U17 us national team. U-17 US Men’s National Soccer Team: Rising Stars and Future Prospects

How does the U-17 US Men’s National Team perform in international competitions. What are the key players and strategies shaping the future of US soccer. Who are the emerging talents to watch in the U-17 squad.

The U-17 US Men’s National Team: A Proving Ground for Future Stars

The U-17 US Men’s National Team serves as a crucial developmental platform for young soccer talents in the United States. This squad represents the country’s brightest prospects, typically aged 15 to 17, as they compete on the international stage. These young athletes are not only honing their skills but also gaining valuable experience that could shape their future careers in professional soccer.

The Importance of Youth Development

Why is the U-17 team so critical for US soccer? The U-17 level is often where future senior national team players are identified and nurtured. It provides a structured environment for young players to test their abilities against international competition, helping to accelerate their development and prepare them for higher levels of play.

Recent Performance and Notable Matches

The U-17 US Men’s National Team has had a mix of results in recent years, showcasing both promise and areas for improvement. Let’s examine some of their notable performances:

• November 18, 2019: A 2-2 draw against the Netherlands U-16 team, with goals from De Vries and Jones.
• November 14, 2019: A 1-0 victory over Turkey U-16, with Jones scoring the winning goal.
• October 27, 2019: A 1-4 loss to Japan in the World Cup, with Busio scoring the lone US goal.
• September 7, 2019: A promising 3-1 win against the Netherlands, featuring goals from Hernandez, Jasson, and Fuentes.
• May 16, 2019: A hard-fought 1-2 loss to Mexico in extra time during World Cup Qualifying, with Yow on the scoresheet.

Key Players and Rising Stars

Several players have stood out in recent matches, demonstrating their potential to become future stars of US soccer. Who are these emerging talents?

Goalscorers to Watch

• Gio Reyna: Son of former US national team captain Claudio Reyna, Gio has shown exceptional skill and scoring ability.
• Ricardo Pepi: A clinical finisher who has found the net consistently for the U-17 squad.
• Griffin Yow: A versatile attacker who has scored crucial goals in important matches.
• Gianluca Busio: A creative midfielder with an eye for goal.

These players have demonstrated their ability to perform on the international stage, scoring goals in high-pressure situations against strong opponents.

Tactical Approach and Playing Style

How does the U-17 US Men’s National Team approach their matches tactically? The team often employs a dynamic, attacking style of play that emphasizes quick transitions and high-pressure defense. This approach allows the young players to showcase their technical skills while also developing their tactical understanding of the game.

Offensive Strategy

The U-17 team frequently utilizes a formation that allows for fluid movement in the attacking third. This often involves:

1. Quick, short passing to maintain possession
2. Utilizing width to stretch opposing defenses
3. Encouraging creative play from midfielders and forwards
4. Emphasizing off-the-ball movement to create scoring opportunities

Defensive Organization

Defensively, the team focuses on:

1. High-pressure defending to force turnovers
2. Compact positioning to limit space for opponents
3. Quick transitions from defense to attack
4. Developing players’ ability to read the game and anticipate plays

Challenges and Areas for Improvement

Despite the promising performances, the U-17 team faces several challenges. What are the main areas where improvement is needed?

• Consistency: Results have been mixed, with impressive wins often followed by disappointing losses.
• Defensive stability: High-scoring losses suggest a need for better defensive organization and individual defending.
• Mental toughness: Developing the ability to perform under pressure in major tournaments is crucial.
• Technical refinement: Continuing to improve individual skills to compete with top international teams.

The Path to the World Cup and Beyond

The U-17 World Cup serves as a major benchmark for youth national teams worldwide. How does the US team prepare for this prestigious tournament?

Qualification Process

The team must navigate through the CONCACAF U-17 Championship to qualify for the World Cup. This regional tournament provides valuable experience against North and Central American opponents.

World Cup Performance

In recent World Cup appearances, the U-17 US team has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled to advance deep into the tournament. The 2019 World Cup saw the team face tough opposition, including a 0-4 loss to the Netherlands and a 1-4 defeat to Japan.

The Role of Youth Academies and MLS Development

The success of the U-17 national team is closely tied to the development structures in place across the country. How do youth academies and MLS contribute to the national team program?

MLS Academies

Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs have invested heavily in youth academies, providing a professional environment for young players to develop. Many U-17 national team players come through these academies, benefiting from high-level coaching and facilities.

US Soccer Development Academy

The US Soccer Development Academy, although recently discontinued, played a crucial role in standardizing youth development across the country. Its legacy continues to influence how young players are identified and nurtured.

