England v. USA in U-17 World Cup -- View from South Texas

[HatterDon]

I tuned into this match -- the fourth USA matched I've watched in this competition -- at least partially to see the "other" Sessegnon in action. Twenty minutes in, it occurred to me that I had neither seen him nor heard his name. Why? Well, he was an England DEFENDER and there wasn't much of anything for the back four to do.

Tables turned for the last 20 or so minutes of that half as the USA finally realized they were playing also, but the game was basically over when Rhian Brewster put away two goals easily and clinically. The final score of 4-1 England was not a clear reflection of the disparity in play between the two sides. England had a perfectly good goal disallowed, and could have easily scored two more.

The consensus man of the match would, of course, go to Brewster -- a hattrick AND an assist should guarantee that every time -- but the player who really caught my eye was a Man City youth named Philip Foden. He's slight of build but tough, strong, and possessed of a deadly eye for the pass. I expect to see him doing great things for Celtic next season.

The weak spots for both teams were the keepers. But, really, that's the way it should be in any youth international match. A keeper takes longer to mature than any other player, so any youth team whose best player is their number 1 has to be a very poor team.

Neither team is poor and the future looks good for England. It COULD look good for the US as well if only our young players can free themselves from the MLS affiliations and get their asses in Europe. Look for great things from PSG's Timothy Weah [yes, George's son] and striker Josh Sargent[who also starred in the recent U-20 World Cup and will sign for Werder Bremen as soon as he turns 18.

I understand from the American announcers that England have FINALLY decided to send their best players to these tournaments. They were impressed with how much better this English U-17 side is than those of recent years. By beating the USA, England have moved forward to the next round where they play the winner of the match between ... Germany and Brazil. Whee

Anyhow, a very impressive performance by England in what is an extremely entertaining tourney. As a post script, I also watched the Borussia Dortmund match which featured yet another English teenager making his Bundesliga debut. He nearly scored the winning goal after coming on late in the match. It'll be interesting to see the full England squad in 2022.

On, and nice to be back with the "View" also.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Interesting report and thanks for the information, it all sounds very encouraging.

[Lyle from Hangeland]

The U.S. defense was made up of midfielders converted into defenders apparently. They tried taking the best players whether than the best players at the proper positions.

U.S. should have scored more, I think. Brewster was a monster.

[Fernhurst]

Lovely to read the latest "view from" and as always an interesting read with names to look out for in the future.
For those of us without a subscription to Eurosport, would have liked you to include your personal analysis of Steven Sessegnon's influence on the game.
Look forward to more "views from" whenever you feel inclined.

[snarks]

I watched it until 3-0 Sess was good won tackles, covered ground and was marking Weah first half. He did a good job too. The Borussia Dortmund player (Jordan Sancho?) was with the U17 team for the group stages and was called back by BD.

[Burt]

Welcome back HD, hope you are back to full fitness now rather than sitting on the subs bench?  :dft011:

[Barrett487]

http://video.eurosport.co.uk/football/u-17-world-cup/2017/highlights-brewster-bags-hat-trick-as-england-slay-usa-in-u17-world-cup_vid1010065/video.shtml

[cmg]

This England side is getting a lot of praise and hopes are high. It is full of skillful, gifted players who play some attractive and ambitious stuff. How good? That will be seen next up when we get to play either Brazil or Germany, who will be a fair test!

Brewster is the man of the moment, with three goals yesterday and the skills and physique to go with them. He reminds me of young Dembele and shares with him (at that age) the same occasional naivete which only experience will cure.
My first picks would be Foden (as mentioned by HD), and the big CB, Latibeaudiere.

Although he is given as 4cm shorter, Steven looks to me to be slightly bigger than his brother - these things change rapidly at that age.
He was not first choice at right-back, but Eyoma's two yellows in the first two matches have given him his chance and he has taken it well.
He was excellent against Iraq, marauding forward and showing fine passing skills. He featured in 3 of the four goals.
Since then he has been employed in a much more defensive way. This is presumably because the speed and skills of the players in front of him make his contributions in attack unnecessary. His positioning, marking and distribution have been good in a well organised England defence.

[HatterDon]

I thought Los Otro Sess did well overall. He made some basic mistakes -- one of which could have been punished had the Yanks had their heads up -- but as mentioned above, he also had some good moments. He was not as polished as many of his teammates [and how often do you get a chance to say "polished" in a post about U-17s?] and needs a bit more discipline out there, but he is just a kid. He could very well come good for club and country.

On the personal side, thanks for the warm response. My ticker seems to be behaving for a change and I hope it lasts. I've dropped about 4 stone in the last three or four months and that's not a bad thing.

COYW  049:gif :HD:

[Forever Fulham]

Didn't care much for Durkin.  Is that Tom Durkin's son (formerly IMG Bradenton soccer school and PDL team head honcho)?  Did nothing to impress me.