U-17 World Cup Preview: U.S. vs. Italy

By Noah Davis
 
Who: U-17 United States Men's National Team vs. Italy
What: Round of 16, U-17 World Cup
Where: Ahmadu Bello Stadium; Kaduna, Nigeria
When: November 4, 1 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN360.com
 
On the strength of 1-0 victories over Malawi and the United Arab Eremites, the United States Men's National Team advanced to the knockout phase of the U-17 World Cup in Nigeria where they will play Group F winners Italy. The feat marks the fourth consecutive time the Stars and Stripes have advanced past the group stage, although the U.S. likely needs at least one more victory for supporters back home to consider the tournament a success. Manager Wilmer Cabrera did an excellent job refocusing his charges after a difficult 2-1 loss to a Spanish side that played a man down for the last 88 minutes. Furthermore, Americans played their best match of the tournament against UAE (although that wasn't difficult after the first two performances). Although the Red, White, and Blue look to be peaking at the right time, the youth Azzurri squad will prove to be too formidable of an opponent.
 
Jack Attack
Heading into the tournament in Nigeria, Jack McInerney was the unquestioned leader of the U.S. attack. He scored five goals in just three games during the CONCACAF Championship and continued his fine form almost immediately, forcing Spain's Sergi Gomez drag the striker down from behind in the second minute. The play resulted in Gomez being sent off. Just seconds later, McInerney tallied the U.S.'s first goal and he added the game-winner against UAE as well. He, Luis Gil, and Alex Shinsky are developing a nice understanding of their respective skill sets. The Georgia native has struggled to hit the net with his shot, but he's proved to be an opportunistic goal scorer with instincts well beyond his teenage years.
 
Everything but the Kitchen sink
After struggling during the tournament's opening 45 minutes, team captain Perry Kitchen came out at halftime and sat for the final two matches of the opening round. The new-look backline of Zachary Herold, Jared Watts, Eriq Zavaleta, and Tyler Polak has played 225 minutes of shutout football. Led by new captain Watts, the quartet hasn't been perfect, but looks more comfortable than the unit that failed to contain Spain's waves of attackers. (In fairness, neither Malawi nor UAE posed nearly the attacking threat that Borja, Pablo Sarabia, and the rest of La Roja did.) Earl Edwards has been called on infrequently -- he's only made 11 saves in three matches -- but he hasn't made a mistake. If the U.S. is to pull off a shocker in Kaduna, they'll need their netminder to continue his stalwart performance.
 
A defensive posture
Much like the senior team, this Italian outfit prides itself on defense. Algeria, Korea Republic, and Uruguay only managed a single tally during group play. The back four, led by captain and Roma product Simone Sini, will contain the attacking Americans all day. While the Azzurri only managed to score three times themselves, they showed an impressive ability to turn up the offensive pressure if need be, storming back against Korea with two second-half strikes to notch a come-from-behind victory. Federico Carraro leads the squad with a goal and an assist, while Piertro Iemmello and Michele Camporese have also found the back of the net. Pasquale Salerno's team is capable of shutting down any opponent and doing just enough to win.

Projected U.S. starting line up
----------------Edwards---------------
Zavaleta---Herold---Watts---Polak
Shinsky-- Palodichuk--Gil--Duran
-------McInerney-----Jerome-------

Projected Italy starting line up
--------------------Perin--------------------
Camilleri--Camporese--Natalino--Sini
Carraro--Iemmello--Crisetig--De Vitis
-------------------Fossati-------------------
-------------------Beretta-------------------

Prediction
United States 0-1 Italy
 
Noah Davis covers the United States National Team for Goal.com.

Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more