The U.S. U-23 national team concluded their first international tour with another resounding performance, downing non-league club Hyde United 2-1 on Aug. 12 in Manchester, England. Midfielder Joey DiGiamarino and defender Ramiro Corrales scored first-half goals for the U.S., which went 3-1 during its 16-day tour of England. It took just four minutes for the U.S. to jump out on top of Hyde, as emerging 20-year-old star Brian West again sparked the offense with a blistering run down the right wing onto a length-of-the-field pass from defender Matt Chulis. Fighting through a defender at the end line, West dropped a perfect pass back through the penalty area for an onrushing DiGiamarino, who one-timed a driven shot into the lower right corner of the net from 21 yards. West finished the team’s four-game tour of England with three goals and three assists, including two each in the team’s inspired 4-1 victory over Manchester United’s reserves on Aug. 8. In the dying moments of the Hyde match, though, West was forced out of the game with a left knee strain. At the conclusion of the first half, Corrales scored a similar goal three minutes into injury time, pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area and slamming a shot from 16 yards into the lower right corner. The unassisted goal came after Hyde United goalkeeper John Bagnall failed to hold on to a ball after Pete Vagenas and Scott Bower had worked the ball into the penalty area. The U-23s return to the States tomorrow and are not scheduled to reconvene until early next year with a training camp in San Diego. Aug. 12 in Manchester USA U-23s 2 Hyde United 1. Goals: DiGiamarino 4, Corrales 48; S.Hall 89. USA — Brown (Yetso, 46), Chulis, Dunseth (McCarty, 46), Hooper, Corrales, Winters, Shak (Victorine, 71), Vagenas, DiGiamarino, West, Bower (Brown, 46). Hyde United — Bagnall, Page, Switzer, Wilson, Edey, Taylor, Richardson, N.Hall (S.Hall, 75), Moncrieffe, Washington, Dolby. Att.: 500.
