By RYAN TOLMICH
The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team’s road through the Under-17 World Cup will go through the tournament’s host and two other formidable foes.
In Thursday evening’s draw, the U.S. was paired with Chile as well as Nigeria and Croatia for October’s tournament in South America. The U.S. will open play against Nigeria on Oct. 17 before taking on Croatia and Chile on the 20 and 23, respectively.
“It’s always good when you know your opponents and can really start to prepare for what’s ahead,” said head coach Richie Williams. “It’s an exciting moment and we’re ready to get to work. Chile, Croatia and Nigeria are strong teams, and we know it’s going to be a challenging group.
“We’re confident in our players and are looking forward to the World Cup.”
Featuring a total of 24 nations, the U-17 World Cup’s format sees the top four third-place teams advance to the Round of 16 as well as all the group leaders and second-place finishers.
Having missed the 2013 tournament, the U.S. returns to the U-17 World Cup for the first time since 2011, where the U.S. fell to Germany, 4-0, in the Round of 16.
Take a closer look at the groups for the Under-17 World Cup below:
2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup Groups:
Group A: Chile (host), Croatia, Nigeria, United States
Group B: England, Guinea, Brazil, Korea Republic
Group C: Australia, Germany, Mexico, Argentina
Group D: Belgium, Mali, Honduras, Ecuador
Group E: South Africa, Costa Rica, Korea DPR, Russia
Group F: New Zealand, France, Syria, Paraguay
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What do you think of the groups? How do you expect the U.S. to fare in Chile? Which opponent will be the Americans’ toughest?
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