Canadian Men’s U-17 Team

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Hart Announces Roster for Ballymena
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2425

http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/hart_hs.jpg
Canada’s U-17 Head Coach, Stephen Hart

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team head coach, Stephen Hart, has released his roster for the upcoming Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland. The tournament will run from April 21-30 with the Canadians arriving on April 18th in Belfast ahead of their first match against Scotland on April 24th.

The Canadians have been placed in a difficult group with Scotland, Czech Republic, and Belgium while Switzerland, USA, Finland, and Northern Ireland make up the second group of teams.

This will mark Canada’s second appearance at the prestigious Ballymena Tournament. In 2004, the Canadians finished with a loss to Finland (2:1) and draws against Northern Ireland (1:1) and Switzerland (1:1) before losing to Belgium in penalties after a 0:0 stalemate in the 4th Place match.

'Everyone is very excited about being back on the field and looking forward to playing teams of this quality,” said head coach of the U-17 National Team, Stephen Hart.

“We have some new players in and we (the coaching staff) are looking forward to seeing how they will react to this very competitive environment.'

Hart is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF’s fifth spot.

Canada failed to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Championships in 2005 in Peru, losing to eventual World Champions Mexico 2:0 in the final qualifying match in Culiacan, Mexico in May 2005.

Roster

#-Pos.-Name-Club-DOB-Hometown-Prov.
1 GK MISIEWICZ, Michal SSV Jahn Regensburg (Germany) 10-Nov-90 Calgary AB
2 D STRAITH, Adam National Training Centre - BC 11-Sep-90 Victoria BC
3 D HYDE, William National Training Centre - Ontario 25-Oct-90 Oakville ON
4 D LACOSTE-LEBUIS, Olivier NTC - Quebec 28-Aug-90 Montreal QC
5 D PARENTEAU-MICHON, Colin NTC - Quebec 15-Jul-90 Montreal QC
6 F SEMENETS, Alex NYC - Ontario 10-Mar-90 Mississauga ON
7 MF DAVIES, Phillipe Dijon FCO (France) 12-Dec-90 St-Hubert QC
8 MF GUNENC, Devin NTC - BC 11-Feb-90-N. Vancouver BC
9 M CARRIÉ, Cédric NTC - Quebec 16-Aug-90 Brossard QC
10 F SYLLA, Mohamed NTC - Quebec 14-Apr-90 Pierrefonds QC
11 D KIJOWSKI, Daniel NTC - Quebec 19-May-90 Montreal QC
12 F NSAME, Bawe NTC - Quebec 04-Oct-90 Montreal QC
13 MF RAGO, Antonio AS Deruta (Italy) 05-Nov-90 Edmonton AB
14 F JOHNSTONE, Marcus NTC - Prairies 27-Mar-90 Edmonton AB
15 D SMITH, Greg NTC - BC 07-Mar-90 N. Vancouver BC
16 F EDWINI-BONSEU, Randy NTC - Prairies 20-Apr-90 Edmonton AB
17 D ADAM, Robert De Anza Force 90 (California) 07-Sep-90 Morgan Hill CA
22 GK SHERGILL, Karem NTC - BC 24-Jan-90 Surrey BC

STAFF
HART, Stephen - Head Coach
CLARK, Ray - Assistant Coach
MULDOON, Kevin - Equipment Manager/GK Coach
BATE, Richard - Technical Director
SU, Jason - Doctor
TILBURY, Ted - Athletic Therapist
LAARABI, Djamel - IT Specialist
NUTT, Dave - National Teams Administrator

Matches
April 24 – CANADA vs. Scotland – LTOB, Larne, N. Ireland – 18:30
April 25 – CANADA vs. Czech Republic – Ballymena Showground’s, NI - 18:00
April 26 – CANADA vs. Belgium – LTOB, Larne, NI – 18:30
April 28 – Bowl Final (4th place teams)
April 28 – Shield Final (3rd place teams)
April 28 – Plate Final (2nd place teams)
April 28 – Trophy Final (1st place teams)

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Friday, April 21, 2006
Rago Goal Lifts Canada over N. Ireland in Ballymena Warm-up Match
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2432

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 this afternoon in a tune-up ahead of Monday’s start to the Ballymena International Tournament.

Edmonton’s Antonio Rago netted the only goal of the match in the 8th minute courtesy of a pin-point cross off the boot of Montreal’s Colin Parenteau Michon.

Canada opens the tournament on Monday, April 24 against Scotland.

