CLEMSON, S.C. (July 18, 2006) - The U.S. Under-17 ’90 Men’s National Team defeated the Augusta Fireball, 3-2, this afternoon in Clemson, South Carolina, to finish up their weeklong training camp which was held in nearby Athens, Ga.
The U.S. traveled to Clemson for two games against the Augusta Fireball of the Premier Development League after
completing their 30-player training camp at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Hackworth divided the 30 players into two teams for the matches against the Fireballs. In the other match,
the U.S. fell, 4-0, to the Augusta Fireball.The U.S. roster for the camp was a mix of players currently in U.S. Soccer’s U-17 Residency Program and players that were invited in by head coach John Hackworth, as he continues to scour the player pool before naming the 40-player Residency roster for the fall semester (which begins Aug. 21).
“Our camp here in Athens went really well and it definitely helped us as we move toward the next semester of Residency,” said Hackworth. “We wanted to make our ’90 and ’91 pool of players as large as possible and over the past nine months we’ve looked at 78 players. Not just 78 players with their club teams, but 78 players that we’ve actually had in with us for a national team camp, which give us a better chance to really get an understanding of the player’s ability and their personality. It’s been extremely healthy. The pool of players is not only large, but talented and that makes our job of picking a certain number pretty tough.”
In the 3-2 victory, the U.S. dominated possession in the first half and had several chances, but it was the Fireball that tallied first after a handball in the box gave them a penalty kick in the 36th minute.
The U.S. bounced back to score three goals in a six-minute span in the second half. Eduardo Gonzalez started it off in the 65th minute when he collected a pass from Matt Uy, took a touch inside the box and they unleashed a drive into the left corner.
Uy converted his own opportunity in the 69th minute to give the U.S. the lead. The defender received a pass from Gregory Garza and then dribbled through traffic near the top of the box before blasting an 18-yard shot past the goalkeeper.
A minute later, Israel Sesay dribble up to the endline on the right side of the field before dropping the ball back to Brandon King, who buried his attempt from just inside the area into the lower left corner.
Augusta pulled one back in the 85th minute, but the U.S. defense held tight the last five minutes for the victory.
U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team Game ReportParticipants: U-17 MNT vs. Augusta Fireball (PDL)
Competition: Friendly
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Date: July 18, 2006
Weather: Warm, 92 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 3 3
AUG 1 1 2
AUG – n/a 36th minute
USA – Eduardo Gonzalez (Matthew Uy) 65.
USA – Matthew Uy (Gregory Garza) 69.
USA – Brandon King (Israel Sessay) 70.
AUG – n/a 85.
Lineups:USA: 18-Zach MacMatch; 2-TJ Nelson, 6-Christian Ibeagha, 3-Matthew Uy, 29-Alonzo Carter (22-Brice Carr, 46); 15-Brendan King, 16-Brandon Zimmerman (23-Amobi Okugo, 46), 19-Kirk Urso, 20-Jesse Paredes (25-Gregory Garza, 46); 10-Ellis McLoughlin (30-Eduardo Gonzalez, 46), 21-Israel Sessay.
AUG: n/a
Statistical Summary: USA AUG
Shots 25 8
Saves 2 4
Fouls 7 7
Corner Kicks 7 2
Offside 4 3
Misconduct Summary:none
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