By FRANCO PANIZO
The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team will face Jamaica for the second time in four days when the two CONCACAF rivals meet on Sunday. The rematch of Wednesday’s 1-0 win by Jamaica will not just mean a chance for redemption for the Americans. It will also mean a second chance at a place in the Under-17 World Cup.
The U.S. suffered a 1-0 loss to Jamaica in the group stage finale on Wednesday, but will have the opportunity to avenge that defeat after Thursday’s results.
Mexico finished atop Group B thanks to a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica and Canada’s 1-0 loss to Panama. Those results meant that the U.S. finished as the No. 1 seed of the four teams still vying for the final two CONCACAF World Cup spots because of goal differential, while Jamaica ended as the No. 4 seed because of the goals-scored tiebreaker.
Now the Americans will meet the Jamaicans Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula. The U.S. was outdone by a penalty kick in the previous meeting with Jamaica, a match that saw the Americans control possession, but fail to find the net. The most glaring of the U.S. team’s misses being a point-blank blooper reel-worthy miss from Hajdi Wright that seemed much harder to miss than make.
“They have another opportunity,” U.S. Under-17 coach Richie Williams said after Wednesday’s loss. “With the format the way it is, we have a game on Sunday, and it’s for everything to go to the World Cup. So you better be motivated.
“We’ll regroup. We have three days until the game to get everyone back to full fitness. We’ll approach the game like we would any game and get out there and work to get the win.”
The Americans will be attempting to avoid missing out on the Under-17 World Cup for the second straight time. The U.S. fell short in 2013, which snapped a streak of
How do you see the U-17 USMNT doing vs. Jamaica? What can the Americans do to avoid suffering another defeat? Confident that the U.S. will reach the World Cup?
Share your thoughts below.