The Canadians have been placed in a difficult group with Scotland, Czech Republic, and Belgium while Switzerland, USA, Finland, and Northern Ireland make up the second group of teams.

This will mark Canada’s second appearance at the prestigious Ballymena Tournament. In 2004, the Canadians finished with a loss to Finland (2:1) and draws against Northern Ireland (1:1) and Switzerland (1:1) before losing to Belgium in penalties after a 0:0 stalemate in the 4th Place match.

Hart is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF’s fifth spot.

Friday, April 21, 2006
International Friendly
Ballymoney FC Utd. Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, UK

CANADA – 1 (1)
N. IRELAND – 0 (0)

Goals: CANADA – Rago 8; N. IRELAND – none
Cautions: - none
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 20-Michal Misiewisz; 2-Greg Smith; 5-Olivier Lacoste Lubuis (12-Adam Straith, 40); 6-Daniel Kijowski (13-Robert Adam, 40); 3-Colin Parenteau Michon; 4-Philippe Davies; 8-Devin Gunenc (16-Bawe Nsame, 60); 10-Mohamed Sylla (15-Cedric Carrie, 40); 7-Antonio Rago (14-Marcus Johnstone, 25); 9-Randy Edwini Bonseu (17-Alex Semenets, 40); 11-William Hyde

Head Coach: Stephen Hart (CAN)
Subs not used: 1-Karem Shergill

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Monday, April 24, 2006
Canada Defeat Scotland 1-0 in Ballymena Opener
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2436

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team defeated Scotland 1-0 today (April 24, 2006) in the opening match of the Ballymena International Tournament.

Philippe Davies grabbed the lone goal of the game just after the half hour mark. The St-Hubert, QC-native, who now plays his soccer in France for Dijon, stormed untouched through the middle of the park then coolly slotted home the eventual winner from just outside the Scottish area.

Scotland pressed forward in the second half, searching for the elusive equalizer but despite pinning the Canadians into their own half for spells, they could not find a way past Canadian goalkeeper Michal Misiewicz and his back-four.

The Canadians will play the Czech Republic tomorrow afternoon before rounding off the opening round against Belgium on April 26.

This marks Canada’s second appearance at the prestigious Ballymena Tournament. In 2004, the Canadians finished with a loss to Finland (2:1) and draws against Northern Ireland (1:1) and Switzerland (1:1) before losing to Belgium in penalties after a 0:0 stalemate in the 4th Place match.

Canadian Head Coach, Stephen Hart, is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF’s fifth spot.

Monday, April 24, 2006
Ballymena International Tournament Ballymena, N. Ireland, UK

CANADA – 1 (1)
SCOTLAND – 0 (0)

Goals: CANADA – Davies 33; SCOTLAND – none
Cautions: - none
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 20-Michal Misiewisz; 2-Greg Smith; 5-Olivier Lacoste Lubuis; 12-Adam Straith; 3-Colin Parenteau Michon; 4-Philippe Davies; 16-Bawe Nsame (14-Marcus Johnstone, 60); 10-Mohamed Sylla (15-Cedric Carrie, 70); 9-Randy Edwini Bonseu; 17-Alex Semenets; 11-William Hyde

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 1-Karem Shergill; 6-Daniel Kijowski; 7-Antonio Rago; 8-Devin Gunenc; 13-Robert Adam

Matches (all times GMT)
April 25 – CANADA vs. Czech Republic – Ballymena Showground’s, NI – 18:00
April 26 – CANADA vs. Belgium – LTOB, Larne, NI – 18:30
April 28 – Bowl Final (4th place teams)
April 28 – Shield Final (3rd place teams)
April 28 – Plate Final (2nd place teams)
April 28 – Trophy Final (1st place teams)

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Canada’s U-17s Fall to Czech Republic
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2437

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team were on the wrong side of a 4-0 score line when they met the very talented Czech Republic today in the second match of the Ballymena International Tournament.

The Czechs started things rolling just after a half hour when a Czech midfielder hit a rocket into the upper corner of the Canadian goal from just outside of 30 yards.

Ten minutes later, the Czechs stretched the lead to two when a give away by the Canadian defense led to a scramble inside the Canadian area that was eventually pounded into the back of the net by the opportunistic Czechs.

The Europeans would add two more goals near the hour mark to quash any Canadian hopes of a comeback.

