U.S. U-23 MNT defeats England 2-1 to take third at Toulon Tournament

TOULON, France (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team converted a pair of penalty-kick goals to defeat England 2-1 and earn third place at the historic Toulon Tournament in France.

The USA got out to an early lead when Alonso Hernandez netted a penalty kick in the sixth minute, but it didn’t take long for England to respond leveling on a close-range strike in the 10th.

In the 65th minute an England handball in the box gave the USA another penalty kick, which Benji Joya coverted for the U.S. lead. Goalkeeper Cody Cropper came up with a pair of timely saves in the match’s final minutes.

The third-place finish matched the best finish for the USA in the renowned tournament. The other time was in 1989 when it similarly defeated England, 2-0. Following the match, defender Shane O’Neill earned honors as the tournament’s third-best player was presented a trophy for his efforts.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Alonso Hernandez (penalty kick), 7th minute: Jerome Kiesewetter ran on to a lofted ball and attacked with pace down the right side. England defender Kortney Hause was losing ground on Kiesewetter and attempted to shoulder his way in for a tackle. Kieswetter went down and the referee signaled for a penalty kick. Alonso Hernandez hit it low and hard into the right corner for his second goal of the tournament. USA 1, ENG 0

ENG – Kortney Hause, 10th minute: Shortly after conceding the opening goal, the English side pressed back with an attack of its own. A foul set up a free kick for England on the left side, which it quickly played forward catching the U.S. off guard. The ball was sent in on a cross and bounced around in front of the box. Hause’s was the first foot to it, tapping it in from close range. USA 1, ENG 1

USA – Benji Joya (penalty kick), 65th minute: The USA was pressuring on an attack and Jerome Kiesewetter fired a shot toward the goal from outside of the box. The ball rebounded off one of the English defenders’ foot and off the hand of another, which set up the penalty. U.S. captain Benji Joya stepped up and blasted it into the upper right corner for the lead. USA 2, ENG 1. (FINAL)

Additional Notes:

• Benji Joya scored in his second Toulon Tournament after also scoring a goal when he  played with the U.S. U-20 MNT that participated in 2013.
• The match was the first between England and the USA at the U-23 age level. The two teams are scheduled to meet again for a friendly in September.
• This is the second straight year that England has finished fourth at the Toulon Tournament.
• Marc Pelosi was suspended and was not eligible to play in the match today due to yellow card accumulation, while Sam Strong was unavailable due to a concussion he sustained in the game against Qatar.

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

Match: U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team vs. England
Date: June 7, 2015
Competition: 2015 Toulon Tournament – Third Place Match
Kickoff: 11 a.m. ET (5 p.m. local)
Attendance: 910
Weather: 80 degrees, Sunny

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

USA – Alonso Hernandez (penalty kick)      7th minute
ENG – Kortney Hause                                   10
USA – Benji Joya (penalty kick)                   65

Lineups:
USA: 1-Cody Cropper; 3-Boyd Okwuonu (20-Tyler Turner, 55), 5-William Packwood, 4-Shane O’Neill, 2-Juan Pablo Ocegueda; 7-Dillon Serna, 14-Daniel Metzger, 8-Benji Joya (capt.), 16-Julian Green; 17-Jerome Kiesewetter, 11-Alonso Hernandez (17-Alfred Koroma Shams, 63)
Subs Not Used: 22-Tyler Miller
Head Coach: Andreas Herzog

ENG: 1-Christian Walton (13-Jordan Pickford, 41); 2-Iorfa Dominc, 5-Jack Stephens, 6-Bailey Cargill, 15-Kortney Hause; 17-John Swift, 7-Matthew Grimes (capt.), 20-Duncan Watmore, 18-Jamie Hanson; 19-Kwame Thomas (10-Chuba Akpom, 49), 11-Rolando Aarons (16-Callum Robinson, 49)
Subs Not Used: 8-Lewis Baker, 9-James Wilson, 12-Isaac Hayden, 14-Demarai Gray
Head Coach: Aidy Boothroyd

Stats Summary: USA / ENG
Shots: 9 / 6
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Saves: 4 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 2
Fouls: 9 / 8
Offsides: 2 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
ENG – Kortney Hause (caution)                      6th minute
ENG – Matthew Grimes (caution)                   8
USA – Benji Joya (caution)                             53

Officials:
Referee: Fabio Verissimo (POR)
Assistant Referee: Paulo Santos Soares and Pedro Mota (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Adil Zourak (MAR)

ussocer.com Man of the Match: Shane O’Neill