GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (March 29, 2011) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team opened its CONCACAF U-20 Championship campaign with a 4-0 win against Suriname at Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Four different U.S. players scored, with Conor Doyle leading the offense with a goal and two assists, Kelyn Rowe netted a goal and an assist and Bobby Wood and Joe Gyau each added a goal.
The U.S. took over first place in Group B with the three points, and will round out play in the three-team Group B against Panama on Saturday, April 2 at 6 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). That game will be televised live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.
The U.S. can qualify for the quarterfinals if Panama tops Suriname on Thursday, or if that match ends in a draw. Either result would assure that three points would be enough to finish in second place in the group. In Group A action, Guatemala topped Jamaica 2-0 to put the hosts in a good position to advance.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals with Group B set to play the top two finishers in Group A, which is made up of host Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica. The four quarterfinal winners move on to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
“The first game of a tournament where there is a lot at stake is never an easy one,” said Rongen. “I think we applied ourselves quite well under the circumstances and there are still areas of improvement. Three points was important so that was our aim and within that we tried to accomplish a few other things. We wanted to keep the shutout, which we did obviously. We tried to find the rhythm and I was very pleased with the way we started. We’re not necessarily pleased in some areas of the game where we took the foot off the pedal a little bit and relaxed a little bit too much and didn’t play to the level that I think we’re capable of playing.” (More Quotes)
Rongen’s lineup featured an experienced defensive unit, with starting goalkeeper Zac MacMath and all four players on the back line – Zarek Valentin, Gale Agbossoumonde, Perry Kitchen and Greg Garza – having spent time in the U.S. Soccer U-17 MNT Residency Program. Including Valentin and Agbossoumonde, the starting lineup featured four players who have taken part in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
With the U.S. controlling much of the play from the opening whistle, Wood got the Americans on the board in the 19th minute. After earning a free kick along the right touchline, Garza whipped a ball toward the front of the goal where Doyle flicked it on toward the far post, where Wood was waiting. He used his chest to push the ball on frame and it hit the back of net to put the Americans ahead.
Nine minutes later, forward Conor Doyle’s high pressure forced an errant pass by a Suriname defender. Doyle found Sebastian Lletget, who took a touch and then played the ball ahead for Gyau. The Hoffenheim forward took a touch into the box and lined up a low shot that went into the far-side netting.
In the 37th minute, Doyle got a goal of his own. Kelyn Rowe played a cross to the far post where both Wood and Doyle were waiting unmarked. Doyle nodded the ball down and Suriname goalkeeper Claidel Kohinor made the initial save, but the ball slipped out of his hands and bounced into the goal.
After taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room, Rongen used the first of his three substitutes at the start of the second half to bring on Moises Orozco for Amobi Okugo, who had picked up a yellow card in the first half. Omar Salgado came on for Bobby Wood in the 70th minute and Sebastian Ibeagha replaced Kelyn Rowe in the 80th minute.
The second half was more of the same, with the U.S. continuing to control the pace of the game despite Suriname pressing more in the hopes of getting a goal and finding a way back into the match, but things took a turn for the worst when substitute Biorn Eduards was sent off in the 74th minute, less than one minute after entering the game.
It wasn’t until the 81st minute that the U.S. would score a fourth goal, with the play again coming through Doyle. He received the ball inside the attacking half, turned and played the ball to a wide open Rowe near the top of the 18 yard box. Rowe took a touch to line up his shot and fired it inside the near post.
The U.S. will be attempting to qualify for an eighth-consecutive FIFA Under-20 World Cup, having qualified for a CONCACAF-record 12 U-20 World Cups since the tournament began in 1977. The Americans have not won the CONCACAF U-20 Championship since 1982, but the tournament format returned in 2009 after 13 years without crowning a champion.
-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --
Match: U.S. U-20 MNT vs. Suriname
Date: March 29, 2011
Competition: CONCACAF Under-20 Championship
Venue: Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores – Guatemala City, Guatemala
Kickoff: 6 p.m. local (8 p.m. ET)
Attendance: 3,736
Weather: 70 degrees, clear
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 3 1 4
SUR 0 0 0
Scoring:
USA – Bobby Wood (Conor Doyle) 19th minute
USA – Joe Gyau (Sebastian Lletget) 28
USA – Conor Doyle (Kelyn Rowe) 37
USA – Kelyn Rowe (Conor Doyle) 81
Lineups:
USA: 1-Zac MacMath; 13-Greg Garza, 2-Gale Agbossoumonde, 5-Perry Kitchen, 3-Zarek Valentin; 14-Amobi Okugo (16-Moises Orozco, 46), 8-Sebastian Lletget, 10-Kelyn Rowe (19-Sebastien Ibeagha, 82) 11-Bobby Wood (17-Omar Salgado, 70), 9-Conor Doyle, 7-Joe Gyau
Subs not used: 18-Cody Cropper, 20-Eder Arreola, 4-Moises Hernandez, 12-Sacir Hot
Subs not available: 6-Dillon Powers, 15-Korey Veeder
Head Coach: Thomas Rongen
SUR: 22-Claidel Kohinor, 2-Gillermo Faerber, 4-Albert Niste, 5-Rocky Kaise, 7-Vitorino Pinas (10-Dania Afiankoi, 56), 8-Olivido Misidjang (capt.), 12-Kevin Martin, 13-Jeffrey Vrede (14-Kevin Veira, 52), 16-Stefano Rijssel, 17-Jerny Faerber, 18-Quentin Dors (20-Biorn Eduards, 73)
Subs not used: 1-Firgilio Lamsberg, 6-Daninhio Gill, 9-Arzinio Poina, 11-Julnes Plet
Subs not available: 15-Dimitrie Apai, 19-Rainel Godfried
Head Coach: Harold Deyl
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