Akale named tournament's best player

• by Soccer America , Feb 9, 2014

[COPA DEL ATLANTICO] The U.S. under-18 men's national team finished the Copa del Atlantico in the Canary Islands with three losses in three games, but it certainly made an impression against older Spanish and Argentine youth national teams as Mukwelle Akale was named the tournament's best player.

Akale, who has been dubbed the Minnesota Messi and spent time in the U.S. U-17 Residency Program, is a high school junior with the Minnesota Thunder Academy.

The USA lost all three games by one-goal margins. Argentina won the tournament on goal difference over Spain.

Feb. 7 in Las Palmas
Canary Islands 3 USA 2. Goals: Nadjib 43, Sanchez 49, Adan 88; Winn 57, Rubin 76.
USA -- Herrera; Moore, Palmer-Brown, Redding, Swanson (Saucedo, 55); Winn (Nokavovich, 73), Akale, Turner, Hyndman (Castro 55); Yomba (Yueill 55), Rubin.