U.S. U-23 MNT defeats Qatar 2-0 in last Olympic Qualifying tune-up

BURY, England (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team closed out its final camp before next month’s CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship with a 2-0 win against Qatar at Gigg Lane.

The U-23 MNT dominated on both sides of the ball, but through the first 45 minutes could not convert on any of their chances.

In the second half, a trio of subs tilted the game in favor of the MNT.  Benji Joya made a quick impact, drawing a penalty and smashing a shot into the right corner of the goal to put the USA on top in the 57th minute. Thirty minutes later Gboly Ariyibi hit a perfect volley from the top of the box to ice the match.

The U-23’s now head into the Olympic Qualifying tournament with a 6-4-0 record in 2015, highlighted by wins against Mexico and England in the Toulon Tournament.

The 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship will be played across the United States from Oct. 1-13. The U.S. was drawn into Group A and opens with a pair of games at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, against Canada on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. CT and Cuba on Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. CT. The U.S. will conclude group play at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on Oct. 6 against Panama at 7:30 p.m. MT.

Game Notes:

• Benji Joya scored his second goal of 2015; his first was also a penalty and the game-winner in the third-place playoff of the Toulon Tournament against England.
• Gboly Ariyibi scored his first goal with the U.S. U-23’s.
• Luis Gil made the start as captain. The midfielder has captained this group four times in 2015.
• Gedion Zelalem and Ethan Horvath made their U-23 MNT debuts.

-U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team Match Report-

Match: U.S. U-23 MNT vs. Qatar
Date: September 8, 2015
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Gigg Lane; Bury, England
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET (6 p.m. Local)
Weather: 55 Degrees; Clear

Scoring Summary:    1          2          F
USA                             0          2          0
QAT                            0          0          0

USA-Benji Joya (penalty kick)              57th minute
USA-Gboly Ariyibi                                86

Lineups:
USA: 12-Ethan Horvath (12-Zack Steffen, 46); 20-Oscar Sorto, 15-Eric Miller, 2-Cameron Carter-Vickers, 7-Dillon Serna; 21-Matt Polster, 10-Luis Gil (capt.) (Gboly Ariyibi, 62),8-Emerson Hyndman, 13-Marc Pelosi (16-Gedion Zelalem, 46); 23-Rubio Rubin (24-Maki Tall, 62), 18-Mario Rodriguez (Jerome Kiesewetter, 62)
Subs Not Used: 5-William Packwood, 11-Alonso Hernandez
Head Coach: Andi Herzog

QAT: 30-Muhannad Naim Hussein, 2-Mussad Mohamed (capt.), 8-Ahmed Fathy Abdoulla, 13-Sultan Hussain Al Brake, 14-Nasser Al-Khalfan, 15-Amed Doozandeh, 17-Mohamed Abdelmotaal, 18-Assim Madibo, 19-Almoes Abdulla, 23-Fahad Abdurlrahaman, 27-Ali Ahmad Ghaderi
Head Coach: Fahad Tahani

Stats Summary: USA / QAT
Shots: 12 / 5
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3           

Misconduct Summary:
n/a

Officials:
Referee: Bobby Madle (ENG)
1st Referee: Edward Smart (ENG)
2nd Referee: Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
4th official: Steve Martin (ENG)