“We were soundly beaten today by a very good and very technical team,” is how Canadian Head Coach Stephen Hart summed up the contest. “We must now prepare for another quality team in Belgium (tomorrow) without a lot of time to rest, but the quick turnaround is simply another test for us and we shall see how we cope with it.”

The Canadians will play Belgium tomorrow to determine the seeding for the playoff round. The Belgians lost there opening match to the Czechs 2-1 and are playing Scotland later today.

In Group A action yesterday, the USA defeated Switzerland (1:0) while Northern Ireland defeated Finland handily (6:0).

This marks Canada’s second appearance at the prestigious Ballymena Tournament. In 2004, the Canadians finished with a loss to Finland (2:1) and draws against Northern Ireland (1:1) and Switzerland (1:1) before losing to Belgium in penalties after a 0:0 stalemate in the 4th Place match.

Canadian Head Coach, Stephen Hart, is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF's fifth spot.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Ballymena International Tournament Ballymena, N. Ireland, UK

CANADA – 0 (0)
CZECH REP – 4 (2)

Goals: CANADA – none; CZECH REP – unavailable 32, 44, 60, 64
Cautions: - none
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 1-Karem Shergill; 2-Greg Smith; 6-Daniel Kijowski (8-Devin Gunenc, 52); 5-Olivier Lacoste Lubuis; 12-Adam Straith (13-Robert Adam, 70); 4-Philippe Davies; 10-Mohamed Sylla (16-Bawe Nsame, 70); 9-Randy Edwini Bonseu; 17-Alex Semenets; 11-William Hyde; 7-Antonio Rago (14-Marcus Johnstone, 58)

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 20-Michal Misiewisz; 3-Colin Parenteau Michon; 15-Cedric Carrie

Matches (all times GMT)
April 26 – CANADA vs. Belgium – LTOB, Larne, N. Ireland – 18:30
April 28 – Bowl Final (4th place teams)
April 28 – Shield Final (3rd place teams)
April 28 – Plate Final (2nd place teams)
April 28 – Trophy Final (1st place teams)

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Canada’s U-17s Come up Short Against Belgium
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2439

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team lost a close 1:0 battle with Belgium today in the final match of the preliminary round of the Ballymena International Tournament.

The Belgians grabbed the lone goal after 76 minutes when a give-away in the middle of the park, after a long period of sustained Canadian pressure, allowed the Europeans to catch the Canadians on the break. The move ended with the Belgian centre-forward coolly slotting his effort past the on-rushing Karem Shergill in the Canadian goal after the big target man was released with a well weighted pass from just outside the Canadian area.

The result means that Canada will be ranked 3rd in Group B, regardless of the result of the Czech Republic vs. Scotland match later today, setting up a playoff match on April 28 against the 3rd place team in Group A – likely the winner of the Finland vs. Switzerland clash being played today.

'It’s unfortunate that we gave up a goal late in the game, but we have learned a lot about ourselves in our last two games,' said Canadian Head Coach Stephen Hart immediately following the 1:0 loss.

In Group A action yesterday, the USA drew with Finland (3:3) while the hosts, Northern Ireland, kept its perfect record in tact by handing the Swiss their second loss in as many days (3:0).

This marks Canada’s second appearance at the prestigious Ballymena Tournament. In 2004, the Canadians finished with a loss to Finland (2:1) and draws against Northern Ireland (1:1) and Switzerland (1:1) before losing to Belgium in penalties after a 0:0 stalemate in the 4th Place match.

Canadian Head Coach, Stephen Hart, is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF’s fifth spot.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Ballymena International Tournament Ballymena, N. Ireland, UK

CANADA – 0 (0)
BELGIUM – 1 (0)

Goals: CANADA – none; BELGIUM – unavailable 76
Cautions: - none
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 1-Karem Shergill; 2-Greg Smith; 3-Colin Parenteau Michon; 8-Devin Gunenc; 15-Cedric Carrie; 5-Olivier Lacoste Lubuis; 12-Adam Straith; 4-Philippe Davies (11-William Hyde, 42); 10-Mohamed Sylla; 9-Randy Edwini Bonseu (14-Marcus Johnstone, 57); 17-Alex Semenets

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 20-Michal Misiewisz; 6-Daniel Kijowski; 7-Antonio Rago; 13-Robert Adam; 16-Bawe Nsame

Recent Results
Monday, April 24
Group A Switzerland 1 USA 2
Group B Scotland 0 Canada 1
Group B Czech Republic 2 Belgium 1
Group A Finland 0 Northern Ireland 6

