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International Ticker: U.S. U-17s draw Germany, Spain U-21s win title and more

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Photo by Omar Martinez/ISIphotos.com

If the United States Under-17 national team is to progress in the knockout stage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, it will have to do so at the expense of the most impressive team of the tournament to date.

By virtue of its second-place finish in Group D, the U.S. U-17s have drawn Germany, which won Group E after defeating Ecuador, Panama and Burkina Faso by a combined score of 11-1.

A win over the Germans would be even more impressive considering the United States will be without its captain, Marc Pelosi, who was sent off in the final group game against New Zealand.

The U.S.-Germany clash in the Round of 16 is set for Thursday at 4 p.m. in Queretaro, Mexico.

Here are a few more items from the international soccer landscape:

SPAIN U-21S WIN EURO TITLE

There's reason to believe that Spain's reign over the international soccer world might be continuing for a little while longer.

The Spain Under-21 national team captured the European Championship over the weekend, defeating Switzerland, 2-0, in Saturday's final.

Soon-to-be Manchester United signing David de Gea earned the clean sheet for the Spaniards, who received goals from Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera and Barcelona's Thiago Alcantara to capture the title, their first U-21 Euro title since 1998.

HOST GERMANY OPENS WWC WITH WIN

Two-time defending FIFA Women's World Cup champion Germany opened its opening game of the 2011 tournament by defeating Canada, 2-1, on Sunday in Group A play.

Kerstin Garefrekes and Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi gave Germany a 2-0 lead before Canada star Christine Sinclair sliced the deficit in half on an 82nd-minute free kick at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

FRANCE WOMEN EDGE NIGERIA

Marie-Laure Delie's goal in the 56th minute held up, as France topped Nigeria, 1-0, in the opening match of the Women's World Cup.

France will look to shatter Canada's hopes in their second Group A match on Thursday, while Germany looks to to the same to Nigeria when they meet in their second group game.

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Think the U.S. U-17s have a chance to top Germany? What do you think about the Spain U-21s capturing the European championship? Which two teams do you see progressing from the WWC's Group A?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. check the highlights on youtube, they were 2nd place in europe and they’ve been killing everyone in this tourny…. sorry to say this might be an early exit for the US

    On the other side youth teams tend to not be too consistent, plus in the group stages Mexico kicked out the number one european team, the Netherlands. Wouldn’t be too hard of a stretch if the US beat an over confident Germany

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  2. Anyone know anything about Souleymane Coulibaly of Ivory Coast? Saw him complete a hat trick against Brazil yesterday with a bicycle. He’s scored all of his teams goals so far (8) in the tournament.

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  3. I haven’t seen a lot of games but Germany is way better than any team the USA has played so far. Winning 2nd place was not good at all.

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  4. Yeah, this has really bothered me about this team as well. The seem to play with arrogance instead of confidence. They remind me of a cocky club team. The kind that was the most fun to beat. It’s good to be confident and press the attack, that how you break teams down. Being cocky and waiting for the other side to give away a goal is a recipe for upset. It’s a problem I’ve noticed over the years with several US youth sides.

    Hopefully, as a big underdog they’ll concentrate on playing hard against Germany and have a good showing.

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  5. I saw as a problem as well, especially in the Uzbekistan game. The constant pressure put on the U.S. in that match totally freaked them out, and led to a ton of really awful turnovers. I understand wanting to keep possession and being patient, but eventually, you have to start being positive with the ball. Lots of teams are able to pass the ball around, but only the best can quickly turn that into a dangerous attack.

    Also, is Jack McBean more a long term project for the Galaxy? Because I do not think he has seen a single minute of playing time in this tourney.

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  6. The U17 are an interesting bunch, they are much more technical than athletic, and almost too calm when playing. There is no real sense of urgency to their game. Would like to see them step up the intensity.

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  7. The German team is very polished, individual skills are solid all around, and the team is well organized, and machine-like in their approach to moving the ball, typical fashion for a German youth soccer team. The US will have to have a big game, collectively and individually, mentally stay in it for the full 90, and have lady luck on their side.

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  8. A tough draw for U17 team, particularly since it would be missing its two top scorers from qualification tournament (Pelosi and Oliver). The loss to Uzbeks is proving to be costly. On the other hand, it’s not over till it’s over.

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