The U.S. Under-17 men’s national team opened its FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign on a high note Sunday morning.
Nimfasha Berchimas scored twice while Cruz Medina also added a goal in a 3-1 victory over South Korea. Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry registered six saves for Gonzalo Segares’ squad as the Americans moved to 1-0-0 in group stage action.
It was a fast start for the Americans, who claimed a 1-0 advantage after only seven minutes. Berchimas, a Charlotte FC attacker, roofed his right-footed shot into the top corner after South Korea failed to clear its line in the box.
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Kim Myung-Jun equalized for South Korea in the 35th minute, giving the teams a 1-1 halftime scoreline heading into the break.
San Jose’s Cruz Medina boosted the Americans in front 2-1 in the 49th minute after stroking home a rebound inside of the South Korea box. Berchmias’ original effort was kicked away, but Medina was on the spot to slot home.
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Berchimas capped off a career day in the 73rd minute, cutting onto his left footed before drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner. It capped off a Man of the Match showing for the 15-year-old Berchimas, who earned eight MLS NEXT Pro appearances for Crown Legacy FC this past season.
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The Americans would hang on for three points ahead of Wednesday’s Matchday 2 showdown with Burkina Faso.
Brrchimas at 15 looks ready to be playing and getting minutes for Charlotte FC next season.
Good win for the young Yanks!
Yeah, he looked pretty good, didn’t he? Number 11 for S Korea was a handful. Watching in real time I kind of thought it was one team that finished their chances and one that didn’t, but they were pretty closely matched.
Young men change rapidly between 15 and 20. It will be interesting to see how Berchimas develops.