The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team finished the Nike International Friendlies as champions on Sunday, and their forward trio was in top form once again.
Ayo Akinola, Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah scored as the U.S. shut out Brazil 3-0. The victory clinched the 2016 Nike International Friendlies title for the Americans as they finished the tournament with three wins from three games, outscoring their opponents 15-2 in the process.
With the score tied 0-0 right before the half, the U.S. managed to break through the Brazilian defense as Chris Durkin picked out Akinola, who made no mistake to give the Americans the advantage at halftime. It took the U.S. just six minutes into the second interval for Sargent to double the lead. Weah added the third right before the full-time whistle.
Your 2016 #NikeFriendlies champions! pic.twitter.com/ohOlEmSLAV
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) December 5, 2016
Akinola, Sargent and Andrew Carleton combined to score 12 of the team’s 14 goals in the tournament. Carleton was held off the scoresheet, but was heavily involved throughout the match against Brazil.
With his latest strike, Akinola, a Toronto FC product, finishes 2016 as the USA’s top scorer with 19 goals. Sargent was second with 13, while Carleton came in third with 12.