The U.S. Under-17 '88 Men's National Team finished in first place in Group B of the 5th Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland and will face Switzerland in the championship match on Monday, May 3, after a 1-1 draw with Austria this evening. Oforie Sarkodie scored the lone U.S. goal in their final group match to give the U.S. seven points in Group B.
Twenty minutes into the match, the U.S. pressure provided successive corner kicks and found the back of the net on the second set piece. Ryan Soroka played in a ball toward the penalty spot, where Sarkodie latched onto the service with a snap header to give the U.S. the early lead.
Three minutes later, the U.S. almost doubled their advantage as Preston Zimmerman's shot was just saved by the Austrian 'keeper.
In the second half, the U.S. continued to barage the Austrian goal, but couldn't widen their lead. Richard Edgar and Quavas Kirk both just missed on their opportunities on goal.
With seven minutes left, Austria took advantge when U.S. defender Eric Lichaj went down in pain on a tackle. Expecting a foul to be called, the U.S. defense slowed down and let Veli Kavlak to get a good look on goal, which he finished low into the left corner.
In the other Group B match, Scotland and Belgium played to a 0-0 draw. In Group A action, Finland defeated Canada 2-1, while Switzerland won the group with a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland.
- U.S. Under-17 '88 Men's National Team Game Report -
Participants:
U.S. Under-17 ‘88s Men’s National Team vs. Austria
Competition: Ballymena Tournament
Location: Larne, Northern Ireland
Date: May 1, 2004
Weather: Brisk and chilly, 40 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1st 2nd Final
AUS 0 1 1
USA 1 0 1
USA – Ofori Sarkodie (Ryan Soroka) 22nd minute
AUS - Veli Kavlak 73rd
Lineups:
USA: 1-Bryant Rueckner; 5-Richard Edgar, 4-Eric Lichaj (12-Michael Dal Pra, 75), 2-Michael Balogun, 7-Ofori Sarkodie; 10-Carlos Borja, 3-Kevin Alston (15-Amaechi Igwe, 64), 11-Ryan Soroka (8-Michael Stephens, 75), 16-Nik Besango; 9-Preston Zimmerman, 6-Quavas Kirk (17-Jeremy Hall, 68).
AUS: 1-Ihsan Poyraz; 6-Dominik Purcher, 5-Martin Schachl-Lughofer, 3-Josef Schneider, 15-Patrick Zwischenbrugger (13-Andreas Oswald, 41) ; 16-Lukas Ernstbrunner (8-Veli Kavlak, 41), 18-Thomas Kaiser, 7-Christoph Mattes (17-Mattias Koch, 48), 11-Mario Felber; 14-Benjamin Sulimani (10-Florian Gorgei, 52), 9-Marc Sand.
Statistical Summary: AUS USA
Shots 4 10
Saves 2 1
Corner Kick 0 12
Fouls 22 20
Offside 0 2
Misconduct Summary:
AUS - Christoph Mattes (caution) 50th minute
AUS - Josef Schneider (caution) 57th
5th Ballymena International Tournament
Standings/Results
Group A
Team GP W L T GF GA +/- Pts
Switzerland 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 7
Finland 3 1 1 1 6 7 -1 4
Northern Ireland 3 0 1 2 3 4 -1 2
Canada 3 0 1 2 3 4 -1 2
Group B
Team GP W L T GF GA +/- Pts
USA 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3 7
Scotland 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
Austria 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 4
Belgium 3 0 2 1 0 2 -2 0
Thursday, April 29
Group ASwitzerland 4, Finland 2
Canada 1, N. Ireland 1
Group BScotland 3, Austria 1
USA 1, Belgium 0
Friday, April 30
Group ANorthern Ireland 2, Finland 2
Canada 1, Switzerland 1
Group B
USA 2, Scotland 0
Austria 1, Belgium 0
Saturday, May 1
Group A
Canada 1, Finland 2
N.Ireland 0, Switzerland 1
Group BUSA 1, Austria 1
Scotland 0, Belgium 0
Monday, May 3Placement Matches
Ballymena Bowl -- Canda vs. Belgium, 11 a.m. local (6 a.m. ET)
Larne Sheild -- Northern Ireland vs. Austria, 11 a.m. local (6 a.m. ET)
Larne Plate -- Finland vs. Scotland, 11 a.m. local (6 a.m. ET)
David Cairns Memorial Trophy -- USA vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. local (10 a.m. ET)
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