U18 MNT wins international tournament

by J.R. Eskilson

August 21, 2016

The U.S. U18 Men’s National Team won the 23rd International Vaclav Jezek Tournament on Saturday with a 4-2 win over the host country Czech Republic in the championship game.

Nebiyou Perry (AIK Football) scored twice in the second half to put the game away. Nicholas Taitague (Unattached) and Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas) also scored in the victory.

Taitague was named the Player of the Tournament while Brady Scott (De Anza Force) earned the title as the Best Goalkeeper from the international showcase.

Here is Paxton Pomykal's (@PaxiPomy) goal from today's U18 MNT victory over Czech Republic 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/0QV5YRsL27
— J.R. Eskilson (@JREskilson) August 20, 2016

USA defeated Slovakia 3-1 in the opener from the event. Justin Rennicks, Shaft Brewer (Sacramento Republic FC), and Taitague scored in the first win. USA carried that momentum onto the second game and captured a 3-1 win over Hungary. Taitague scored twice in the second victory while DC United’s Jose Carranza added the other goal. Whith wins in the first two games USA only needed a draw from the final group game, the youth squad came out on the attack though and captured a wild 5-3 win over Russia to seal a spot in the final as the group winner.

In the championship tilt, the U.S. matched up against the host side. Czech Republic scored the first goal, but the U.S. never looked troubled in the game and cruised to a 4-2 victory. After the four-game winning streak, U.S. U18 MNT head coach Omid Namazi is now 8-0-1 since taking over in January.

Prior to Namazi’s arrival, the U18 MNT had similar success on the international stage. The U18 MNT won the 21st International Vaclav Jezek Tournament in 2014. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur) and Mukwelle Akale (Villarreal) were the stars of that team.

The current U18 MNT is made up of players born in 1999, which is the core group for the U20 World Cup in 2019. Tyler Adams and Eric Lopez, the two players born in 1999 who were part of the U17 MNT during the 2015 World Cup, were not part of the team in Czech Republic.

U.S. U18 MNT Roster for 2016 International Vaclav Jezek Tournament: Shaft Brewer (Sacramento Republic FC), Jose Carranza (DC United), Griff Dorsey (Colorado Rush), Cameron Douglas (Sacramento Republic FC), Ernesto Espinoza (Club Tijuana), Jonathan Gonzalez (CF Monterrey), Kyle Gruno (Leicester City), Daniel Jones (New England Revolution), Jack Maher (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Andrew Paoli (San Jose Earthquakes), Nebiyou Perry (AIK Football), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas), Matthew Real (Philadelphia Union), Justin Rennicks (New England Revolution), Brady Scott (De Anza Force), Brandon Servania (FC Dallas), Aedan Stanley (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Nicholas Taitague (Unattached), Carson Vom Steeg (Real So Cal), Aristotle Zarris (Unattached)