By Mike Woitalla
The USA exited in the first round at the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup with a win and two losses. Needing a victory over defending champion Japan on Saturday afteropening with a 6-1 win over Paraguay and a 2-1 loss to Ghana, Coach B.J. Snow‘s team fell, 3-2, to the Japanese. Only once since the biennial tournament’s launch has the USA survivedgroup play at the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
USA U-17 Women’s World Cup Record
Year Finish (Coach)
2008runner-up: 3W-2L-1T (Kazbek Tambi)
2010 did not qualify (Kazbek Tambi)
2012 first-round exit: 1W-0L-2T (AlbertinMontoya)
2014 did no qualify (B.J. Snow)
2016 first-round exit: 1W-2L-0T (B.J. Snow)
Ashley Sanchez gave the USA a 1-0lead against Japan in the 33rd minute goal but it was down 3-1 on Japan’s second-half goals before Sanchez scored the USA’s second in stoppage time from the penalty spot. Ghana, which beat Paraguay,1-0, joins Japan in the quarterfinals. Japan, which had 66 percent of the possession, outshot the USA, 22-10, and had nine shots on goal to the USA’s seven.
“Icouldn’t have been more proud of how resilient our players were in the first half and the second half, as you saw from the game, our girls never quit,” said Snow. “When you play Japan, in order to win you haveto expend so much energy for 90 minutes. And we’ve done it. We beat them three times in a row before tonight. We know what it feels like, and we know what if feels like to coach against them. Itis ridiculously hard. You know you’re going to give up chances against Japan, that is inevitable.
“Our goalkeeper [Laurel Ivory] had a really great game, our defense had agreat game, and in the end, you have to tip your hat sometimes. The chances that they get, they put them away. We had a couple that we didn’t put away. That’s how the game goes, you takecare of your chances and you need a break sometimes. We didn’t get any breaks today.”
Oct. 8 Amman, Jordan
Japan 3 USA2. Goals: Ueki 53, Kanno (Miyazawa) 75, Miyazawa 77; Sanchez 33, Sanchez (pen.) 91+.
Japan — Tanaka; Ono, Wakisaka (Kojima, 62), Takahashi, Kitamura; Takarada (Chiba,87), Miyazawa, Nagano, Kanno, Nojima (Karahashi, 82); Ueki.
USA — Ivory; Pickett, Rodriguez, Girma, Rodriguez (Richardson, 79); Canniff (Tagliaferri, 63), Howell (Smith, 70),Pinto, Spaanstra; Sanchez, Kuhlmann.
Quarterfinals:
Wednesday, Oct. 12
Mexico-Venezuela (Fox Sports 2) 8:55 am ET
ETGermany-Spain (Fox Sports 2) 11:55 am
Thursday, Oct. 13
North Korea-Ghana (Fox Sports 2) 8:55 am ET
Japan-England (Fox Sports 2) 11:55 am
• U.S. U-20 men lose to Germany, Netherlands and England
The U.S.U-20 men’s national team lost all three of its games at the 2016 Four Nations Tournament in Manchester, falling to Germany (1-0), the Netherlands (5-3) and host England (2-0).
JeremyEbobisse scored all three goals for Coach Tab Ramos‘ U.S. team. The Maryland product who played two seasons at Duke before signing with MLS to make him eligible for the 2017MLS SuperDraft, scored in the ninth minute, in first-half stoppage time, and the 58th to give the USA a 3-2 lead before the Dutch comeback.
Against England on Monday, the USA fell on goals by Ovie Ejaria in the84th minute and a penalty kick by Dominic Solanke in stoppage time. England, which also beat the Netherlands (2-0) and Germany (3-1), took the tournament title while the Netherlandsbeat Germany in a penalty-kick shootout after a 2-2 tie.
U.S. U-20 Four Nations Tournament Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): JonathanKlinsmann (University of California), Justin Vom Steeg (Fortuna Duesseldorf/GER).
DEFENDERS (8): Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy II), Marcello Borges (Univ. of Michigan), Cameron Carter-Vickers(Tottenham/ENG), Marlon Fossey (Fulham/ENG), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC), Miles Robinson (Syracuse Univ.), Toni Suddoth (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Auston Trusty (Bethlehem Steel).
MIDFIELDERS(7): Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake), Luca De La Torre (Fulham/ENG), Derrick Jones (Bethlehem Steel), Brooks Lennon (Liverpool/ENG), Weston McKinnie (Schalke 04/GER), Jonathan Suarez(Queretaro/MEX), Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal/ENG).
FORWARDS (5): Jeremy Ebobisse (Charleston Battery), Victor Mansaray (Seattle Sounders), Emmanuel Sabbi (Las Palmas/ESP), Sebastian Saucedo(Veracruz/MEX), Isaiah Young (PDA).
How did this guy BJ Snow become a US National team coach… he has to be friends with someone at a high level in US Soccer because that’s the only logical reason he could be coaching at this level. I watched the Japan game and I was shocked to see the amount of kick and run the US team played. I thought we had grown past those tactics years ago but apparently not. If this guy is who we have training our top, young female players, we are in big trouble going forward.
j bapper, I concur. Looking at US Soccer’s curriculum on paper they talk a good talk, and even mimic more successful national federations on the development pyramid, but then you see the finished product under pressure, and it’s not good. I had a US Soccer instructor tell me, we need to stop training horses, and that’s what we do. Just wrapped up regional ODP tryouts over the weekend, and I can tell you, the coaches pick for size and speed probably, because watching last season’s selection, that’s what they had there. But skills? Tactics? Lousy first touches and selfish play, with no field IQ, and that pretty much sums up US V. Japan.
Odp is a big joke. Its practically a daycare for high income players. Should be against the law to offer an Olympic “tryout” for possible National Team selection when everyone knows that if you are unable to pay you dont get a shot at it. What a disgrace.
Ryan Dold Agreed. Systemic of everything in US Soccer.
Agree with the comments above. Couldn’t believe the amount of kick and hope balls the US kept sending out of the back against Japan and Ghana. I also thought this type of play was long dead for most of the world. Also agree with the comments about which female players the coaches are selecting for player development for US Soccer, ECNL, and ODP at these age levels. For years I have watched coaches pick the taller, bigger girls over the one’s who had better foot skills, soccer IQ, and heart. Then we go to the FIFA World Cups for the various youth age groups and often get beaten and embarrassed by countries that pick players because of their skills. Sometimes by players that didn’t get picked by the US coaches. I wish good luck to the US Women’s Soccer program, but some changes need to be made at the younger age groups.
A player like #9 on Venezuela is seen as the best player on that team by everyone and especially Venezuela, who fully embrace her individual skills. In Usa, most coaches would tell her to “play for the team” or to “not play selfish”. Even more with this “Spain effect” that the most effective way to play is to 1-2 touch pass. The reason South American countries develop more skilled individual players is because the culture embraces those players and tells them they are on right path. It is no concidence that Europe simply doesnt develop those type of players at neaely the pace South America does. With Usa’s infatuation with Europe, it is also no mystery as to why we dont develop those players either. Venezuela #9 is singlehandedly carrying her team to semis. Without her they dont get out of first round. Mexico was better allaround but she was hands down the best player on the field. Scored both goals and put on a display of skill.
this is sad, we are losing but spend 5-100x more then everybody else. This is a failure of leadership in the USSF girls/Women’s football. Our development & academy model is broken and we are unwilling to do what everyone else does to fix it.