Big wins, and lots of them, position Americans as a favorite entering the U-17 World Cup
They were never going to sneak into New Zealand and shock the world: The world is too smart for that. What John Ellinger and the 18 boys accompanying him to the FIFA U-17 World Championship wanted was to be, to some extent, overlooked.
Not going to happen.
Twenty-game unbeaten streaks and victories over the likes of Ghana have a way of unmasking what one might prefer hidden, although anybody paying attention the past two years has been anticipating big things from this U.S. under-17 team.
It’s been impossible to miss the results ù wins over six fellow qualifiers, plus Argentina, England and France ù or the incredible potential of forward Landon Donovan, or the talk that, for the first time in the men’s game, the United States just might be a serious contender for a championship.
Sprinkled among the chatter has been whispers that these Americans are ù God forbid ù the favorites to prevail in the Nov. 10-27 competition.
“A FIFA TV crew came in and laid that one on me,” says Ellinger, who has guided the U-17s to a 27-7-7 record in international matches ù 55-15-18 against all opposition ù since he started building the team in late 1997.
“With some of the results we have, we are looked at as one of the favorites. Well, great ù but there are 15 other favorites. I don’t think we’re going to sneak up on anybody, but we certainly know we can play to a high level.”
They’ve proved that again and again, from a tie with Italy in May 1998 that hinted at something special, to the one-sided routs over England, France and Germany that summer, to the comeback triumphs over Boca Juniors and Argentina three days apart in Buenos Aires early this year, to the 6-1 massacre of host El Salvador in a qualification playoff after a rare hiccup at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament last February.
And they head to New Zealand with that 20-game unbeaten streak against international competition, a string that dates back nearly 15 months. The last four wins came against qualifiers Paraguay (twice), Mali and Ghana, a finalist in the past four U-17 World Cups.
“If we come home without the cup, I think we’ll all be disappointed,” co-captain Kenneth Cutler says. “We know we’re very capable of winning the cup. I suppose everyone kind of believes that [their team is capable], but for us it’s actually true. There are only a few teams with a legitimate chance, and we’re one of them.”
They’ve learned this during the past 22 months, in bursts here and there, during the most elaborate preparation program U.S. Soccer has staged for an under-age team. Since January, they’ve been in residency at Bollettieri Sports Academy in Bradenton, Fla., reaping benefits no previous U.S. squad could enjoy.
The Federation, with help from Nike through Project 2010 funds, coughed up $1.5 million to fund Ellinger’s team, and they’re expecting results. Expectations are immense, and the pressure that goes along with them is building.
“We know there’s a lot of pressure on us,” Cutler acknowledges. “But we’re very professional now, and we’ve been put in pressure situations before. We can deal with pressure.”
They’ll face plenty of it in Auckland, where they have dates with the host (Nov. 10, in the tournament opener), European runner-up Poland (Nov. 13) and Uruguay (Oct. 16), which knocked out Argentina during South American qualifying.
And should the Americans, as expected, progress into the quarterfinals, their task turns brutal. Next up likely would be a rematch with Ghana or a showdown with European champion Spain ù they, with defending champion Brazil, are the obvious medal candidates.
“If people have [high] expectations, expect us to get to the final ù further than any [U.S.] men’s team has ever been ù and we come up short, people are going to be disappointed,” Ellinger acknowledges. “I’ve known this team from the beginning, and there’s a mental thing we’ve had, a bit of an edge. We had two goals: to qualify and win a world championship. It’s pretty simple.
“I know they’re lofty, but you’ve got to reach a little high sometimes.”
Loaded with talent
Ellinger believes he has the personnel to grasp so high, and he’s plugged them into a system designed to get the most from its attacking abilities. He switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 over the summer, pushing two of the forwards wide and using a second attacking or defensive midfielder, depending on what’s required.
“When the first whistle blows,” says Kyle Beckerman, the Yanks’ playmaker and emotional leader, “for the first 15 minutes, the other team has no clue what’s going on.”
It’s an unorthodox alignment, one designed to open space in midfield to accommodate the Americans’ quick-paced passing game and create multiple attacking options.
There’s plenty of firepower, especially with Donovan, who signed with Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen before his 17th birthday. He generally plays alongside Beckerman or on the right, with Jordan Cila up top and speedy DaMarcus Beasley on the left. Bobby Convey, just a high school sophomore, plays on the right unless Ellinger uses two defensive midfielders, on which occasion he teams Bryan Jackson with Cutler.
Donovan is the primary finisher ù he has 32 goals and 15 assists in 35 international matches and 58 goals in 66 games overall ù but Cila (15 goals in internationals, 46 overall), Beasley (15, 31) and Beckerman (14, 28) also have been consistent scorers.
The defense is anchored by speedy Nelson Akwari and Alexander Yi, the organizer, in the middle, with Oguchi Onyewu on the right and Seth Trembly on the left.
Delvin Countess, who has started all but three internationals in two years, is in the nets.
There’s good depth, especially up front with burly Abe Thompson and Adolfo Gregorio, and with Kaiserslautern youth team midfielder Raul Palomares and defender Greg Martin.
It’s a tight-knit clan, built on months of semi-confinement at Bollettieri, where they created their own support network away from their families. “I love everybody on the team,” gushes Beckerman. “They’re just the coolest guys.” Adds Cila: “We’re really like brothers. We’re such a together team. Even our parents are friends ù they all call each other and talk. It’s like a local club.”
That sense of togetherness, and the ability to work in a professional setting every day, has provided the Americans the tools to contend.
“Just the fact that we are there every day, able to compete in this environment …,” Ellinger says. “The quality of games we got, we couldn’t have played had we not been there. MLS teams come into Bradenton to train [in preseason], the Chicago Fire, Columbus, D.C. United, Tampa ù what a great opportunity. …
“The quality of the teams we’ve played make us raise our level. We’re stronger, quicker, more physical, faster.”
Whether that will be enough to contend with the Ghanas and Brazils when it really matters will be answered soon.
“We’ve done so much in the past,” says Countess, “but it doesn’t mean anything now. We have to prove ourselves again, show what we’re made of. I think we’re ready to do it.”
Says Donovan: “We know that we’re capable of beating any 17-year-old team in the world, regardless of whether they’re from Ghana, Brazil, Asia, anywhere. We know they’re just 17-year-olds ù they’re not any more special than us.”
by Soccer America senior editor Scott French