The U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team used a brace from Josh Sargent, his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament, and a strike from Ayo Akinola, to earn a 3-0 win against Honduras in Panama to open the classification stage at the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. With the result, the U.S. needs just a win, draw or a loss by four or fewer goals in its round-robin finale against Cuba on Friday to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
The USA carried the play throughout the first half and knocked on the door early when Chris Goslin put a ninth minute drive just wide of goal. Six minutes later, Akinola’s blast from distance was turned away by Honduras goalkeeper Carlos Banegas.
The U.S. was finally rewarded for its early efforts in the 26th minute. Sargent drew a foul in the Honduras end and would go on to tally his fourth goal of the tournament when he redirected Andrew Carleton’s free kick from the right.
After early second half pressure from Honduras, the USA regained control of the match and added two more goals after the break. In the 65th minute, Akinola’s pressure on a ball over the top from Blaine Ferri saw the Toronto FC Academy forward finish his fourth of the tournament, before Sargent slotted home his team-leading fifth of the competition in the 82nd minute.
With the result, the U.S. can qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with a win, draw or loss by four or less goals in Friday’s group finale against Cuba, while a win or draw would also secure the USA’s spot in Sunday’s tournament final. With three points, the U.S. currently sits on top of classification stage Group D, thanks to CONCACAF’s head-to-head tie breaker.
Up Next: The U-17 MNT begins closes out the classification stage of the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship against Cuba on Friday, May 5. Kickoff from Estadio Maracaná in Panama City is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the match can be seen live on UDN and the CONCACAF youTube Channel.
| 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship Classification Group D | ||||||||
| Team | GP | W | L | D | Pts. | GF | GA | GD |
| USA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Honduras | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| Cuba | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -6 |
Goal Scoring Rundown: USA – Josh Sargent (Andrew Carleton), 26th minute: Josh Sargent chased down a ball over the top and forced Honduras goalkeeper Carlos Banegas to drag him down outside the area, forcing a dangerous free kick opportunity on the right. On the ensuing take, Andrew Carleton found Sargent open at the six-yard where he redirected past Banega for the game’s opening goal. USA 1, HON 0
USA – Ayo Akinola (Blaine Ferri), 65th minute: The U.S. increased its lead with an alert play straight off a goal kick. After Banegas put the ball back into play,Chris Durkin headed down in the center circle for Sargent before the U.S. captain laid back to Ferri. The midfielder took the ball off the chest before lobbing forward for Akinola who touched the ball past Banegas at the top of the area before finishing past the sliding attempt from Cristian Moreira at the right post. USA 2, HON 0
USA – Josh Sargent (George Acosta), 82nd minute: With Honduras sitting back, the U.S. sprung one more goal in the dying moments of the match. George Acosta lobbed the ball forward for Sargent who split through the Honduras back line before slotting his right-footed effort past Banegas and inside the lower left post. USA 3, HON 0 FINAL
NOTES:
- With the result, John Hackworth moves to 9-1-1 all-time in U-17 World Cup Qualifying matches.
- The USA holds a commanding 8-1-1 record vs. Honduras in CONCACAF qualifying matches for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
- Josh Sargent’s two goals take his team-leading total to five at the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. The U.S. captain sits second in the tournament’s Golden Boot race, two goals behind Honduras striker Carlos Mejía.
- Ayo Akinola’s 65th-minute strike has him one goal behind Sargent with four.
- Andrew Carleton, Blaine Ferri and George Acosta each collected their second assists of the tournament.
- The U.S. has held opponents scoreless in three of its four matches at the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.
– U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team Match Report –
Match: U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team vs. Honduras Date: May 3, 2017 Competition: 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship – Classification Stage; Group D Venue: Estadio Maracaná de Panamá; Panamá City, Panamá Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET Weather: 77 degrees; rain
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA 1 2 3 HON 0 0 0
USA – Josh Sargent (Andrew Carleton) 26th minute USA – Ayo Akinola (Blaine Ferri) 69 USA – Josh Sargent (George Acosta) 82
Lineups: USA: 1-Justin Garces; 2-Jaylin Lindsey, 4-James Sands, 5-A.J. Vasquez, 3-Chris Gloster; 6-Chris Durkin (16-Taylor Booth, 87), 14-Chris Goslin (10-George Acosta, 69), 8-Blaine Ferri; 7-Ayo Akinola, 9-Josh Sargent (Capt.), 11-Andrew Carleton (19-Tim Weah, 83) Subs not used: 12-C.J. Dos Santos, 13-Akil Watts, 15-Zyen Jones, 17-Bryan Reynolds, 18-Indiana Vassilev, 20-Adrian Villegas Head coach: John Hackworth
HON: 1-Carlos Banegas; 3-Axel Gomez, 4-Cristian Moreira (Capt.), 5-Alexander Bahr, 15-Emilio Campos; 6-David Cardona, 7-Gerson Chavez, 11-Luis Palma, 20-Cristian Madrid; 9-Patrick Palacios (19-Kenneth Martinez, 90), 14-Carlos Mejia Subs not used: 12-Jordy Castro, 2-Osbed Perez, 8-Everson Lopez, 10-Joshua Canales, 13-Gustavo Vallecillo, 16-Bayron Varela, 17-Cristian Contreras, 18-Santiago Cabrera Head coach: Jose Francisco Valladares
Stats Summary: USA / HON Shots: 18 / 6 Shots on Goal: 7 / 4 Saves: 4 / 3 Corner Kicks: 3 / 0 Fouls: 13 / 10 Offside: 6 / 0
Misconduct Summary: USA – Chris Goslin (caution) 6th minute HON – Carlos Banegas (caution) 24 HON – Patrick Palacios (caution) 84
Officials: Referee: Luis Enrique Santander (MEX) Assistant Referee 1: Andres Hernandez (MEX) Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Aki (BLZ) 4th Official: Juan Gabriel Calderon (CRC)