Tuesday, April 25
Group B Czech Republic 4 Canada 0
Group A Finland 3 USA 3
Group A Northern Ireland 3 Switzerland 0
Group B Belgium 2 Scotland 0

Wednesday, April 26
Group A Finland v Switzerland 18:00 Ballymena Showgrounds
Group B Czech Republic v Scotland 19:30 Inver Park, Larne
Group A Northern Ireland v USA 20:00 Ballymena Showgrounds

Playoff Matches (all times GMT)
April 28 – Bowl Final (4th place teams)
April 28 – Shield Final (3rd place teams)
April 28 – Plate Final (2nd place teams)
April 28 – Trophy Final (1st place teams)

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Friday, April 28, 2006
Canada Defeats Swiss in Shield Final
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2441

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s U-17 National Team defeated Switzerland 2:1 today to claim the Shield Final and 5th place overall at the prestigious Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland.

Canada grabbed an early lead through Alex Semenets in the 20th minute from an indirect free kick just inside the Swiss area after a Swiss defender was called for an illegal back-pass. After two false starts that saw the Swiss encroach on the free kick, Olivier Lacoste-Lebuis rolled the ball forward for Semenets who smashed his shot into the roof of the Swiss goal for the game’s opening goal.

The Swiss, however, responded in the waning moments of the half when the Canadian defense failed to clear the danger after a scramble in front of their goal. The loose ball bounced fortuitously to a Swiss striker who was stationed at the top of the area. The striker made no mistake with the opportunity, curling his shot into the upper right corner of the Canadian goal.

But Canada would not let this game slip away and in the 69th minute, some intricate combination play involving Semenets and Marcus Johnstone at the corner of the Swiss box sprung Semenets. The first half goal scorer turned provider with a cross to the far post that found an unmarked William Hyde, who coolly side-footed his shot into the open net for the match winner.

"Throughout the tournament we played well in the 1st half but lost concentration in the 2nd,” said Canadian head coach Stephen Hart. “Today we got the result, but never found our rhythm."

Canadian Head Coach, Stephen Hart, is preparing his squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Qualifying Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2007 in Honduras and Jamaica. Both countries will host a group of four teams with the top two teams receiving automatic berths to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007, and the two third-placed teams playing a home and away series to determine CONCACAF's fifth spot.

Friday, April 28, 2006
Ballymena International Tournament
Shield Final Ballymena, N. Ireland, UK

CANADA – 2 (1)
SWITZERLAND – 1 (1)

Goals: CANADA – Semenets 20, Hyde 69; SWITZERLAND – unavailable 40
Cautions: - none
Expulsions – none

CANADA: 20-Michal Misiewisz; 2-Greg Smith; 3-Colin Parenteau Michon; 6-Daniel Kijowski (12-Adam Straith, 70); 8-Devin Gunenc; 5-Olivier Lacoste Lubuis; 7-Antonio Rago (15-Cedric Carrie, 72); 11-William Hyde; 14-Marcus Johnstone; 16-Bawe Nsame (9-Randy Edwini Bonseu, 55); 17-Alex Semenets

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 1-Karem Shergill; 4-Philippe Davies; 10-Mohamed Sylla; 13-Robert Adam (illness)

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Thursday, September 14, 2006
U17s depart for Bradenton
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2533

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Men’s U17 National Team will continue their preparations for qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup Korea 2007 next week in Bradenton, Florida with two matches against the United States at the IMG Sports Academy. The matches will take place on Thursday, September 21st and Saturday, September 23rd both at 10am.

Having just returned from the Caribbean Youth Cup in Trinidad and Tobago, Head Coach, Stephen Hart has again tinkered with his roster in an effort to see as many potential players as possible in the lead up to qualifying next April.

Goalkeeper, Adam Street of West Ham United, who started Canada’s first match at last year’s CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament before succumbing to a calf injury, returns to the fold for the first time since the event. He is joined by newcomers Octavio Maginnis Castro of Alberta and Adrian Pena and Kyle Porter of Ontario.

The team will depart for Bradenton on Saturday, September 16th for a brief training camp leading up to the matches.

“The USA has consistently been one of the better teams at the U16 17 age group,” explained Hart. “So playing them at home will be valuable experience for the players.”

The 2007 CONCACAF U17 Qualifying Tournament is set for next April where Canada will join Mexico, USA, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, hosts Jamaica and Honduras along with two qualifiers from Central America to compete for five places in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007 taking place from August 18-September 8. The young Canadians will be looking to qualify for their first U-17 World Cup since the 1995 championship in Ecuador.

