DOHA, Qatar—The United States U-17 Men’s National Team secured a first place finish in Group I on Tuesday after defeating Czechia 1-0. The squad needed at least a draw to win the group, but ended the group stage with a perfect 3-0-0 record to advance to the knockout round of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Mathis Albert had the lone goal for the US after coming off the bench. It was the first time in 20 years that the US has won its group.
Photo credit: Darra Griffin.
Gonzalo Segares made several changes to his starting lineup, which was a 4-2-1-3 formation. Out of the four Philadelphia Union players on the squad, three of them made the starting lineup. After being unavailable due to illness, the Union’s Jordan Griffin made his first appearance in the tournament, getting the start at left back. Cavan Sullivan made his second straight start in the midfield, and Jamir Johnson made his first start at forward after coming off the bench previously. Kellan LeBlanc, who made two appearances off the bench, was once again on the bench to start the match.
Czechia had a huge chance in the 14th minute when striker Vit Skrkon hit the post, and then got deflected out. The US had some of their own shortly after, with Maximo Carrizo firing off a shot in the 21st minute, followed by a blast from Sullivan in the 23rd minute that went just wide. Sullivan had another shot before halftime on a breakaway. His ensuing shot also went wide.
Johnson was subbed out at halftime in favor of Albert, who tried to get a shot off that was deflected out to Jude Terry, who in turn had a shot bounce down from the crossbar in the 65th minute, just inches from being in. Griffin was subbed out in the 70th minute for Gio Villa after a strong performance.
Albert finally broke the stalemate in the 78th minute on an assist from Carrizo to put the US up 1-0. More changes came for the US, including Sullivan coming off in favor of his Union teammate LeBlanc in the 83rd minute.
The defense put up a strong fight as regulation was running out, however had a big misstep when Mateo Tsakiris was sent off with a red card during second half stoppage time after a spikes-up foul. He had gotten the ball on the play, but his momentum carried him into the leg of his opponent. He was shown a yellow at first, but after video review, was shown a red. The US would hang on, however, and close it out to earn the victory.
The US moves on to the Round of 32, where they will face Morocco on Friday at 10:45 AM ET. Notably, Morocco knocked the US U-20 squad out of the U-20 FIFA World Cup, so it could be a chance to avenge that loss in a way.
Philadelphia Leading the Way
As the US Men’s National Team gets set to take the field at Subaru Park on Saturday in a match against Paraguay, which features four players who came up through the Philadelphia Union organization in Brenden Aaronson, Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty, four young players currently with the Union represent what could be the future of the senior national team. For now, Griffin, Johnson, LeBlanc, and Sullivan are experiencing fantastic international competition on a big stage, and showcasing their talents to the world.
Photo credit: Darra Griffin
Photo credit: Darra Griffin
Keep an eye on these four young men as the US aims to make a deep run in the U-17 World Cup, and what they do beyond. They, along with an impressive squad of fellow U-17s, have a lot in the arsenal to make US Soccer a force in this tournament and years to come.
The One Team We Agree On 
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