YOUTH: U.S. teams take second second and fourth at European tournaments

U.S. boys national teams finished second and fourth at the Ballymena Cup (U-16s) and Slovakia Cup (U-18s), respectively, while the U.S. U-20s split three games during their stay in Argentina. Individual honors went to Crossfire Premier striker Ellis McLoughlin, who was named the Ballymena Cup MVP.

For the second straight year, the USA fell to the Czech Republic, 1-0, in the final of the Ballymena Cup. It marked the fourth straight time the Americans took second place in Northern Ireland. McLoughlin scored two goals and registered two assists in the USA's four games.

The U-18s fell to host Slovakia, 2-1, to drop into the third-place game, where they lost to Poland, 2-0. The U.S. went down a man in the 20th minute of the third-place game when Perica Marosevic, who scored the lone goal against Slovakia, was sent off.

The lone U-20 win in Argentina came when the USA beat River PlateÆs U-20s, 1-0, on a goal by New York Red Bull rookie David Arvizu. It fell to Argentina, 4-0.