The United States, the only country to play in every Under-17 World Cup, will face Japan (Sept. 14), France (Sept. 16) and Nigeria (Sept. 19) — arguably the toughest draw a U.S. youth team has ever faced — at Trinidad & Tobago 2001. The U-17 Americans, in residency since January 2000, will have a major test on their hands against two-time U-17 champion Nigeria, this year’s African champion, a French team that had outscored its opponents, 38-0, leading up to the European U-16 final, and Japan, which has given the United States all kinds of problems at the youth level in recent years. The teams were drawn in Group B of the Under-17 World Championship, which kicks off in Trinidad & Tobago in September. They will play their group games at Dwight Yorke Stadium just outside of Scarborough, Tobago. The top two finishers in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The 2001 U.S. Under-17s will try and build on the heralded success of the U.S. squad that finished in third place at the 1999 U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. At New Zealand ’99, the U.S. advanced to the semifinal round for the first time in the team’s history, only to lose in a penalty kick shootout to Australia, 6-7. “Now that we know who we are going to play, I think it will give the kids a little more motivation to train hard the next five months,” U.S. head coach John Ellinger said. “With only 16 teams here, you have to respect all the teams and realize that any of the teams that get to this point have a great team. Every game is going to be very competitive and you have to approach the tournament with that in mind.” The United States features Ed Johnson, who has 21 goals in 19 international matches (five in three qualifiers), and Santino Quaranta, who at 16 became the youngest to play in an MLS game when he came on in D.C. United’s 5-0 win over New England hours after the draw was held in Port of Spain. The two 1999 finalists, Australia and Brazil, will meet again in Group A, where they are joined by UEFA’s third-place team, Croatia, and host Trinidad & Tobago. Spain will be joined by African runner-up Burkina Faso, Asian champion Oman and South American runner-up Argentina in Group C. The Under-17 field is completed by Group D and Costa Rica, which upset Mexico to take the other CONCACAF group, Asian runner-up Iran, CONMEBOL third-place finisher Paraguay and the third-place African team, Mali.