DOHA, Qatar—It was déjà vu as Morocco once again ended the run of a United States squad, and in heartbreaking fashion. It happened to the USA Men’s Olympic Team in 2024, to the U-20 Men’s National Team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in October, and this time it was the U-17 MNT in the first knockout round match. Despite being up 1-0 since the 21st minute, USA gave up the equalizer in the 89th minute and fell 4-3 in penalty kicks after the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Gonzalo Segares went with a 4-2-1-3 lineup that saw the Union’s Cavan Sullivan starting in the midfield. The three other Union players, Jamir Johnson, Jordan Griffin, and Kellan LeBlanc, were unused substitutes.
The very physical match had a lot of back and forth in front of the raucous crowd, which Morocco supporters dominated. It was the American side that would strike first when Sullivan sent a cross to Jude Terry, whose blast deflected off a defender and into the goal to make it 1-0 in the 21st minute. It was Terry’s first goal of the tournament, and Sullivan’s fourth goal contribution (two goals, two assists). In fact, Sullivan had a contribution in all but one of the five goals the USA scored in the tournament.
Opportunities came early in the second half as in the 54th minute, Sullivan’s pass to Julian Hall resulted in a shot that the keeper deflected out, and moments later Nimfasha Berchimas had a volley attempt on goal that was saved. USA had a tremendous chance when Mathis Albert was taken down in the box and a penalty was awarded in the 58th minute. Albert’s shot, however, sailed wide of the net. It was a huge missed opportunity that unfortunately would come back to haunt the squad.
Morocco nearly tied it in the 66th minute, but the goal was called off due to the offside flag being up. They continued to come at the USA, and finally found the equalizer in the 89th minute on a goal by Abdellah Ouazane. After about 11 minutes of stoppage time that had been elongated by several stoppages, the match ended in a draw and it went to PKs.
Morocco went first and converted. Sullivan then stepped up first for the USA and he buried his shot to level it. Morocco made their next attempt, but Cooper Sanchez’s shot was saved. Both squads converted on their next attempts, with Chase Adams for the USA. Aidan Stokes came up big for the Americans by getting a hand on Morocco’s shot, bobbling it, and making the save. Albert had a better attempt this go-around, and converted his penalty, but Morocco made theirs- setting up a do-or-die situation for Máximo Carrizo. Unfortunately, his attempt was saved, and Morocco emerged victorious, and thus ended the USA’s run in the Round of 32.
Philadelphia Union notes
It was a tough result after a lot of opportunities were there for the US, including some great shots stopped by equally great saves. Despite the end result, it has to be said that Sullivan, for one, was tremendous throughout the tournament. With the two goals and two assists, and being named Man of the Match for all three group stage matches, it is a small consolation, and bodes well for the future.
While he gets to play a role with the Union’s first team, usually off the bench, and spent a lot of time with Union II as well, Sullivan was able to showcase what he can do against some of the best in the world in his age range (albeit the youngest on the squad) and on a big stage. It is no secret that he gets a lot of hype, but he showed why and lived up to it. Now he will head back to the Union to be available for selection moving forward in the playoffs.
And though they did not get as much time on the field as Cavan, fellow Union players Griffin, Johnson, and LeBlanc were also impressive. Griffin was very strong on defense in the win over Czechia, and Johnson showed a lot of skill in his appearances, and came close to getting himself in the scorebook. LeBlanc, coming off the bench is his appearances, showed what those who watch Union II consistently know- he is a beast in the midfield and keeps getting better. All three of them will be exciting to watch as they develop and possibly take a bigger role in the future with Union II and beyond.
So while the four Philadelphia players and their U-17 teammates saw their time at the FIFA U-17 World Cup end, one has to remember they are teenagers who got invaluable experiences that they can hopefully carry forward. They learned valuable tactical and mental lessons. They got to play in front of not only their family and other supporters who made the trip, but have a worldwide audience. They got to travel the world and experience the culture of a foreign land. Small takeaways, perhaps, but the future is bright in Philadelphia and United States soccer, and this experience was perhaps a big stepping stone in that journey—one that will hopefully be long and successful for the Philly quartet as well as their U17 MNT teammates.
Main article photo credit: US Soccer
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