St. Louis is a soccer town. Saint Louis University is a soccer school.
So it should be no surprise that the road to the Under-17 World Soccer Championship will go through St. Louis and SLU’s Robert R. Hermann Stadium. The U.S. Soccer Federation will host the Group A qualifying round from April 18-22. The American side faces Canada, El Salvador and Jamaica. The winner will advance to the 2001 Under-17 World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago Sept. 14-30.
“St. Louis is exactly the atmosphere we need because it’s a strong soccer community that will provide a pro-American atmosphere,” said Jim Morehouse, a spokesman for U.S. Soccer. “It’s also great to take advantage of a soccer infrastructure like the one available at Saint Louis University.”
The U.S. U-17 team will arrive in St. Louis on April 12 and scrimmage with SLU at 4 p.m. on April 13. The U.S. opens the tournament on April 18 against Jamaica at 7 p.m. The key matchup will take place against rival Canada on April 20 at 7 p.m., and the tournament will conclude against El Salvador on April 22 at 4 p.m.
While most 17 year olds are looking toward prom or summer break, these athletes have chosen another path. Currently, each member of the U.S. team is training full-time in a camp in Bradenton, Fla., where they live more like professionals.
The team attends normal, high-school-level classes in the morning at Bradenton Academy, followed by matches or training in the afternoon. The federation’s goal is to provide the players with valuable experience and the high-level training needed to be successful at world championships, Morehouse said.
The U-17s have already scrimmaged with three Major League Soccer (MLS) squads in 2001, as well as the U-18 National Team, Wake Forest University and the University of Tampa.
The training and competition against these top-notched opponents has led to success. The team is 3-0 in international matches after trouncing rivals Honduras twice and Guatemala once. The goal differential: 11-1, in the U.S. favor.
Forward Ed Johnson, who has 14 goals in 15 career international appearances, leads the American squad. MLS’s Dallas Burn has drafted him. Midfielder Santino Quaranta was a recent first-round selection of D.C. United.
The two are the only “true” professionals on the U.S. roster. Morehouse stated that more opportunities are becoming available for young U.S. players to play at a higher level.
Project 40, instituted by MLS, allows players to get drafted out of high school. They take college courses while training with their team. A fund has been set up to pay for their schooling.
Johnson and Quaranta have yet to complete high school, so their professional rights belong to the two teams, as soon as their National Team duties have been fulfilled.
The Midwest has been a familiar location for U.S. Soccer in 2001. The first U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup qualifying match was held in Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 28.
The U.S. men will play their second qualifier on April 25 in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. The U.S. Soccer Federation is based in Chicago. The Secretary General Dan Flynn is a SLU grad and a former Billiken soccer standout in the late 1970s.
Closer to campus .
SLU forward Jack Jewsbury had a goal and an assist in the Billikens’ 4-1 victory over Evansville on Saturday, April 7 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Junior David Beck assisted on two goals, as SLU improved to 2-0 in the spring season.
SLU got off to a quick start as Jon Ciminieri scored from 15-yards out in the sixth minute. Beck notched his first assist off a free kick in the 20th minute when Jason Cole connected off a header from 12 yards out. Defender Mike Kirchhoff hustled to save goal, as the ball had gotten past SLU goalkeeper Matt Herald. Andy Pusateri scored in the 80th minute, to put the game out of reach.
