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Stefan Jerome scored in the USA's first match.
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U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team
CONCACAF U-17 Championship
Tijuana, Mexico
April 22, 2009
WIN AND WE’RE IN: After a 5-0 win against Cuba on Tuesday, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team can clinch a berth to the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup against Canada on Thursday, April 23, in the team’s second game at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. A victory would give the U.S. six points and ensure advancement to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Championship and thus one of four regional berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The U.S. is the only country to qualify for every FIFA U-17 World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1985. Fans can follow Thursday’s game live from Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico, on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker at 4 p.m. PT.
WHERE THEY STAND: With Canada and Honduras playing to a 1-1 draw in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, the U.S. has sole possession of first place in Group A. After their opening draw, Canada and Honduras are currently tied for second place in the group with one point each.
Group A Standings
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts. |
| USA |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
+5 |
3 |
| Canada |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
E |
1 |
| Honduras |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
E |
1 |
| Cuba |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
-5 |
0 |
U.S. CONCACAF Under-17 Championship Schedule
LOOKING BACK AT THE ATTACK: The five goals margin of victory against Cuba was the largest for the U.S. in the CONCACAF U-17 since 1999. That year, a 6-1 victory against El Salvador came in the playoff series that determined the third and final CONCACAF team that advanced to the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The U.S. actually has a history of scoring a lot of goals in regional qualifying:
Five-Goal Margins of Victories
-1999: USA 6, El Salvador 1
-1994: USA 7, Netherland Antilles 0
-1991: USA 5, El Salvador 0
USA 6, Puerto Rico 0
-1988: USA 6, Guatemala 1
USA 7, Honduras 0
USA 6, St. Lucia 0
U.S. U-17 MNT Roster By Position (Club; Hometown)
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Earl Edwards (Nomads SC; San Diego, Calif.), 18-Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier; Seattle, Wash.)
DEFENDERS (7): 14-Zachary Herold (West Pines United FC; Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 4-Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic AS Monaco; Indianapolis, Ind.), Emilio Orozco (Rampage FC; Oxnard, Calif.), 3-Tyler Polak (Capital Soccer Academy; Lincoln, Neb.), 8-Alex Shinsky (Super Nova FC; York, Pa.), 6-Jared Watts (North Meck SC; Statesville, N.C.), 2-Eriq Zavaleta (FC Pride; Westfield, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 19-Andrew Craven (First Coast Kicks; St. Simons Island, Ga.), 5-Marlon Duran (Latino Americana; Duncanville, Texas), 10-Luis Gil (Pateadores; Garden Grove, Calif.), 20-Sebastian Lletget (Santa Clara SC; South San Francisco, Calif), 15-Carlos Martinez (Wilmington Jr.; San Pedro, Calif.), Nicholas Palodichuk (Washington Premier FC; Battleground, Wash.)
FORWARDS (5): 17-Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls; Barnegat, N.J.), 11-Dustin Corea (East Side United FC; Milwaukee, Ore.), 13-Joseph Gyau (FC DELCO; Silver Springs, Md.), 7-Stefan Jerome (West Pines United; FC Davie, Fla.), 9-Jack McInerney (Cobb SC; Alpharetta, Ga.)
QUICK HITS:
- The U.S. has a 4-1 record against Canada, with the only loss coming in 1988.
- The two teams met two years ago in this event, a 2-1 victory for the U.S.
- The 5-0 victory against Cuba was the largest margin of victory for the U.S. in this tournament since 1996 when the team toppled El Salvador 6-1.
- It was also the fourth-consecutive time that the U.S. has begun regional qualifying campaign with a shutout.
- Jack McInerney continued his impressive scoring rate with his two goals against Cuba, bringing his total to six goals in four international matches this year.
- McInerney’s two assists against Cuba were his first two this year. Stefan Jerome leads the team with three assists in 2009.
- Jerome also leads all players with 27 international games played.
- Team captain Perry Kitchen and fellow defender Jared Watts are tied for the team lead with nine international appearances in 2009. Kitchen’s 726 minutes are also a team high.
- Luis Gil, who scored a goal and had two assists against Cuba, is the youngest player on the U.S. roster.
- Midfielder Alex Shinksy picked up the team’s only yellow card of the game in the 48th minute. Should he receive another caution in this tournament, he would also earn a one-game suspension.
- Canada’s Francesco Augustin is in a similar predicament after being booked in the second half of Canada’s draw with Honduras.
- The U.S. now holds an international record of 5-3-2 on the year.
- Since taking the helm of the U-17 MNT and Residency Program in the fall of 2007, head coach Wilmer Cabrera has compiled an international record of 13-11-5.