Roster – CANADA

Pos Complete Name Club Date of Birth Hometown Province

GK STREET, Adam West Ham United FC (England) 07-Jul-91 Brampton ON
D STRAITH, Adam National Training Centre - British Columbia 11-Sep-90 Victoria BC
D TANNOUS, Daniel National Training Centre - Ontario 13-Apr-90 Thornhill ON
MF DAVIES, Philippe National Training Centre - Quebec 12-Dec-90 St-Hubert QC
D SMITH, Greg NTC - British Columbia 07-Mar-90 N. Vancouver BC
D MAGINNIS CASTRO, Octavio NTC - Prairies 03-Feb-90 Edmonton AB
F JOHNSTONE, Marcus National Training Centre - Prairies 27-Mar-90 Edmonton AB
MF SYLLA, Mohamed National Training Centre - Quebec 14-Apr-90 Pierrefonds QC
F TRAVERSY, Garrett NTC - British Columbia 07-May-90 North Delta BC
MF F SEMENETS, Oleksandr (Alex) NTC - Ontario 10-Mar-90 Missisauga ON
F MAHLI, Dalvir National Training Centre - British Columbia 2-Jan-90 Surrey BC
D KIJOWSKI, Daniel National Training Centre - Quebec 19-May-90 Montreal QC
D PARENTEAU-MICHON, Colin NTC - Quebec 15-Jul-90 Montreal QC
D MF HYDE, William National Training Centre - Ontario 25-Oct-90 Oakville ON
MF GUNENC, Devin NTC - British Columbia 11-Feb-90 N. Vancouver BC
F PORTER, Kyle National Training Centre - Ontario 19-Jan-90 Mississauga ON
F PENA, Adrian National Training Centre - Ontario 05-Nov-90 Woodbridge ON
GK LATENDRESSE-LEVESQUE, Julien NTC - Quebec 27-Feb-91 Chambly QC

Staff

Complete Name Duties Hometown Province

HART, Stephen Head Coach Halifax NS
CLARK, Ray Assistant Coach Cambridge ON
MULDOON, Kevin Equipment Manager Goalkeeper Coach Oakville ON
LAARABI, Djamel IT Specialist Montreal QC
NUTT, Dave National Teams Administrator Ottawa ON

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Canadian U17s drop first of two in USA
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2540

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian U17 Men’s National Team were defeated 2-1 this morning by the United States U17s at the IMG Academy in the heat of Bradenton, Florida.

The match began with neither team giving much in midfield with physical play and hard tackling marking the first 15 minutes. Despite conceding the majority of possession to the Americans, Canada were able to take the lead in the 24th minute after a blocked shot from midfielder, Octavio Maginnis fell kindly to Mohamed Sylla inside the US penalty area. Sylla made no mistake, slotting the ball into the corner and the Canadians into the lead. Despite the early goal, Canada continued to struggling against the heat and pressure from the Americans. Goalkeeper, Julien Latendresse-Levesque was forced to make several big saves to keep the Canucks on top.

The Canadian defense would hold until the 39th minute when a cross found Abdus Ibrahim alone in front of goal. After taking a touch, the big striker was able to put the Americans back on level terms. The goal sparked the USA to increase the pressure and they were able to generate another scoring opportunity in the next minute when Ibrahim’s blast was pushed over the bar by Latendresse-Levesque. The Canadians would not be as lucky on the ensuing corner when defender, Alonzo Carter flicked on a ball into the near post to an unmarked Amobi Okugo who headed in the game winner from close range.

Despite several substitutions from each side, the second half would play out much like the first with the Americans controlling play and creating the more dangerous chances. In the end, the second half would yield no further scoring and the match would end 2-1 to the Americans.

“This camp has been a bit of Murphy’s Law for us, however, in today’s game the USA was physically and technically superior,” explained Canadian Head Coach, Stephen Hart. “They were quicker in all their actions, denied us space to play and in possession passed the ball more effectively than we did.”

The teams will meet once again on Saturday, September 23rd at 10:00am at the IMG Academy.

