Winners and Losers: U.S. vs. Italy U-17

By Noah Davis

During an afternoon when temperatures reached 93 degrees on the Ahmadu Bello Stadium pitch in Kaduna, Nigeria, the United States Men's National Team bowed out of the U-17 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Italy.

Wilmer Cabrera's side had chances -- most notably Jack McInerney's penalty kick that was saved by Azzurrini  goalkeeper Francesco Bardi -- but ultimately the Americans were the second-best side. They return to the States having done one match better than their U-20 counterparts, but will still be disappointed in the result.

Winners

Luis Gil
The 15 year old who hoped to celebrate his birthday in Nigeria a day before the final continued to show his impressive vision and confidence on the ball. He played a wonderful pass to Stefan Jerome near the end of the first half where he controlled in tight quarters, looked up, and picked out his striker's run. Nick Palodichuk's goal came off his excellently served corner, although the quality of his set pieces did drop as the match wore on. Gil nearly scored a magical tally of his own, but hit his bicycle attempt too well and it went screaming over the bar. A true No. 10 on the pitch, the midfielder needs to grow bigger and stronger -- on a couple occasions, the Italian defense simply pushed him off the ball -- but he was once again the class of the Stars and Stripes on the Kaduna pitch.


Marlon Duran
Playing just in front of the American backline, the U.S. defensive center midfielder worked hard to provide a conduit for play. He broke up attacking forays and distributed when he could. Although Duran doesn't have the Gil's vision, he's a pint-sized bull in a china shop when tackling, fearlessly throwing himself at bigger players, and winning the ball. Foot speed could become a problem, as there were moments when Duran lacked the pace to run with Italian attackers on a break. Assuming he continues to grow, however, this trouble should resolve itself.

Tyler Polack
On an afternoon when three of the four American defenders played poorly, Cabrera's left back held his own against waves of attacking Italians. With the Azzuri youth attacking mostly up their left flank and through the middle, Polack covered the backside of the U.S. goal well and cleared a number of dangerous balls before they could turn into chances. More impressive, however, was the fullback's work getting forward into the attack. He showed an excellent understanding for timing his runs. Alex Shinsky struggled all night, which minimized Polack's effectiveness on the offensive half of the field, but that doesn't diminish the fact that he was available.

Losers

Stefan Jerome
The striker's best moment came seconds from the opening kickoff when he used his pace to beat an Italian defender to the touchline and lofted a beautiful cross into the box. Alex Shinsky couldn't get anything behind his header attempt on goal. For the rest of the half, Jerome struggled to take on defenders in one v one situations. On the occasions when he had time, the decision-making of th Davie, Fla. native failed him. He improved in the second stanza, showing a moment of brilliance near the outset when he took on multiple defenders before getting the ball to McInerney who drilled the crossbar. Ultimately it was too little as Dominick Sarle came on for Jerome in 66th minute as Cabrera's first substitute.

Jack McInerney
The U.S.'s leading scorer throughout the qualifying process forced Bardi to make a strong save on a shot from 20 yards early in the match, but needed to do better on his penalty opportunity. The Italian keeper guessed correctly, but the forward's powerful strike was barely left of center. In the spell immediately following his blown opportunity, McInerney struggled to regain his focus. Another golden opportunity was wasted in the early going of the second 45 minutes when he hit the crossbar off Jerome's feed. McInerney, who struggled to finish throughout the tournament after a brilliant performance during the CONCACAF Championship, didn't find his form in time for the Red, White, and Blue.

Jared Watts
Giacomo Baretta slipped behind the American captain to score Italy's first goal. Pietro Iemmello touched the ball around Watts before scoring the Italian's second. The centerback almost conceded a third with a terrible turnover 25 yards from his goal, but Earl Edwards charged out nicely and made a smart save. Watts did a nice job covering some crafty Italian set pieces -- occasionally he seemed to be the only defender paying attention and Eriq Zavaleta struggled all night -- but too many errors cost the North Carolina product.

Zachary Herold
Barreta embarrassed the defender early for the Azzurrini's first chance. Later, Cerraro beat the U.S. right back on the counterattack after a U.S. corner. Herold had a horrible turnover near midfield that resulted in a three-on-two break for the Italians. The right back was much better in the second half before being replaced by Juan Agudelo in the late going. He was strong in the air, but too often failed in his positioning and with the ball at his feet. A center back coming into the tournament, he needs more time to grow comfortable on the flank.

Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.

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