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FIFA U-17 World Championship Preview: US v North Korea [Fri Sep 16th, 2005]
GROUP C
US v North Korea
When: 1:45 pm ET, Saturday, September 17, 2005
Where: Estadio Elias Aguirre, Chiclayo, Peru
The United States, champions of CONCACAF, will be making their 11th appearance in the competition, the only nation to have qualified for every final, when Group C play opens on Saturday. North Korea, Asian runners-up, are making their first ever appearance in the U-17 World Championship.
When the draw was made known two months ago, US manager John Hackworth admitted his staff knew little of the North Korean team, but hoped prior experience against their southern neighbors would give the Americans some indication of what to expect.
“I’d expect very technical and disciplined players that are well organised. They are the unknown factor for us at the moment,†said Hackworth.
After the first few minutes, during which the youngsters will check their nerves, expect the Americans to settle down play and begin to feel out their Asian opponents.
Los Angeles Galaxy forward Quavas Kirk, who was injured for their qualification run, is expected to lead the US attack with his running mate Omar Gonzalez. Nikolas Besagno, the number one player selected in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, and Ryan Soroka will pull strings from midfield for the Americans while skipper Ofori Sarkodie anchors the back line.
The US defeated Asian champions China 2-0 in a pre-tournament tune-up, and if that is any indication of the strength of youth teams on the Asian continent, the Americans should be favorites to take all three points on Saturday.
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