Wizards top U.S. Under-17 team
KC wins 3-0; U-17s leave next week for FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria
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- Wizards blank US U-17's
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| Score: | 1 | 2 | F |
| Kansas City Wizards | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring Summary:
KC - Roger Espinoza (unassisted) 32'
KC - Herculez Gomez (unassisted) 47'
KC - Kevin Souter (unassisted) 88'
The Kansas City Wizards topped the United States Under-17 Men's National Team 3-0 Tuesday night in rainy weather at Kansas City's Swope Park Training Center. The Wizards won on goals from Roger Espinoza, Herculez Gomez and Kevin Souter. The U.S. U-17 squad is preparing for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria, which begins for the USA October 26 with a match against European powerhouse Spain.
After a period of back-and-forth play to begin the match, Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute through Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza. Herculez Gomez beat his man to win space on the right touchline, sending a low, driven cross toward striker Zoltan at the near post. A U.S. U-17 defender stepped in and deflected the cross, but it fell directly to Espinoza at the top of the penalty area. The young left-winger made no mistake, ripping a hard-hit ball into the open net from 18 yards out to put the Wizards on top.
The U.S. U-17s nearly equalized moments later when target forward Jack McInerney found himself behind the Wizards defense after a nice ball over the top. McInerney took a touch to round goalkeeper Boris Pardo, but his move took him wide of the target at a tough angle. He fired a shot toward goal as a pair of Wizards defenders attempted to recover, but his effort from a sharp angle banged off the right post and bounced away from danger.
The Wizards then jumped out to a 2-0 lead immediately after halftime through Gomez. Second-half substitute forward Michael Kraus found space inside the penalty area and fired on goal, but USA goalkeeper Earl Edwards did well to save a hard-hit shot. The rebound fell immediately to Gomez, who hit an acrobatic half-volley into the open goal with Edwards out of position after making the initial save. Edwards then made another acrobatic save to keep Gomez from scoring in the 70th minute, stopping a close-range header after Espinoza floated a cross to Gomez at the back post.
The U.S. U-17s almost pulled one back after the 80th minute, with second-half substitute forward Andrew Craven ripping a shot from the top of the penalty area that forced a diving save from Eric Kronberg. Kansas City then added the third and final goal through Kevin Souter. The Wizards broke on a quick counter attack, the ball ending up on Souter's foot after a long-range shot by Kurt Morsink was blocked by a USA defender. Souter wasted no time, launching a dipping drive from 30 yards out into the upper-right corner of goal in the 88th minute to round out the scoring.
The U.S. U-17s return to Florida Wednesday before wrapping up preparations for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Saturday with a friendly against USL-2 side Crystal Palace Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. Kansas City returns to action Saturday against Seattle Sounders FC at 7:30 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards will host watch parties for the U.S. Senior Men's National Team contest Wednesday at both area 810 Zone locations. The USA hosts Costa Rica at 7 p.m. CT at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. in the final World Cup qualifier of the 2010 CONCACAF qualifying cycle. The USA will win the qualifying group by beating Costa Rica or matching Mexico's result against Trinidad and Tobago. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.
Kansas City Wizards Line-Up: Boris Pardo (Eric Kronberg 46); Lance Watson, Rauwshan McKenzie, Aaron Hohlbein (Matt Besler 46), Matt Marquess; Chance Myers, Kurt Morsink ©, Kevin Souter, Roger Espinoza; Herculez Gomez, Zoltan (Michael Kraus 46)
Substitutes not used: None
U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team Line-Up: Earl Edwards; Perry Kitchen ©, Zachary Herold, Jared Watts, Tyler Polak; Alex Shinsky (Victor Chavez 71), Bryan Duran, Luis Gil, Nick Palodichuk (Carlos Martinez 46); Stefan Jerome (Andrew Craven 46), Jack McInerney
Substitutes not used: Keith Cardona (GK), Eriq Zavaleta
Misconduct:
None