Match Info

Thursday, September 21, 2006 - International Friendly
IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida

U17 CANADA - 1 (1)
U17 USA – 2 (2)
Goals: Canada – Sylla (24); USA – Ibrahim (39); Okugo (41)

CANADA: 1-Latendresse-Levesque, Julien; 2-Smith, Greg; 3-Parenteau-Michon, Colin (16-Traversy, Garrett 80); 4-Tannous, Daniel (c); 5-Kijowski, Daniel; 6-Semenets, Alex (12-Johnstone, Marcus 77); 7-Porter, Kyle; 8-Macginnis, Octavio; 9-Sylla, Mohamed (Pena, Adrian 82); 11-Mahli, Dalvir (10-Hyde, William 70); 15-Gunenc, Devin (13-Leal, Erick 59)

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 22-Street, Adam; Straith, Adam (injured)

USA: 1-Jackson, Larry (18-Meves, David); 2-Sarkodie, Kofi; 4-Millington, Nick (5-Uy, Matthew 59); 6-Carter, Alonzo; 7-Okugo, Amobi; 10-Paredes, Jesse (9-McLouglin, Ellis 75); 11-Ibrahim, Abdus; 13-Caldwell, Scott; 14-Bates, Mykell (c); 15-Raynr, Evan (8-Gracia, Ryan 45); 17-Altimorano, Jose (19-Abolfathi, Dersu 61)

Head Coach: John Hackworth
Subs not used: 3-Lee, Brandon; 12-Nelson, Ty; 16-Zimmerman, Brandon

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men’s U-17 Team
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Canadian U17s defeated again by USA
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2541

Ottawa, Ontario – In the second of a two-match friendly series, the Canadian U17 Men’s National Team dropped a 1-0 decision to the United States this morning at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

The Canadians began the match with more energy than they displayed in Thursday’s 2-1 loss. Despite the United States dominating possession once again in the first half, the Canadians displayed improved team shape and defensive pressure and looked stronger in the tackle than they had in the opener. With few chances between the teams and neither goalkeeper seriously tested, the half ended at 0-0.

The second half began with Canada playing their best soccer of the two matches. Unfortunately, some solid possession and good attacking runs from the young Canadians failed to yield a quality scoring opportunity. As the half wore on, the Americans were again able to control the play and put Canada on the defensive. Without significant possession on another hot and humid day, the Canadians began to tire midway through the half. This was all the Americans would need to snatch the victory in the 76th minute when Danny Barrera’s driven free kick from the wide right picked out substitute Brandon Zimmerman at the far post. His header beat Canadian ‘keeper, Adam Street to the top corner, putting the USA in front.

The goal was all the Americans would need as the Canadians were unable to create an opportunity to equalize in the match’s final 14 minutes. In the end, the Americans were able to earn a sweep of the two-match series.

Stephen Hart, Head Coach of the Canadians said, “As a team, we defended far better today, but once we regained possession of the ball, we were never quite capable of creating any clear attacking opportunities. Far too often, the ball was given away cheaply.”

Match Info

Saturday, September 23, 2006 - International Friendly
IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida

U17 CANADA - 0 (0)
U17 USA – 0 (1)
Goals: USA – Zimmerman (76)

CANADA: 22-Street, Adam; 2-Smith, Greg; 3-Parenteau-Michon, Colin (11-Mahli, Dalvir 66); 4-Tannous, Daniel (c); 5-Kijowski, Daniel (15-Gunenc, Devin 29); 7-Porter, Kyle (16-Traversy, Garrett 61); 8-Macginnis, Octavio (9-Sylla, Mohamed 56); 10-Hyde, William; 12-Johnstone, Marcus; 13-Leal, Erick; 14-Pena, Adrian (6-Semenets, Alex 82)

Head Coach: Stephen Hart
Subs not used: 1-Latendresse-Levesque, Julien; Straith, Adam (injured)

USA: 18-MacMath, Zac (1-Cambo, Josh 45); 2-Nelson, TJ; 3-Lee, Brandon; 4-Turk, Howard; 5-Perry, Aubrey (16-Zimmerman, Brandon 68); 7-Levry, Axel (King, Brendon 60); 8-Jeffrey, Jared (c); 10-Dominguez, Bryan (19-Gonzalez, Eduardo 11 (9-McLoughlin, Ellis 57)); 13-Garza, Greg; 15-Barrera, Danny (12-Urso, Kirk 82); 20-Sesay, Israel (Finley, Ryan 76)

Head Coach: John Hackworth
Subs not used: 6-Carter, Alonzo; 17-Gracia, Ryan

[Calif]

Will the U-17 be playing any friendly games against Mexico's U-17?