U-17 USMNT falls to Denmark 4-1 in final game at 4 Nations Tournament

ASSEN, Netherlands — The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team dropped its final game at the 4 Nations Tournament 4-1 to Denmark.

Forward Noah Jones netted his first U-17 international goal in his third appearance with a 65th-minute effort from long range.

With the result, the USA finishes second at the 4 Nations Tournament. Mexico edged the Netherlands with a late goal to clinch the tournament title on a goal-differential tiebreaker.

Next, the USA will kick off the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup on Oct. 27 vs. Senegal in Cariacica, Brazil before also facing Japan and the Netherlands in Group D play.

The U.S. attack got off to a fast start against Denmark, hitting the post twice in the first 20 minutes of play. However, Denmark showed flashes of danger on the break and struck first in the 25th minute. Mads Kristian Hansen took the ball up the right wing, maneuvered around some U.S. defenders and hit a hard cross into the box. A misplayed clearance attempt from the USA resulted in an own goal to open the scoring.

Denmark capitalized on another U.S. mistake to double its lead just before the half. A U.S. foul inside the box gave Denmark a free kick from inside the box, and the set piece saw captain Jacob Haahr Steffensen running free around the crowd to the far post, where he cleanly headed the ball to the back corner of the net.

While the U.S. fired the first shot of the second half, two Danish goals in four minutes put the game out of reach. The U.S. defense took down Denmark’s Mohammed Fazal in the box in the 57th minute, forcing the referee to point to the spot, where Hansen sunk the penalty to make it 3-0 for Denmark.

In the 61st, Denmark had a numbers advantage in U.S. territory and Noah Crone-Back lined up for a shot from a tight angle on the right side, but U.S. defender Jonathan Tomkinson got a foot on the attempt. The deflection fell right back to Crone-Back whose follow-up was saved by Aaron Cervantes in the U.S. goal, but the ball bounced along the line and off of a U.S. player into the back of the net.

A five-player substitution provided fresh legs for the USA in the 62nd minute, and the reinforcements sparked the U.S. offense. Midfielder Bryang Kayo made a number of cutting runs through the midfield, including one that set up the lone goal for the U.S. After a nice one-two with midfielder Gianluca Busio, Kayo dished to Jones at the top of the box. A Danish defender got a foot on the RB Leipzig forward’s first attempt on goal, but the rebound fell right back to Jones, and he ripped a shot to the top right corner to pull one back for the U.S. The U-17s continued to threaten down the stretch but weren’t able to put another in the back of the net.