Youth National Teams busy with preparation

Youth National Teams busy with preparation
by J.R. Eskilson
September 10, 2015

The U.S. youth national teams have been busy this summer. With events all over the globe, it has been a whirlwind few months for the elite youth of soccer in the U.S. Over the past few weeks, a few of the men’s youth sides have been in action. 

Below is a recap of how they fared and what’s next on the schedule for the U17, U20, and U23 MNT. 

U17s in France

Richie Williams’ squad finished up preparation for the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile with a tournament in France last week. The U.S. went 1-0-2 at the event with draws against Australia and France before topping Stade Rennais 4-0 in the finale. Brandon Vazquez scored twice in the win. He finished tied with Joe Gallardo for leading scoring honors from the event for the U.S. side. 

The results in France came only weeks after a disappointing showing in Czech Republic. The U.S. went 1-1-2 at the event with a win over Ukraine and draws against Slovakia and Slovenia. The U.S. lost its opener to Russia 4-2. 

Williams and his squad have just over a month to figure out how to sharpen up prior to the World Cup in Chile. The action begins on Oct. 17 against Nigeria. 

U23s in England 

The U23 MNT is also in the final stages of preparation before a major event. The U23 MNT was in England this week for a pair of scrimmages. The U23s lost to England 1-0 in a dull affair. And Herzog’s group bounced back on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Qatar. Benji Joya and Gboly Ariyibi scored on the day for the U.S. 

The squad returns to action on Oct. 1 with the first Olympic qualifying game against Canada at Sporting Park. The U.S. also takes on Cuba and Panama as part of group play at the event. 

U20s in Serbia 

Meanwhile, Tab Ramos and his U20 Men’s National Team are in the early stages of the cycle with a tournament in Serbia. The last U20s concluded their World Cup over the summer and now the new group is stepping in for a shot at the 2017 U20 World Cup. 

Ramos called in 23 players for the tournament including five from the collegiate game. The U.S. went 1-2 from the event. The U.S. beat Israel 2-0 on the final day thanks to an own goal and a penalty kick from Sebastian Saucedo. 

The U.S. lost the opener to Serbia 3-1. Chelsea prospect Kyle Scott scored the lone goal on a penalty kick. The U.S. followed that up with a 6-1 loss to France in the second group game. Akron commit Emmanuel Sabbi scored the lone tally in that contest. 

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