Two USMNT youth teams will hope to lift a World Cup trophy in 2017, Lichaj receives honors and Alex Morgan continues to impress for Lyon.
Two Baby Yanks sides will be competing in the World Cup this year
Both the U.S. U-17s and U-20s will be competing in their respective World Cups in 2017. This is, quite obviously, great news for the men’s side of U.S. Soccer, both for the present and for the future.
The U-17 side qualified for the the World Cup in India, which is to take place in the fall, by dismantling Cuba by a score of 6-2 on May 5. They fell to Mexico in heartbreaking fashion in the CONCACAF Championship after a late Mexico equalizer led to penalties. But the ultimate goal had already been accomplished; they are through to the World Cup.
The U-20s qualified for the World Cup in Korea Republic back in early March. They came out on the winning side of their penalty shootout against Honduras in the CONCACAF Championship. They start their quest for the trophy on May 22 against Ecuador. The other teams in their group are Senegal and Saudi Arabia.
U-20 head coach Tab Ramos named his 21-player roster on Tuesday. Among such obvious inclusions as goalkeeper Jonathon Klinsmann and defender Cameron Carter-Vickers were a few surprises. The most interesting was U.S. U-17 captain Josh Sargent.
The timing of the respective World Cups means the St. Louis Native has the opportunity to represent the United States in two World Cups in the same year. The only other U.S. player to pull double duty is Freddy Adu. Let’s hope Sargent’s career turns out to be the exact opposite of Adu’s.
The remaining months of 2017 will be busy for USMNT squads. In addition to the youth teams competing for World Cups, the senior team will look to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. While the older guys will understandably be the main focus, USMNT fans should take time to check out the future of the program. The U-17s or U-20s, or both, making a good showing in their respective tournaments would be a boon for U.S. Soccer as a whole.
Extras
Defender Eric Lichaj has been named Nottingham Forest’s Player of the Season. He played a vital role in the club avoiding relegation from the English Championship this season. It’s not readily apparent what more the 28-year-old can do to earn a call up to the national team from Bruce Arena. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the roster for the World Cup qualifiers in June.
Next: Tottenham, and the title race that wasn't
The USWNT are hosting their second international tournament of the year in late July. Three heavyweights of women’s international soccer will join the U.S. in the 2017 Tournament of Nations: Japan (ranked sixth), Australia (ranked eighth) and Brazil (ranked ninth). Double headers will take place in San Diego, Seattle and Los Angeles. Related: Alex Morgan enjoyed another multi-goal game for Lyon on Monday, including this deft chip:
https://twitter.com/WoSoComps/status/861600383361331200
See y’all next week.