Nigeria Wins U-17 World Cup

Victor Osimhen broke the U-17 World Cup Scoring Record with his 10th goal of the tournament, and that was all Nigeria would need as they shutout Mali 2-0 on their way to their 5th Championship. Funsho Bamgboye added an insurance goal a few minutes later for the Champions who finished the tournament with a record of 6-1-0 and outscored their opponents 23-5. Osimhen took home the Golden Boot and Silver Ball, while teammate Kelechi Nwakali took home the Golden Ball and Bronze Boot. Mali's Aly Malle won the Bronze Ball and their keeper Samuel Diarra won the Golden Glove. Finally, Germany's Johannes Eggestein won the Silver Boot and Ecuador won the FIFA Fair Play Award. In the consolation game, Mexico drew even with Belgium in the 88th minute on a goal from Francisco Venegas, but Belgium answered with a dramatic stoppage time winner when Dante Vanzeir clinched the match in the 93rd minute with his second goal of the game.

Championship

Nigeria 2 Mali 0

Consolation Game

Belgium 3 Mexico 2

U-17 World Cup Update - Semifinal Edition

It's going to be an All-African Final at the U-17 World Cup as Nigeria will face off against Mali in the title match on Sunday. Mali won their rematch against Belgium 3-1 rallying for 3 unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the 16th minute. Nigeria overcame a similar 1-0 deficit in their 4-2 defeat of Mexico. Nigeria's Victor Osimhen continued his scoring tear with a converted penalty in the 83rd minute tying the tournament record for goals with nine. Nigeria will be playing in their 8th Final and going for their 5th win while Mali is playing in their first U-17 Final. Mali won the 2015 African U-17 Championship back in February, but didn't face Nigeria in the tournament (Nigeria finished fourth).

Semifinal Match-ups

Nigeria 4 Mexico 2
Mali 3 Belgium 1

U-17 World Cup Update - Quarterfinal Edition

Victor Osimhen has scored in all five of Nigeria's matches as the defending U-17 World Champions are through to the semi-finals where they'll face off against unbeaten Mexico (4-0-1). Osimhen, who plays for Ultimate Strikers FC in Nigeria, leads all players with 8 goals so far during the tournament, the most since Souleymane Coulibaly (Ivory Coast) scored 9 goals during the 2011 competition. In the other semifinal, unbeaten Mali (4-0-1), who has been scored on just once in five matches, will take on Belgium. The two countries played to a scoreless draw on October 18th in the opening match of the tournament for both teams. Both semifinals will be played on Thursday, with the 3rd Place Game and Championship to be held on Sunday.

Quarterfinal Match-ups

Nigeria 3 Brazil 0
Mali 1 Croatia 0
Mexico 2 Ecuador 0
Belgium 1 Costa Rica 0

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. may be out of the U-17 World Cup, but CONCACAF has a pair of teams in the quarterfinals thanks to wins by Mexico and Costa Rica. Meanwhile just two European clubs remain in the tournament following losses by Germany, France and Russia in the Knockout Round. Of the eight teams that are remaining, none have won all four of their matches.

Knockout Round Matches

Brazil 1 New Zealand 0
Mexico 4 Chile 1
Nigeria 6 Australia 0
Belgium 2 South Korea 0
Croatia 2 Germany 0
Mali 3 North Korea 0
Costa Rica 0 France 0, Costa Rica Wins 5-3 on Penalties
Ecuador 4 Russia 1

U-17 World Cup Update

Brandon Vazquez (Tijuana) scored his second goal of the tournament, but the U.S. squandered an early lead for the second match in a row conceding four times against hosts Chile and ending their World Cup with a 4-1 loss and last place finish in Group A. The U.S. finishes the tournament in 21st place out of 24 teams with a record of 0-2-1 and were outscored 8-3 in their three matches. Here's a look at some of the other action as group play wrapped up this weekend:

Croatia 2 Nigeria 1
England 0 South Korea 0
Mali 3 Honduras 0
Mexico 2 Germany 1
Australia 2 Argentina 1
New Zealand 2 Paraguay 1
France 4 Syria 0
North Korea 2 Costa Rica 1

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. grabbed a 2-0 lead against Croatia on Tuesday behind first half goals from Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) and Brandon Vazquez (Tijuana), but conceded twice after the break and were forced to settle for a 2-2 tie. The U.S. now heads into their final match against Chile today needing a win to assure advancing to the knockout stage. Chile drew with Croatia in their opener before falling to Nigeria 5-1. Here's a rundown of some more of the action from the second round of matches:

Brazil 1 England 0
Mexico 0 Australia 0
Germany 4 Argentina 0
Belgium 2 Honduras 1
Russia 1 Costa Rica 1
France 4 Paraguay 3

Upcoming Matches of Interest:

10/23 - USA vs Chile
10/23 - Croatia vs Nigeria
10/24 - Germany vs Mexico
10/24 - Mali vs Honduras
10/25 - Costa Rica vs North Korea

Clinched Spots in Knockout Round:

Nigeria
South Korea
Germany
France

Top Scorers:

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) - 3
Johannes Eggestein (Germany) - 3
Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria) - 2
Pervis Estupiñan (Ecuador) - 2
Vitaly Janelt (Germany) - 2
Felix Passlack (Germany) - 2
Bilal Boutobba (France) - 2
Nanimato Ikone (France) - 2
Julio Villalba (Paraguay) - 2
Fedor Chalov (Russia) - 2

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of defending World Cup Champions Nigeria in their opening match of the U-17 World Cup in Chile. The U.S. was outshot 19-5 and failed to put a shot on frame in the match. Adding insult to injury, the U.S. also saw defender Auston Trusty ejected in the 87th minute. The U.S. hosts Croatia this afternoon and finishes group play against hosts Chile on Friday. Here's a look at some of the highlights of the first round of matches:

South Korea 1 Brazil 0
Germany 4 Australia 1
Mexico 2 Argentina 0
Ecuador 3 Honduras 1
Costa Rica 2 South Africa 1
France 6 New Zealand 1
Paraguay 4 Syria 1

Upcoming Matches of Interest:

10/20 - USA vs Croatia
10/20 - Nigeria vs Chile
10/20 - England vs Brazil
10/21 - Mexico vs Australia
10/21 - Argentina vs Germany
10/21 - Belgium vs Honduras
10/22 - Russia vs Costa Rica
10/22 - France vs Paraguay

Top Scorer:

Johannes Eggestein (Germany) - 2

U-17s Clinch World Cup Berth

It wasn't pretty, but the U.S. U-17s are bound for the World Cup in Chile this fall. Pitted against Jamaica, the club that dealt the U.S. their first loss in the tournament, the Americans again struggled to generate offense. After playing to a 0-0 tie, the U.S. pulled off a 5-4 shootout victory sending them to Chile along with Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras. The U.S. failed to qualify for the 2013 U-17 World Cup when they were upset in the knockout round by Honduras 3-1.

The U.S. last appeared in the World Cup in 2011 (tournaments are every two years) where they were knocked out of the Round of 16 by Germany, 4-0. They finished the tournament 1-2-1 with a win over the Czech Republic, a draw versus New Zealand and a loss to Uzbekistan in group play. That U.S. side featured Dillon Serna (Colorado), Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Jack McBean (LA Galaxy) and Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana). Matches start for the 2015 Cup on October 17th.