May 18, 2011
CARQUEFOU, France – Notre Dame rising junior midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas) captained the United States Under-20 National Team during a 3-3 draw with the France U-20 squad on Wednesday at Stade Moulins. The match was an internationally friendly.
The U.S. took the lead twice during the game, but France was able to find the equalizer each time. Conor Doyle got the U.S. on the board in just the eighth minute. Josh Gatt sent in a cross from the left side that was headed off the cross bar by Terrence Boyd, but Doyle was there for the rebound.
Five minutes later, France equalized on a rebound of its own. Yanni Tafer finished a cross that smacked the upper corner past U.S. goalkeeper Cody Cropper and knocked in the rebound.
Minutes before halftime, Gatt gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead. A corner kick was headed out of the area, but Gatt ran onto the rebound from about 25 yards out. His shot hit the foot of a French defender and popped up over the goalkeepers’ head and into the net. Another corner kick in the 54th minute led to the third U.S. goal. Brooks hit the ball out of the air, but his shot hit a defender. The ball bounced over to Gil, who hit it into the back of the net.
France pounced on a bad ball played out of the back just five minutes later, leading Knockaert to take a few touches forward and then ripped a shot from distance past Cropper. In the 89th minute, Knockaert tied the game up after a corner kick bounced around the U.S. penalty area and he eventually got a solid foot on it to send it into the goal.
The two teams will square off in another exhibition match on Thursday.
The U.S. U-20 squad is training in Vichy, France from May 15-20. Tab Ramos, who was an assistant coach during the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in April, will oversee the group during the six-day training camp. He was joined in France by U.S. Men’s National Team assistant coaches Mike Sorber and Zak Abdel.
The team is made up of a combination of U.S. U-20 veterans and newcomers.
One of the most experienced players on the roster is Powers, who was limited by an injury during the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala. Powers, UCLA’s Rowe and Duke’s Sebastien Ibeagha, who appeared in two games in Guatemala, are the only three collegians on the roster.
Last August, Powers was named the MVP of the Milk Cup as he helped the U.S. U-20 team capture the tournament’s Elite Section title. In September of 2009, Powers was part of the U.S. team that competed at the U-20 World Cup in Egypt.
U.S. U-20 MNT Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2):
Cody Cropper (Ipswich Town; Athens, Ga.), Brian Sylvestre (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; Hollywood, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (6):
Anthony Brooks (Hertha BSC; Berlin, Germany), Sean Cunningham (Molde FK; Troy, Mich.), Sacir Hot (New York Red Bulls; Fair Lawn, N.J.), Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke; Missouri City, Texas), Daniel Potts (West Ham United; London, England), Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo; Huber Heights, Ohio)
MIDFIELDERS (6):
Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake; Garden Grove, Calif.), Sebastian Lletget (West Ham United; San Francisco, Calif.), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA; Newport Beach, Calif.), Conor Shanosky (D.C. United; Sterling, Va.), Victor Ulloa (FC Dallas: Wylie, Texas)
FORWARDS (6):
Terrence Boyd (Hertha BSC; Berlin, Germany), Conor Doyle (Derby County FC; McKinney, Texas), Josh Gatt (Molde FK; Plymouth, Mich.), Joe Gyau (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim; Silver Spring, Md.), Jerome Kiesewetter (Hertha BSC; Berlin, Germany), Donny Toia (Real Salt Lake: Tucson, Ariz.)
Head Coach: Tab Ramos (Colts Neck, N.J.)
Assistant Coach: Mike Sorber (St. Louis, Mo.)
Goalkeeper Coach: Zak Abdel (La Verne, Calif.)
Strength Coach: Robbie Elliott (Newcastle, England)
Team Coordinator: Jon Fleishman (Long Beach, Calif.)
Equipment Coordinator: Silvestre Lara (Kansas City, Kan.)
Athletic Trainer: John Dunham (Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Team Doctor: Dan Romanelli (Las Cruces, N.M.)
–ND–