U17 Men's National Team returns from Argentina

The results were mixed but U17 National Team coach John Hackworth has pronounced his team's 30-day trip to Argentina as all good. The trip, the first of its kind for the Bradenton Residency program, was designed among other things to immerse the 24 players in a soccer-rich culture and prepare them for the rigors of international travel that they may experience in the future.

The journey also involved a series of matches, including 4 internationals and 5 against Argentine club teams. The U.S. squad finished with a 4-4-1 record. While results weren't of primary importance, a narrow 2-1 loss to Argentina in front of a raucous home crowd, as well as a 1-0 win over Peru and a penalty shootout victory over Paraguay were highlights.

The lowest light was by far the opening match, when the squad was on the receiving end of a 6-1 thumping to Uruguay. Contributing factors included the team not quite being adjusted from the long flight, a pair of Amer icans being sent off, and by Hackworth's own admission, a poor performance from the U.S.

"The main thing I can say about that match is that we definitely learned from it and didn't have any question after that about what we were up against," he said. The U.S. led Argentina 1-0 after a 1st half golazo (according to Argentine TV commentators) by Ellis McLoughlin. In a fevered environment, the Argentines managed an equalizer and then a stoppage time winner to snatch victory from the Americans.

Against Peru, Jarod Jeffrey scored the winner and Zach MacMath recorded a shutout in goal. MacMath, a 1991 birth year player who joined the program this fall from his Clearwater (FL) Chargers club team, also recorded a clean sheet against Paraguay. In that match, Daniel Wenzel scored the winning post-game spot kick, to join Jeffrey, McLoughlin and Brandon Zimmerman as successful penalty takers.

Other match highlights of the trip included a 3-2 win over Argentine c lub Rosario Central, with goals from Wenzel, Mykell Bates and Jose Altamirano. Altamirano, a '91 from Southern California, scored 2 in a 3-2 win over Jorge Griffa Academy (Ryan Gracia had the other goal). Ryan Finley tallied twice and McLoughlin once in a 3-1 win over Renato Cesarini. Finley also managed to find the back of the net in losing efforts against Arsenal and Newell's Old Boys.

Competitively the trip may signal, along with a pair of wins against Mexico and Portugal at Portland in September, something of a corner-turning for the squad as Hackworth begins to settle on a combination of players and some of the 91s begin to emerge as difference-makers. "We've made four different trips in the past few months and probably played more internationals than we've ever played in that period of time," Hackworth said. "As a result, we've been able to use a lot of different players and get a really good feeling of how each player is able to handle the demands of t he game at this level, so I think we did turn a huge corner in that regard."

Playing lineup beginning to take shape

With that comes a number of developments in the team sheet. Perhaps most notably, MacMath's emergence has given Hackworth and staff goalkeeping coach Tim Mulqueen an embarrassment of riches. First-choice keeper Josh Lambo, who missed part of the trip for a family bereavement, continues to be "fantastic" in Hackworth's words, with Larry Jackson also getting good marks for his play on the trip, and new Residency keeper David Meves, who recently recorded a couple of shutouts in matches back at Bradenton, making the position a very deep one for this squad.

Defensively the squad has been trying to recover from turnover involving one player quitting the team and another being dismissed. Hackworth said Mykell Bates, who himself missed several months with a knee injury last suffered last spring, made a very good impression on the trip. " œMykell Bates has solidified himself as our top central defender. He's grown a lot and formed a good working relationship with Howard Turk in the back line," Hackworth said. "What we're getting now with those 2 is an ability to play out of the back. It's far from the finished product but we're seeing a lot of improvement there."

Hackworth noted the exposure to the Argentine way was an eye-opener for both the defenders and the team's approach to back-line play. "Traditionally we would say you don't take risks in the defensive third, some risks in the middle third and more in the forward third, but the Argentines don't' play that way," Hackworth said. "They play the same way whether they're under pressure in front of goal or downfield with the opportunity to score, they just play. They are creative with their opportunities, almost to a fault. Sometimes they get burnt, but their fans and the players themselves expect them to try that kind of thing. They love it and respect it. So if a defender goes for meg in the defensive third, while our coaches scream "˜Don't do it.' as long as it works, they will applaud it."

