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Joya brace leads U-21 USMNT to scrimmage win over Club Tijuana

Benji Joya (ISIphotos)

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Under-21 U.S. Men’s National Team wrapped up their training camp on Wednesday with a scrimmage victory over Club Tijuana, and it was Benji Joya who delivered the goods for the Americans.

Joya scored a second-half brace to lead the U.S. to a 2-1 victory over the Xolos on Wednesday in Carson, California. The goal that the Americans surrendered was even a bit of good news for U.S. head coach Tab Ramos, as current U.S. Under-20 and former New York Red Bulls forward Amando Moreno found the back of the net for Tijuana. U.S. Under-20 standout Paul Arriola also played for the Xolos in the match.

The win marked the end of the initial preparations for the 2016 Olympics for the U.S. The camp was the first for the U-21 team that will form the Under-23 side that will compete in Brazil in two years.

Comments

  1. Glad benji got the goals. Now bring the confidence back to Chicago and fight for that starting spot. I suspect yallop will give him a shot when he’s back given his recent performance. Again glad to see him doing well with the u21s

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  2. good for them. i like the potential pool of U-23 players for the Olympics. all the players called up for this plus:

    Yedlin, Gil, Trapp, Zimmerman, Stanko, Green, Pelosi, Brooks, Bijev (if he switches back to the US), Cropper, Hürzeler (if he chooses US), Kiesewetter, M .Lopez, Acosta, Packwood, Parker (if he chooses US), Salgado, Torre, Arriola, Mario R., Guido, Henley (if he chooses US), Hernandez, Holmes, Manneh, and probably some others I’m forgetting.

    that is a solid group of players to choose from, including guys who are already playing for their first team. hopefully we can qualify…

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  3. Fire is among worst team to watch: boring without creative spark or idea. Yet, Joya benched by such mediocre team. Happend to Estonia Hammer?

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    • Xolos play the final game of the season tonight in Tijuana against Leon. On the line is one of the playoff spots. Xolos currently sit in 6th, and only the top 8 teams advance. A tie, and they are in. A loss, and it becomes dicey.

      Unless you see names like Fidel Martinez, Pellerano, Gandolfi, Benedetto, and Ayovi, then it is reserves.

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    • He’s played a bit in the early season…I think he was a significant sub in their first three games…but then some guy named Magic Mike Magee came back and his minutes have dropped. He’s 20 years old give him time to earn full minutes.

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    • Out of seven games with Chicago, Joya has started 3 and made a sub appearance in 1 other game. He actually scored in his sub appearance, as well. He’s played 216 minutes out of a possible 630. He also took time away from the team to attend this camp. So I’d hardly say he “can’t even get on the field.”

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      • How much do you think he would be playing for Santos if he were still there? Seems like this is a great step in the right direction to get his career started.

      • Have you watched chicago’s games or simply look at the stat sheet? Because yallop is giving benji shots to play and he’s done well in some but lost in others. However another rookie, shipp, has stepped up and found a starting slot in the XI.

        Benji will continue to see pt thru out the season but it’s up to him to prove his worth.

      • Watch as many MLS games as I can. I get Chicago games on UniMas all the time.

        No idea why, but UniMas loves Chicago.

    • It seems odd to bash the effect MLS is having on a player that just SCORED two goals for the Nats.

      You are quickly rising up the “Most Annoying SBI poster” charts my friend.

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    • Ok so I see the easy, yet poorly executed slight at MLS – which as the collection of your posts indicate is par for the course – but what confuses me is your logic. So a young player cannot see the field on a professional team with better players and that is somehow because of MLS’ coaching?

      Com’on even you can see the problem here with your thought process.

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