Four U.S. boys national teams were in action on the opening day of the Nike Friendlies at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., and they went unbeaten, compiling a 2-0-2 record.
In the marquee matchup, the U-17 ’90s tied the Brazil U-17 national team, 2-2, getting the equalizer five minutes from the final whistle when Jesse Paredes finished from close range, capping an impressive build-up from fellow midfielder Brendan King. The USA and Brazil meet again on Saturday. The U.S. U-17 ’91s beat California’s Arsenal FC U-17 team, 3-1, on goals by Eddy Gonzalez, Bryan Dominguez and Nick Millington.
The U.S. U-15 national team was split into two squads to face U-16 opposition. The Blue team beat PDA, 2-0, on first-half goals from Andrew Craven and Perry Kitchen. The White team tied Italian club Juventus, 2-2, getting an equalizer in the 80th minute from Josh Sylva. Charles Renken converted a penalty kick in the 61st minute for the other U.S. goal.