Monday, the day before we go to press, is our late night. Usually, IÆm the last one to leave, shortly after midnight, but last night when I left at my usual time, the TV room was filled with staffers, many of whom returned from home, watching the U.S. U-17s play Uruguay in New Zealand. I left already knowing the U.S. was through to the second round, but many stayed around to watch John EllingerÆs boys beat Uruguay, 1-0, on a last-minute goal and clinch first place in their group. Only in the United States would a bunch of fans stay up half the night to watch an under-17 game. EllingerÆs U-17s have been U.S. SoccerÆs great experiment in accelerating the development of its top youth players. In the past, losing U.S. teams always made the excuse that the opposition consisted of seasoned professionals. This time, there could be no excuses. EllingerÆs team may be the best prepared team in the history of the U-17 tournament. No federation has ever spent the money U.S. Soccer has spent on the year-long residency program in Bradenton, Fla.: $1.5 million. The U-17s entered the tournament with a 20-game unbeaten streak. Most teams never play that many games. All would been for nothing if the Americans failed to reach the quarterfinals. Most young players in other countries face the pressure of competing with players older than them day in and day out. For the U.S. U-17s, the pressure was entirely concentrated on three games. As Ken Cutler told Paul Gardner in Auckland, they knew they needed to do well or else younger players might not get in the future the opportunity they got. The U-17s handled the pressure. Now that the U-17s are through the quarterfinals, letÆs make sure the players after them get the same chance.