The Nike Friendlies Are Coming

In Sarasota, FL next week, two great soccer events are taking place – the Nike International Friendlies and the US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase – and both of Corey's teams will be participating.

As we approach the International Friendlies, there is news popping up on the various International soccer federations' web sites.

France

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France returns sixteen players from its winning side at the Val-de-Marne Tournament last month in Paris.

NomPositionDate de nais.Club
Florian ESCALES* Gardien 3/2/1996 Olympique de Marseille
Dorian GRANGE* Gardien 10/05/199 Olympique Lyonnais
Dylan BATUBINSIKA Défenseur 15/02/1996 Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Kenji Van BOTO* Défenseur 7/3/1996 A.J. Auxerre
Nobie BOUA GNOUMOU* Défenseur 25/03/1996 F.C. Nantes
Sega COULIBALY* Défenseur 9/6/1996 Stade Rennais F.C.
Abdou DIALLO* Défenseur 4/5/1996 A.S. Monaco
Cécé Franck PEPE* Défenseur 9/11/1996 Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Nicolas SENZEMBA* Défenseur 25/03/1996 F.C. Sochaux-Montbéliard
Jonathan BAMBA Milieux 26/03/1996 A.S. Saint-Etienne
Kingsley COMAN Milieux 13/06/1996 Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Nianankoro DOUMBIA* Milieux 23/05/1996 SM Caen
Robin MAULUN* Milieux 23/11/1996 F.C. Girondins de Bordeaux
Neal MAUPAY* Milieux 14/08/1996 O.G.C. Nice
Jules NTCHAM Milieux 9/2/1996 Le Havre A.C.
Michel ARAAI* Attaquant 29/04/1996 Olympique de Marseille
Gnaly CORNET* Attaquant 27/09/1996 F.C. Metz
Moussa DEMBELE* Attaquant 12/7/1996 Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Victor MAYARD* Attaquant 11/10/1996 A.S. Nancy-Lorraine

* participated in Val-de-Marne Tournament
participated in Manchester United Premier Cup

Brazil

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Brazil features two players from E.C. Bahia, which reached the semifinals of the Manchester United Premier Cup tournament last summer. They also recently defeated Peru 5-1.

NomeApelidoPosiçãoData Nasc.Clube
José Guilherme Sangaletti Serrano GUILHERME Goleiro 09/02/1996 S.C.Corinthians P.
Fellipe Augusto Oliveira Goudim FELLIPE Goleiro 1/15/1996 E.C. Bahia
Marcel de Almeida Furtado MARCEL Zagueiro 3/1/1996 Santos F.C.
Eriks de Souza Santos Pereira ERIKS Zagueiro 2/23/1996 S.C.Internacional
Derlan de Oliveira Bento DERLAN Zagueiro 2/3/1996 Desportivo Brasil
Ian Evans Garcia Pereira IAN Lateral 11/5/1996 C.R. Flamengo
Abner Felipe Souza de Almeida ABNER Lateral 5/30/1996 Coritiba F.C.
Kauê Patrick dos Santos KAUÊ Lateral 4/4/1996 Figueirense F.C.
Matheus Queiroz Moura MATHEUS QUEIROZ Meio Campo 2/12/1996 São Paulo F.C.
José Augusto Bernardo ZÉ AUGUSTO Meio Campo 7/15/1996 Grêmio F.P.A.
Walney Oliveira Vieira WALNEY Meio Campo 11/21/1996 Fluminense F.C.
Gabriel Barbosa Almeida GABRIEL BARBOSA Meio Campo 8/30/1996 Santos F.C.
Linik Eduardo Santos LINIK Meio Campo 7/10/1996 E.C.Vitória
Gabriel Ramos da Penha GABRIEL Meio Campo 3/20/1996 E.C. Bahia
Joanderson de Jesus Assis JOANDERSON Atacante 2/16/1996 São Paulo F.C.
Bruno da Silva Pereira BRUNO Atacante 6/22/1996 São Paulo F.C.
Renan Gorne Silva RENAN GORNE Atacante 2/22/1996 Botafogo F.R.
Kaíque Vergílio da Silva KAÍQUE Atacante 1/19/1996 S.C. Corinthians P.

participated in Manchester United Premier Cup

Nike International Friendlies on FOX Soccer

Another Update: Now it's official! US Soccer issued this press release confirming FOX Soccer's broadcast schedule, scooped here one day earlier.

Although it is not confirmed on the US Soccer web site, FOX Soccer is now listing the Under-17 matches in its upcoming TV schedule. Great news for all the fans that will not be in Sarasota next week.

Update: this press release – issued by the Lakewood Ranch community – seems to confirm that the matches will be televised.

