The U.S. U17 Men’s National Team picked up a crucial point on Wednesday with a scoreless draw against Japan at the 2019 U17 World Cup in Brazil. USA Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze (Leicester City) made three saves in the game, including an outstanding effort in the 73rd minute to deny a header bound for the upper corner. 

Odunze and the defense led by Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Nicolas Carrera, Joseph Scally, and George Bello were tested throughout the 90-minute affair, but they were up for the task on Wednesday - and also benefitted from a shot hitting off the crossbar. Carrera earned his spot in the lineup after Tayvon Gray was given a red card during the loss to Senegal on Sunday. The FC Dallas center back held his own against arguably the best team in the group. His performance on Wednesday will force USA head coach Raphael Wicky into a difficult decision on Saturday when USA takes on Netherlands. 

In the attack, USA had a couple of chances to nab all three points from the game. Ricardo Pepi looked like he had the opener when he hit home a rebound that Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki spilled in front of him. However, Pepi was offside on the first shot from Andres Jasson. 

Substitute Giovanni Reyna nearly caught Japan on the break late in the second half when he led the charge after a set piece from Japan. Reyna raced past a defender but Suzuki blocked his shot and a retreating defender cleared the shot away. 

Japan finished the game with an advantage in possession (56-44%), corners (9-3), and attempts on goal (11-8). They also dictated where the game was played throughout the vast majority of the contest. 

However, USA left the game with the crucial point, which sets up for a make-or-break contest on Saturday against Netherlands. A second spot in the group is likely out of reach, but one of the four wildcard spots is possible with a victory over the squad from Europe. 

There is no guarantee USA will come away with three points from the last game of group play. Following Wednesday’s results, the four teams from Concacaf have yet to win a contest from the U17 World Cup through seven games (0-5-2). 

Wednesday offered a couple of brief glimpses of the team that charmed fans during the Concacaf championship with silky passing sequences and brilliant off the ball runs. Daniel Leyva was more involved in the game, and USA looked much better when he had touches on the ball. Gianluca Busio created a couple of chance from the No. 10 spot, but did not see enough of the ball in the second half. The attack fizzled on the wings for the second game in a row, an area for improvement heading into Saturday’s games. 

USA Starting Lineup vs Japan: Chituru Odunze; Joseph Scally, Nico Carrera, Kobe Hernandez-Foster, George Bello; Adam Saldana, Daniel Leyva, Gianluca Busio; Ethan Dobbelaere, Ricardo Pepi, Andres Jasson

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