along the right wing to fire a shot left and into the net.

The play was a stark contrast to the rest of the game that played out with the U.S. backline scrambling to save scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper Fernando Pina was strong in goal and made some nice saves and decisions.

Back Andrew Souders made two stops in one sequence in the 27th minute, with Pina out of position, to keep the game at 0-0. Defensive captain Marc Pelosi and Nathan Smith also held firm in the back to keep things from getting out of hand.

The Brazilians were quick and opportunistic in open spaces and continually made great runs to the final third of the field.

Late in the first half, Tarik Salkicic took a kick to the head and had to leave the game momentarily.

The U.S. will wrap up international competition with a match against the Netherlands on Monday.

U.S. Roster By Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Kendall McIntosh (Mustang Academy; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Fernando Pina (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas)

DEFENDERS (7): Ive Burnett (Central Jackson; Brandon, Miss.), Andrew Chang (Sockers FC; Highland Park, Ill.), Jerome Cristobal (Derby County Wolves; Sterling Heights, Mich.), Marc Pelosi (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), Tarik Salkicic (Strictly Soccer; Pinellas Park, Fla.), Nathan Smith (Cal Odyssey; Clovis, Calif.), Andrew Souders (Columbus Crew Academy; Amherst, Ohio)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Atsou Ayah (Fusion FC Tampa; Tampa, Fla.), Tarek Beckles (BW Gottschee; Brooklyn, N.Y.), Holden Fender (North Atlanta SA; Marietta, Ga.), Irvin Gijon (Players Club; Las Vegas, Nev.), Eric Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy; Corona, Calif.), Nicholas Melo (Florida Rush; Kissimmee, Fla.), Oscar Ortega (Aztecs Premier; San Ysidro, Calif.), Sebastian Velasquez (Arsenal FC; Los Angeles, Calif.)

FORWARDS (5): Mikhail Doholis (Eastside United; Vancouver, Wash.), Kellen Gulley (MS Chicago Fire Juniors; Clinton, Miss.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Red; Southlake, Texas); Andrew Oliver (Westside United; Indianapolis, Ind.), Mario Rodriguez (Central Aztecs; North Hollywood, Calif.)   

   
 

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