Newcomers Lonnie Carter and Christian Ibeaghea provide cover in central defense. At left back, both Matt Uy and Greg Garza played, with Garza also playing on the left side of midfield. Hackworth praised the mobility of both players in getting forward to attack. At right back Sheanon Williams has been the starter, somewhat out of necessity, but with Kofi Sarkodie and Brandon Zimmerman emerging during the trip, the fleet-footed Bostonian can also be used in the attack. "Sheanon has a lot of versatility and he can literally play anywhere in the field," Hackworth said. "He follows in a line of players we have had here who are offensive-type players but can defend as well. It will be interesting to see how that position plays out.

Wenzel and Jeffrey appear solid as the central midf ield combination, with both getting high marks on the trip. On the outside right, Altamirano was excelling by the end of the trip with creative and energetic play. Williams can also figure into this position, and as far as tough decisions with the team sheet go, Hackworth is not complaining. "We try to teach by the principles of the game and not by a system," he said. "You have to put players on the field where they can do the most good for your team."

On the left, both Garza and Danny Barrera saw significant minutes. At striker, McLoughlin has now scored 9 goals in internationals this year. "Ellis played very well in the Argentina game. He's always dangerous and works tremendously hard," Hackworth said. "He needs to have more goal-scoring production, and we still need to find a good partner for him up front."

Hackworth said Jesse Paredes played well at times behind McLoughlin, and said Ryan Finley has exhibited a knack for scoring goals "eve n in games where's not playing well." Diminutive forward Brian Dominguez was unable to make the trip due to injury, and other players are still finalizing citizenship processes. Hackworth acknowledged that the emergence of some 91s has made a difference for the group. "A number of the "˜91s have done very well. There are a bunch of 90s who didn't make the trip, but they should be better players for knowing that nothing is a done deal," he said. "That's the way the game really is though, you have to keep earning it. There's a little difference the in physical makeup of the younger players, but we're trying to emphasize more soccer than the physicality of game. That will help everybody in the long run."

Immersion experience gets high marks

As to the farther-reaching aspects of the trip, Hackworth said the experience will have a lasting effect both culturally and soccer-wise. "We had an opportunity to be immersed in a soccer cult ure and we took everything we could out of that," he said. "We went and watched matches, watched some other teams train and were able to adapt some of our training styles to some of what we saw. If there was one distinct difference, it's that Argentines don't like to play 1 or 2 touch and sometimes we play 1 or 2 touch to a fault. So we adapted some of our possession games to that and I think it started to show in the matches." More broadly, Hackworth said the team benefited from the immersion experience.

We were extremely busy. Along with our normal class schedule we had Spanish class with a professor from the University of Rosario, training 1-2 times a day, playing matches and watching matches, plus other events," he said. "We were in an environment where we had to adapt and I think we did so. We had some time to do some more technical work, but we also made a point of playing soccer in the park, soccer on a piece of green grass wherever we can find it. So we didn't always go to a nice field. There are little soccer fields everywhere, and often they are not good soccer fields. They were rough. There was stuff laying around, but it was great for our kids in technical training. The ball is hopping around and you have to deal with that with your first touch. You have to concentrate better. It wasn't always a huge difference but the subtle differences are so important."

Hackworth made a point to praise his support staff as well as the host company, Premier Soccer Tours of Argentina, for making the logistics of the trip run smoothly.

Players speak highly of trip

Defensive midfield standout Dan Wenzel said the trip was a plus for the squad in many ways. "The trip really brought us together. Losing to Argentina made us open our eyes," he said. "We saw how we could have won that game. We saw the passion they had and we realize we need that same passion all the time."

Wenzel said the squad's training sessions are intense and competitive, and that players are getting better as a group and individually. "Overall we're just getting better technically and tactically every week," he said. "We defend better, we attack better, we're communicating more. I think everyone is understanding each other, and we see that everyone here can play." As to the difference in the way the game is played in Argentina, Wenzel had a positive impression. "Everyone has rhythm. They have a perfect touch and know what to do with the ball before they get it," he said. "The y also are good about not just playing one way. They take what the game gives you."

For defensive standout Kofi Sarkodie, the experience of the match against Argentina will be unforgettable. "It was awesome, even though it ended up with a disappointment," he said. "Getting play to be in that kind of atmosphere was great. They were spitting on us and booing us, but we learned from that and we learned that when you are beating them, it quiets the crowd. We just wish we could have finished it, and I guess knowing how to do that only comes with more experience."

Sarkodie the competitive environment in Bradenton has been a big plus for his personal development. "I wasn't scared when I went in or anything, but when I didn't make the team for the first trip to England I realized I needed to work that much harder," he said. "I worked more on my touch, and to get in better shape and was able to make the roster for Argentina. You can't take anything for g ranted here."