U-17s to Play First-Ever International at New Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, May 22
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Wednesday, May 19, 1999) - Dating back to 1985 the USA is the only country to have qualified for every FIFA U-17 World Championship, a total of seven youth championship appearances. The 1999 U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team, led by head coach John Ellinger, are 90 minutes away fr
May 19, 1999
The USA-El Salvador match will kickoff at 4:00 p.m. ET and will be the first of an MLS doubleheader between the Columbus Crew and the Tampa Bay Mutiny. The match can be heard live on the internet at www.us-soccer.com with Dwight Burgess (the radio voice of the Columbus Crew) calling all the action. The webcast is the first in U.S. Soccer history.
When the USA face El Salvador on Saturday, May 22 the team will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games. The U-17s have not lost since Aug. 30, 1998 posting a 9-0-3 record and the team has outscored their last twelve opponents 36 to 4 with eight shutouts and a 0.33 goals against average.
The U-17s defeated El Salvador 6-1 in their first match of the two-game playoff series almost assuring the USA an appearance in New Zealand. The U-17 victory in El Salvador on May 9 snapped an 11-year winless drought for a U.S. team in El Salvador.
Head coach John Ellinger returns to Columbus where he served as an assistant coach for Columbus Crew during the Major Leagues' Soccer inaugural season in 1996. Ellinger enters the May 22 match with highest winning percentage (.697) among U.S. Men's Under-17 National Team coaches in the '90s with a 20-7-6 record.
U.S. U-17 head coach John Ellinger has added Matt Roberts (Bell Mead, NJ) to the roster for the USA-El Salvador match on May 22, replacing Raul Rivera (Tulare, CA). The U.S. Under-17s all-time leading goal-scorer Landon Donovan (Redlands, CA), who has tallied 29 goals in 31 appearances, will be back in the line-up on Saturday after missing the May 9 match due to a one-game suspension. The USA is undefeated, 10-0-0, when Jordan Cila (Jericho, NY) scores a goal and the U-17s are also unbeaten, 8-0-1, when Donovan scores two or more goals in a match. Cila, who notched a hat-trick in the team's 6-1 victory in El Salvador on May 9, and Donovan have scored a combined 38 goals in 1998-99.
To purchase tickets for the USA-El Salvador match on May 22 at the new Columbus Crew Stadium contact Ticketmaster at 614/431-3600.
| U.S. MEN'S UNDER-17 NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER | |||||||
| USA vs. El Salvador Columbus Crew Stadium * May 22, 1999 * Kickoff 4:00 p.m. ET | |||||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown | Last Club/School |
| 4 | Akwari, Nelson | D | 5'11" | 175 | 2/04/82 | Houston, TX | Texans / Strake Jesuits College |
| 3 | Beasley, DaMarcus | M | 5'7" | 126 | 5/24/82 | Fort Wayne, IN | Citadel S.C. / Bollettieri Sports Acad. |
| 15 | Beckerman, Kyle | M | 5'9" | 135 | 4/23/82 | Crofton, MD | Commack United / Arundel HS |
| 16 | Cila, Jordan | F | 5'9" | 160 | 4/11/82 | Jericho, NY | Commack United / Jericho HS |
| 11 | Convey, Bobby | F | 5'7" | 145 | 5/27/83 | Philadelphia, PA | F.C. Coppa / Penn Charter HS |
| 1 | Countess, Delvin | GK | 6'0" | 165 | 1/09/82 | Sacramento, CA | San Juan / Bella Vista HS |
| 18 | Cronin, Steve | GK | 6'0" | 150 | 5/28/83 | Sacramento, CA | San Juan / Bella Vista HS |
| 7 | Cutler, Kenneth | M | 5'8" | 130 | 3/08/82 | Richmond, VA | Richmond Strikers / D. Freeman HS |
| 9 | Gregorio, Adolfo | M | 5'8" | 160 | 10/01/82 | Hilmar, CA | Turlock Tornados / Hilmar HS |
| 5 | Jackson, Bryan | M | 5'8" | 150 | 4/16/82 | La Canada, CA | Claremont Stars / La Canada HS |
| 22 | Kalso, Kellen | D | 5'9" | 165 | 1/16/82 | Oxford, MI | Vadar III / Oxford HS |
| 6 | Martin, Greg | D | 5'7" | 140 | 1/05/82 | Plano, TX | Dallas Comets / Bollettieri S.A. |
| 14 | Onyewu, Oguchi | D | 6'0" | 150 | 5/13/82 | Olney, MD | F.C. Potomac / Sherwood HS |
| 13 | Roberts, Matt | D | 6'0" | 175 | 2/09/82 | Bell Mead, NJ | Princeton United / Hillsbourgh HS |
| 2 | Thompson, Abe | D | 5'11" | 165 | 1/12/82 | Fairfax Station, VA | Braddock Road / WT Woodson HS |
| 17 | Trembly, Seth | D | 5'6" | 140 | 3/21/82 | Littleton, CO | Littleton United / Arapahoe HS |
| 8 | Yi, Alexander | D | 5'11" | 160 | 2/27/82 | Easton, MD | Columbia United / Bollettieri S.A. |
| U.S. Men's Under-17 * Team Staff | ||
| Head Coach | John Ellinger | Ellicott City, MD |
| Assistant Coach | Cameron Rast | San Jose,CA |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Peter Mellor | Tampa, FL |
| Team Doctor | Jimmy Gilbert | Potomac, MD |
| Team Coordinator | Jeff McRaney | Bradenton, FL |
| Team Trainer | Brian Goodstein | Bradenton, FL |
| Press Officer | Keir Cochran | Chicago, IL |
| Equipment Manager | Brent Gonzalaz | Santa Clara, CA |
| Tentative Training Schedule | ||
| Thursday, May 20 | Obetz Training Facility | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| Friday, May 21 | Obetz Training Facility | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, May 22 | USA-El Salvador Match @ Columbus Crew Stadium | 4:00 p.m ET |
