With a 1-0 win over Canada, the USA is 3-0-0 heading into U-17 Concacaf Women’s Championship semifinals, the winners of which will qualify for the 2018 U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay along with thethird-place game winner. The victory over Canada, after wins over Bermuda (10-1) and Costa Rica (4-0) earned the USA the top spot in Group B and a semifinal date with Haiti on Sunday (5 p.m. ET,go90.com and UDN). Canada faces Mexico in the other semifinal.
The Americansout-shot the Canadians 27-8 but didn’t find the net until Reilyn Turner, a 60th minute sub, headed home Katie Wiesner‘s 65th-minute corner kick.
“I’m really proud of the team performance and result today,” said U.S. coach Mark Carr. “It’s never an easy game against Canada and I thought we took initiative, played on thefront foot and created a lot of quality chances. But we have to do better with our finishing.
“Overall, our first two goals were to qualify for the semifinals and top the group. Weaccomplished both today. Our focus now shifts to Haiti. … We have some familiarity in Haiti, but we know they will be fighting for a World Cup spot. It’s a new game, a one-off game, and wewill be ready to do everything to qualify.”
Haiti tied Mexico, 1-1, in its final group game.
• The So Cal Blues’ Turner was playing just her second international game forthe U-17s. She also scored in her debut, against Bermuda two days earlier.
• Carr made nine changes to the starting lineup that faced Bermuda with Natalia Staude andMakenna Morris the only holdovers.
June 8 in Bradenton, Fla.
USA 1 Canada 0. Goal: Turner(Wiesner) 65.
USA — Anderson; DellaPeruta (Turner, 60), Staude, Wesley, Morris, Jones, Bebar, Bethune (Doms, 69), Meza, Fontes (Ordoñez, 69), Wiesner.
Canada — Karpenko, Antoine, Young, Thurton, Huitema (Akindoju, 46), Scott, Novak, Cooke (Riviere, 63), Balata, Downing (Ladhani, 57), Vallerand.
Referee:Mirian León (El Salvador).
Att.: 380
When you think of U17 players, don’t think of them as high school students. The best women player in any year group is in the senior team pool at age 16. So I compare them to the senior players as a benchmark.
In that light there were a couple of players that looked promising, but, as a team, the U17s looked very ordinary, like what I would expect of a decent top tier club side. As a team, their play was certainly very ordinary. The players seemed to be very smart and capable of playing a more technical and positional style of play. Why is the U17 team playing a counter attacking game against weaker opponents? By my judgment these players have already mastered counter attacking. Time to practice another style.
I am calling this (the back line retreating to our defensive third, passing back and forth until the opponent presses up, and then attacking by making long through passes to get behind the opponent) counterattacking.
There is one legitimate reason for them to play counterattacking style. The U17s and other youth teams are supposed to play like the senior team does. In my view, however, the senior team’s dependence on counter attacking style needs to change if change hasn’t begun already.