Young National Team Beat Cuba to Advance to World Cup in November
The United States Under-17 Men's National Team secured their record 19th FIFA U-17 World Cup qualification with a professional 2-0 victory over Cuba in their final Concacaf U-17 Qualifier match. The win completed a perfect group stage campaign for the Americans, who finished with a remarkable 31-0 goal differential across their three games.
Despite facing their toughest test of the tournament against a defensively organized Cuban side, the U.S. breakthrough came in the 23rd minute through the prolific Chase Adams. The forward, who took his impressive tournament tally to 11 goals, finished clinically at the far post after captain Maximo Carrizo drove to the byline and delivered a precise low cross.
The lead was doubled eight minutes later when Carrizo turned from provider to scorer, meeting Jamir Johnson's cross with a first-time finish to effectively seal qualification for Qatar 2025. The two-goal cushion reflected the Americans' dominance. However, Cuba showed resilience and threatened occasionally on the counter-attack, forcing U.S. goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp into his busiest performance of the qualifiers, including a spectacular save from Lazaro Diaz's long-range effort in the 69th minute.
The team's 31 goals set a new U.S. record for these qualifiers, surpassing their previous best of 28 goals in 2019. The U.S. will head to Qatar to add to its impressive record in the tournament, including a third-place finish in 1999 and quarter-final appearances in 1991, 1993, 2003, 2005, and 2017. The U.S. shared the record for most U-17 World Cup appearances with Brazil, who will have a chance to qualify for their 19th appearance in April.
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