U-17 USMNT earns 3-1 victory over the Netherlands at 4 Nations Tournament

ASSEN, Netherlands — The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in both teams’ second game at the 4 Nations Tournament.

A penalty kick from Kobe Hernandez gave the USA an early lead while second-half goals from Andres Jasson and Gilbert Fuentes secured the victory against the host nation. Raphael Wicky made nine changes to the U.S. starting line-up that topped Mexico 2-1 in its tournament opener.

Next up, the USA will face Denmark on Monday, Sept. 9 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Denmark has dropped its first two matches at the 4 Nations Tournament, 2-1 to Netherlands and 1-0 to Mexico. The tournament serves as the USA’s final international matches before it kicks off the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Oct. 27.

The Netherlands took the initiative on the attack early, pressuring the USA from the opening minutes. Some physical play from the U.S. defense held the Dutch attack at bay, but in the ninth minute, 6-7 goalkeeper Chituru Odunze dove to make a save and tripped up a Netherlands attacker. The referee awarded a penalty to the host nation, but Odunze sprawled to his right to halt the attempt and keep the game level.

The U.S. found some flashes of attack through the midfield on the break and the game’s opening goal would come in the aftermath of one such run. Earning a corner kick after a charge into Dutch territory, Adam Armour played it on the ground to Jasson. The midfielder drove into the box and was brought down by a defender, earning the U.S. its own penalty 10 minutes after Odunze’s stop. Captain Kobe Hernandez buried his take in the 19th to give the USA an early advantage.

The Netherlands continued to have the better of possession throughout the half, while the USA had difficulty threatening in attack. Deflections sent a number of dangerous Dutch chances soaring out of bounds, while the hosts also skied a few balls over the bar. Odunze was called into action a number of times, including a nice diving save in the 40th to stop an open one-on-one look from Naoufal Bannis.

Things began to open up in the second half, and while Odunze did well to snuff out some more Dutch opportunities, the hosts’ consistent pressure was finally rewarded in the 71st, when they forced a defensive misplay and won the ball deep in U.S. territory. Jayden Braaf took a few touches before dishing to Soulyman Allouch, who found the back of the net in the 71st to tie things up at 1-1. The Netherlands continued to find good looks as the half wore on but saw a number of shots go high and wide.

A collection of second half substitutes helped the USA find its footing on the attacking end. In the 79th, forward Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez made a nice run up the right wing before a defender poked the ball out in traffic, but Jasson was well-positioned to collect the loose ball. The New York City FC midfielder ripped a low shot past Dutch ‘keeper Tein Troost to retake the lead for the U.S.

The USA earned an insurance goal in the 86th minute. Forward Ricardo Pepi drove up the left wing and sent a well-placed cross into the box to force Troost into action. He swatted the ball down, but it fell right to the feet of Fuentes, who hit it in the air to the back of the net for his first U-17 goal in 20 appearances.

-U.S. UNDER-17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team vs. Netherlands
Date: Sept. 7, 2019
Competition: 4 Nations Tournament
Venue: Sportpark Marsdijk; Assen, Netherlands
Weather: 61 degrees, partly cloudy

Scoring Summary:      1          2          F
USA                             1          2          3
NED                             0          1          1

USA – Kobe Hernandez (penalty)                   19th
NED – Soulyman Allouch (Jayden Braaf)        71
USA – Andres Jasson                                       79
USA – Gilbert Fuentes                                     86

LINEUPS:

USA: 12-Chituru Odunze; 2-Tayvon Gray, 16-Jonathan Tomkinson, 5-Kobe Hernandez (13-Mauricio Cuevas, 46), 3-Adam Armour; 6-Maxi Dietz, 8-Bryang Kayo (4-Nico Carrera, 46), 23-Andres Jasson; 21-Ethan Dobbelaere (20-Gilbert Fuentes, 46), 18-Noah Jones (9-Ricardo Pepi, 72), 11-Jack de Vries (19-Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez, 62)

Subs not used: 1-Damian Las, 22-Aaron Cervantes, 7-Gianluca Busio, 10-Gio Reyna, 14-George Bello, 16-Adam Saldana, 17-Sebastian Anderson

Head coach: Raphael Wicky

NED: 16-Tein Troost; 12-Steven van der Sloot, 13-Daijiro Chirino, 14-Tijs Velthuis, 15-Yannick Leliendal; 18-Syb van Ottele, 22-Youri Regeer (8-Joost de Schutter, 68), 20-Dirk Proper (capt.); 17-Soulyman Allouch, 9-Naoufal Bannis (10-Mohamed Taabouni, 58), 21-Jayden Braaf

Subs not used: 1-Calvin Raaatsie, 23-Hugo Wentges, 2-Ki-Jana Hoever, 3-Melayro Bogarde, 4-Devyne Rensch, 5-Anass Salah Eddine, 6-Kenneth Taylor, 7-Sontje Hansen, 11-Naci Unuvar

Head coach: Peter vaan der Veen

Stats Summary: USA / NED
Shots: 7 / 15
Shots on Goal: 3 / 7
Saves: 6 / 0
Corners: 3 / 8
Fouls: 10 / 13
Offsides: 2 /4

Misconduct Summary:
NED – Jayden Braaf (caution)                         71

Officials:
Referee: Yannick van der Laan
Assistant Referee: Don Frijn
Assistant Referee: Franca Overtoom
Fourth Official: Victor Ris