International Comparisons and Benchmarking

How does the U-17 US Men’s National Team compare to other nations at this age group? While the team has shown the ability to compete with traditional soccer powers, there is still work to be done to consistently match the top nations.

Areas of Strength

• Athletic ability and physical preparation
• Tactical awareness and adaptability
• Mental resilience and competitive spirit

Areas for Growth

• Technical skills in tight spaces
• Game intelligence and decision-making speed
• Producing creative, game-changing players consistently

By benchmarking against top international opponents, the U-17 program can continue to refine its approach and develop world-class talent.

The Future of US Soccer: From U-17 to Senior Team

The ultimate goal of the U-17 program is to produce players who can contribute to the senior national team. How successful has this pipeline been, and what does it mean for the future of US soccer?

Success Stories

Several current US Men’s National Team players have come through the U-17 program, including:

• Christian Pulisic
• Tyler Adams
• Weston McKennie
• Josh Sargent

These players represent the potential of the youth system to produce top-level talent capable of competing on the world stage.

Looking Ahead

The current crop of U-17 players represents the future of US soccer. Their development will be crucial in determining the competitiveness of the senior team in upcoming World Cups and other major tournaments.

As the US prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the spotlight on youth development will intensify. The success of the U-17 program in nurturing talent and preparing players for professional careers will play a significant role in shaping the future of soccer in the United States.

In conclusion, the U-17 US Men’s National Team stands as a vital component of the country’s soccer infrastructure. By providing young players with international experience, tactical knowledge, and a platform to showcase their skills, the program lays the foundation for the future success of US soccer on the global stage.

U-17 Men’s National Team | U.S. Soccer Official Website

Segares names first U-17 MNT roster

Newly-promoted U-17 coach Gonzalo Segares has announced his first U-17 roster, a 36-player training camp to take place in Chula Vista, CA from November 1-8. This U-17 group is building toward the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2023, which is limited to players born 2006 or later. The entire roster is made up of 2006s, with the lone exception of Diego Rocio, a 2007.

Three players on the roster already have pro minutes: Fernando Delgado, with Real Monarchs in USL Championship, Javen Romero, with Las Vegas Lights in USL Championship, and Nick Holliday, with North Carolina FC in USL League One. There’s also a little bit of dual-national recruiting action, as Fidel Barajas and Fernando Delgado have been in Mexico U-17 camps, and Diego Rocio has been with Mexico’s U-16s. The most recent U-17 camp was February 2020, just before the major shutdowns of COVID-19. It’s good to see the youth national program back in action.

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ryan Carney (New England Revolution; Dunstable, Mass.), Fernando Delgado (Real Salt Lake; Glendale, Ariz.), Julian Eyestone (FC Dallas, Dallas, Texas), Nicholas Holliday (North Carolina FC; Chapel Hill, N.C.)

DEFENDERS (10): Brian Alanis (Houston Dynamo FC; Houston, Texas), John Andrus (Philadelphia Union; Fallston, Md. ), Riley Delgado (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Aaron Deppe (Chicago Fire FC; Coopersville, Mich.), Christian Diaz (Los Angeles Football Club; San Bernadino, Calif.), Tyler Hall (Inter Miami CF; Miramar, Fla.), Gershon Henry (Real Salt Lake; Portage, Mich.), Christian Metelitasa (De Anza Force SC; San Mateo, Calif.), Javen Romero (Los Angeles Football Club; Los Angeles, Calif.), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (11): Edgar Bazan (Sporting Kansas City; Overland Park, Kan.), Adrian Gill (FC Barcelona/ESP; Denver, Colo.), Aaron Heard (St. Louis City FC; Fairfax, Va.), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Edwyn Mendoza (San Jose Earthquakes; San Jose, Calif.), Luis Moreno (Houston Dynamo FC; Houston, Texas), Tamir Ratovitz (Los Angeles Football Club; Los Angeles, Calif.), Matthew Schenfeld (FC Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky.), David Vazquez (Total Futbol Academy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Jude Wellings (Real Salt Lake; Birmingham, Mich. ), Milo Wray (Portland Timbers; Portland, Ore.)

FORWARDS (11): Moises Arciniega (Barca Residency Academy; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Fidel Barajas (San Jose Earthquakes; Sacramento, Calif.), Micah Burton (Austin FC; Mounds View, Minn.), Bajung Darboe (Philadelphia Union; Sun Prairie, Wisc.), Andre Gitau (Houston Dynamo FC; Richmond, