Sporting KC Gianluca Busio broke impass and Giovanni Reyna’s PK and Ricardo Pepi goal sealed win
Four teams have advanced to the 2019 Concacaf Under-17 Championship semifinal round. After a strong 3-0 victory against Panama, the USA is set to face Canada and compete in their record-setting 17th FIFA U17 World Cup appearance.
FINAL FOUR: After securing a berth to the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 3-0 win against Panama, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team now sets its sights on claiming the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship.
U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team vs. Canada
2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship Semifinal today, May 14, 2019
Tuesday’s semifinal will be broadcast live at 5:30 p.m. ET on Univision Deportes Network and Concacaf Facebook. The match at IMG Academy will be open to the public. Follow the U-17 MNT throughout the tournament on Twitter. Instagram and Facebook.
Since its opener against Canada, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team coached by Raphael Wicky has not trailed and the team hasn’t allowed a goal in its last 306 minutes of play, winning five straight at the tournament.
Canada finished second in Group F, defeating Curacao 4-0 in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Canada drew 1-1 with Costa Rica but saw off the Central American side on penalty kicks to book their first ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup since 2013.
As reported by
The four teams competing in the 2019 Concacaf Under-17 Championship semifinal round was decided on Sunday, May 12th in Bradenton, Florida, with the United States, Canada, Haiti, and Mexico all advancing. A chance to go to the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup is on the line, and teams are scratching and clawing to get there.
Haiti clawed out a 4-3 quarterfinal victory against Honduras, ending their 90 minutes at a 1-1 draw to force a penalty shootout. The battle between Canada and Costa Rica was especially close as well, with Canada edging over Costa Rica in a 4-3 victory after another 1-1 draw forcing PKs. In typical fashion, Mexico bulldozed over El Salvador in an impressive 5-1 victory.
The USA powered over Panama in a strong 3-0 victory, which not only advanced them to the semifinals but clinched a record-setting 17thFIFA U17 World Cup appearance (as shared by U.S. Soccer.com.)
Panama was certainly a defense-prioritizing team, allowing the U.S. to carry the ball for 76 percent of the match. The match started off extremely slow, with only one quality shot from team captain Gio Reyna in the ninth minute.
However, the squad stepped out onto the pitch in the second half ready to attack. Reyna, Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez, Daniel Leyva, and Gianluca Busio especially came out firing on all cylinders, and the team scored three goals in just over 20 minutes.
Busio and Reyna are both making a difference
on the international soccer fields.
019 Concacaf U-17 Championship Roster by Position (Club; Hometown; U-17 Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Norridge, Ill.; 13/0), 12-Chituru Odunze (Vancouver Whitecaps FC/CAN; Calgary, Alta.; 4/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Axel Alejandre (FC United; Chicago, Ill.; 14/0), 3-Adam Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 11/0), 13-Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 2/0), 14-Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 10/0), 5-Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 14/1), 2-Joseph Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.; 14/1), 15-John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 7-Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.; 7/2), 20-Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.; 13/0), 8-Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.; 0/0), 6-Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC; Las Vegas, Nev.; 0/0), 16-Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama City, Calif.; 17/1)
FORWARDS (6): 18-Jack de Vries (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.; 0/0), 17-Tyler Freeman (Sporting Kansas City; Shawnee, Kan.; 3/1), 19-Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Tacoma Defiance; Kent, Wash.; 14/5), 9-Ricardo Pepi (North Texas SC; McKinney, Texas; 6/1), 10-Giovanni Reyna (Unattached; Bedford, N.Y.; 8/1), 11-Griffin Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 6/3)
All the goal-scoring plays were vividly described on U.S. Soccer.com — a summary is below:
Busio opened up the scoring to make it 1-0 in the 54thminute, coolly placing the ball behind the left post after Leyva won the ball at midfield and delivered an excellent pass forward to Ocampo-Chavez who then slotted in a close pass to Busio. The goal was his fifth of the tournament.
Reyna further contributed to his impactful offensive contributions throughout the match by scoring a penalty kick at the 60th minute. The penalty kick, fired into the lower right corner, was drawn by Ocampo-Chavez who was fouled in the box. Reyna added his fifth goal of the tournament as well, and is a contender for the Silver Boot award.
Reyna came off the field for Ricardo Pepi, who added to the goal-scoring in the 75thminute off of a three-pass sequence with Leyva, skillfully bending his strike inside the left post. The goal was his first of the tournament.
Panama earned only two shots, neither of which were on goal, compared to the USA’s 21 shots. The U.S. continue their shutout streak, leaving their opponents scoreless in their last 306 minutes of play, as said on USSoccer.com.
The United States will face Canada in the semifinal round on Tuesday, May 14that 5:30 p.m. in Bradenton, Florida. When the two teams last faced in their respective opening matches, the end resulted in the USA coming back from 0-2 for an exciting 3-2 win.
