Set pieces, set pieces, set pieces.
The US Under-17 men's national team rode four set-piece goals to a 6-1 win over Barbados in the U-17 Concacaf Championships on Saturday. The win means they have qualified for the Round of 16 in the tournament, where teams that reach the semifinals will book their place in the World Cup later this year.
LA Galaxy academy defender Kobe Hernandez-Foster opened the scoring with a free kick from near the sideline that was put over the Barbadian goalkeeper. Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio added a goal off a direct free kick and a second off a set play that ended with a shot from distance. In between, Galaxy academy midfielder Adam Saldana scored a goal from outside the box off a deflection. Those goals put the US up four at halftime.
Raphael Wicky's team added a fifth in the opening moments of the second half when a Barbadian defender found the back of his own net while trying to clear a cross. Generation adidas Cup star and recent Seattle Sounders-signee Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez scored his first goal of the tournament by deftly taking down a Hernandez-Foster long ball and smoothly finishing with his left foot. Barbados scored a penalty-kick goal past Chituru Odunze soon after.
Wicky opted to make seven changes to his starting lineup, after his team beat Canada 3-2 on Thursday. Among the additions included San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Gilbert Fuentes and Ocampo-Chavez.
USA Starting Lineup
(4-3-3, right to left) - GK: Chituru Odunze (Vancouver Whitecaps FC); Joe Scally (NYCFC), Tayvon Gray (NYCFC), Kobe Hernandez-Foster (LA Galaxy), John Tolkin (NY Red Bulls); Danny Leyva (Seattle Sounders), Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy), Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes); Jack de Vries (Philadelphia Union), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders), Gianluca Busio (Sporting KC)
