Teenage Sensations Making Waves in Professional Football

Last week brought several notable developments in American youth soccer. U-15 national team forwards Julian Hall and Tanner Rosborough both inked their inaugural professional contracts. Hall, who is the second-youngest player to sign such a deal, following Bento Estrela, committed to a three-and-a-half-year contract with an option for an additional year. Meanwhile, Rosborough secured a contract with NYRB II, effective until 2024, after which he will join the first team in 2025.

But that's not all when it comes to homegrown signings. El Paso native Sal Olivas, a center forward recently called up to a Mexican U17 youth camp and a GA Cup U17 champion, put pen to paper on a contract with the Philadelphia Union II. Additionally, highly-rated Belarusian goalkeeper born in 2006, Stas Lapkes, signed a contract with the Columbus Crew 2.

Last week also saw national team action, with the U-17s taking the field. Led by Gonzalo Segares, the team participated in the Jezek Cup, where they faced Ukraine, Switzerland, and the tournament hosts, the Czech Republic. The American team secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Ukraine. The match began with a goal from Taha Habroune, but the Ukrainian team managed to turn the score around, taking a 2-1 lead. However, at the end of the match, a brace from Nimfa Berchimas secured a 3-2 victory for the American team.

Their second match was against a formidable opponent, Switzerland. Unfortunately, the American team made two early mistakes that the Swiss capitalized on, taking a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Cruz Medina, the midfielder from the San Jose Earthquakes, managed to narrow the deficit. Nevertheless, the match concluded with a 3-1 victory for the Swiss, thanks to a fantastic display by center forward Winsley Boteli.

In the final game on Sunday, the American team faced a challenging match against the Czech Republic. The team had endured significant physical strain leading up to this match, and the hosts secured a 2-0 victory with a brace from Daniel Rus, ultimately earning the Czech Republic team the tournament victory.

The U-17 team is now gearing up to learn about their World Cup opponents in the draw scheduled for September 15, 2023 at 16:00 CEST. Following this, they will convene for a camp in October in preparation for their trip to Indonesia for the U-17 World Cup from November 10th to December 2nd.