Fox-soccer-logo-new

DateMatchupTimeVenueTV
30-Nov Brazil vs Turkey 2 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
None
30-Nov United States vs France 5 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
FOX Soccer
2-Dec France vs Brazil 2 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
None
2-Dec United States vs Turkey 5 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
FOX Soccer
4-Dec Turkey vs France 2 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
None
4-Dec United States vs Brazil 5 pm ET Premier Sports Campus
Sarasota, FL
FOX Soccer

 

United States Defeats the Netherlands to Finish Trip

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On a cloudy day on which rain threatened but didn't spoil the match, the United States would come from behind to win against the Netherlands at Stade Leo Lagrange and finished second in the Val-de-Marne Tournament.

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The Netherlands would dominate early, owning the match both in possession and territorially. And their advantage would pay off, with Holland taking the lead after twenty minutes. But the United States would battle back, as Shaq was pulled down unnecessarily by the Dutch defender when challenging the goalkeeper on a floated cross. Guyllain would convert the penalty to draw the US level at the half.

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In the second half, the United States begin to level the match. The Oranje would not enjoy nearly as much possession nor create many chances. However, the United States would take advantage. On the well-taken, but speculative effort by DeAndre (below), Wes would pounce on the goalkeeper's inability to hold control the shot and tap the rebound in to give the US a second-half lead.

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DeAndre would get his goal in the last ten minutes of the match, finishing an excellent run and cross from Junior to give the US a 3-1 win. With three points, the United States would finish in a three-way tie with Peru and the Netherlands, earning second place on tiebreakers.

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Chance Meeting on the Champs-Élysées

Friday was a free day in Paris, and sight-seeing was on my agenda. I visited the Louvre in the morning, and I was headed up the Champs-Élysées to see the Arc de Triumphe in the mid-afternoon. Halfway up the avenue, I heard someone say, "Hey, Sean Baird!" What!?!? Who knows me in Paris?? When I turned around, it was "BJ," Bradford Jamieson. And then he yelled, "Hey Corey," and there he was. Wow!

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Within the next five minutes, the entire team was there. What an incredible surprise – and completely chance meeting – it was. It's a long story, but it was such a winding road that brought me to that location at that exact instant in time. If I was 30 seconds earlier or later, chances are that I don't see anyone.

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It was only ten or fifteen minutes, but I loved it!

United States Falls to Peru

The United States Under-17 Mens National Team fell to Peru this afternoon, 2-1, at the Stade Georges Le Tiec in Val de Fontenay. Despite coming back from a first-half deficit, the United States gave up a second goal and ran out of time to equalize.

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The match was played on a cool but sunny afternoon in suburban Paris and in front of a crowd of a few hundred, including several youth soccer teams and a couple of school-age groups of kids.

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The Americans would fall behind early. In the 15th minute, a turnover in midfield would leave the defense disorganized. The Peruvians found the open forward, and he made no mistake. Despite not creating much possession or scoring opportunities, Peru led 1-0. Unfortunately, the United States was not creating opportunities, either, and the first half ended without any further goals.

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In the second half, the United States played better. The United States enjoyed more possession and earned several corner kicks. About midway through the second half, Corey was pulled down trying to make a near-post run. The referee would award a penalty, and Tyler was able to convert to give the tie the match.

Several minutes later, however, Peru would get the match-winner. Despite not enjoying much possession, Peru was dangerous in the counter-attack. With 15 minutes remaining, a long ball was misplayed and Peru broke free. Peru was able to score on the 1v1 to regain the advantage. The United States had some time to score, but was unable to equalize before time ran out.

In the end, the United States has to be disappointed with the result. While they had the slight advantage, they did not maintain enough possession and didn't take advantage when they did have the advantage. And defensive mistakes allowed Peru to score twice when there were limited chances.

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All of that said, it was great to see Corey in France!

Tough start for the US in Paris

The United States Under-17 MNT didn't kick off the Val-de-Marne Tourney in Paris the way they would have preferred, with a 3-0 lost against the hosts. They will get a chance to bounce back on Thursday vs. Peru...with a proper match report and pictures!

Two wins and two draws for the Under-17s in Spain

More details on the recent matchs and a few more pictures to follow, but here are some results from the past week:

United States 1:1 Mexico

Details here, but the US scored on one of its two penalties to equalize against Mexico.

United States 1:1 United Arab Emirates

Herber Mejia-Flores (Junior) scored on an assit from Tyler Turner in the 6th minute of the second half and the UAE equalized in the 82nd minute.

United States 2:0 Russia

Details here, as Wesley Wade scores two goals, one on an assist from Corey Baird, to give the Under-17s their first win.

United States 5:0 Spain

The Under-17s scored five in a strong performance over the Spanish regional team. Goal scorers included Wesley (with two goals), Rubio, Angel, and Conor. Corey had one assist on the day. Sorry for the confusion on this one; I think we're finally sure that it was 5-0.

United States 1:1 Mexico (updated)

Corey earned his first Under-17 cap yesterday, starting and playing the entire match in a 1-1 draw versus Mexico in Benidorm, Spain. Mexico took the lead, but the United States equalized on one of their two penalty shots. Junior drew both of the fouls in the box.

Corey-baird-usa

United States Lineup

GK: Paul Christensen (WA)
Defense: Shaquell Moore (GA), Conor Donovan (NC), Kevin Politz (NJ), John Requejo (CA)
Midfield: Christopher Lema (NJ), Steven Echevarria (NY), Herber “Junior” Mejia-Flores (VA)
Forwards: Corey Baird (CA), Rubio Rubin (OR), Danya Kafai (CA)
Subs: Tyler Turner (CT) for Politz (53'), Bradford Jamison (CA) for Rubin (72')
Goal: Christopher Lema (penalty)

Updated: Read the U.S. Soccer article on the match, or if you want a different take, read the Mexican federation’s article. The Mexican article is interesting, both in its interpretation of the match result – the mini-PKs after the match didn’t change the result; it was simply a tiebreaker – and in its opinions about the penalty calls.

Despite their age and their lack of familiarity with the Mexican team, it seems that the spirited rivalry between the United States and Mexico at all levels quickly became apparent in this match. In Corey’s words:

The match was way intense. They hate us, and we hate them.

Evidently, there was plenty of trash talk on the field, and more than a couple of scuffles. Each team received several yellow cards, and Mexico received a red card for a second caution with about five minutes to play. Even Corey received a yellow for an "aggresive" play on a ball near the goalkeeper.

Corey thought that the United States created more chances than Mexico but that their defense was very strong. Mexico played lots of long balls to its big forwards to create opportunities, and their lone goal came on a counter-attack after the U.S. lost the ball in midfield.

Wilmer seemed pleased with their first international performance after the match:

We earned respect today.

The United States resumes its European international matches on Monday against the United Arab Emirates, with matches against Russia and Spain later in the week.

Corey Arrives in Spain

Corey arrived in Valencia, Spain on Tuesday, and travelled south to their home base at L’Aflas Del Pi.

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On their first day, they had a very light training session – mostly stretching – before heading a bit further down the Mediterranean coast to Alicante to watch the Spain vs. Scotland match. They had first-row seats for the match, and Corey had a great time. He loved the fact that he was able to see Darren Fletcher (Manchester United) and Charlie Adam (Liverpool) close up.

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The ended up eating very late meals on Tuesday: lunch around 4:30pm and dinner at midnight! My sense is that it had more to do with the fact that they arrived late and went to the match than that they may be eating on a more Spanish late-night dinner schedule. Time will tell us if that's the case.

On Wednesday, they practiced twice, including some strength and conditioning practice, and Corey found himself exhausted by that evening and went to bed early. Hopefully, he can get through the jet lag by the time the match against Mexico comes on Saturday.

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On Thursday, they trained in the morning and watched the other teams that they will face play in matches in Spain. Corey felt that the United Arab Emirates were the weakest of the teams that they will face over the next couple of weeks

Finally, US Soccer announced the Spain tour today on their web site. More to come over the next few days.

Corey is going to Europe!

We just found out that Corey will be one of 22 Residency players traveling to Spain and France over the next three weeks. The boys found out tonight (!) who is on the travel roster, and they packed immediately to leave from Miami tomorrow. They will be in Spain for about two weeks, then in France for another week before returning to Florida on October 30th. During this time, they will play seven matches against Under-17 teams from other countries.

Spain-flag

Spain

  • In Spain, they will be staying in L'Alfàs del Pi, in the southeast part of Spain about an hour and a half south of Valencia.
  • They play four matches in Spain:
    • October 15th, vs. Mexico, at Benidorm, Spain
    • October 17th, vs. United Arab Emirates, at Benidorm, Spain
    • October 19th, vs. Russia, at La Nucia, Spain
    • October 20th, vs. Spain, at Benidorm, Spain

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France

  • They arrive in France on October 23rd, and they will be staying about six miles southeast of the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine River.
  • They will play three matches in France, against France, Peru, and the Netherlands. They play on October 25th, 27th, and 29th.

Of course, one major challenge that Corey has to worry about is his schoolwork. He will have his laptop with him and will be receiving – and expected to complete – assignments, quizzes, and tests, while he's in Europe.

Once Corey returns to the United States, he gets to fly further west to San Diego, where he gets to spend a couple of days in California before heading back to Florida on November 3rd.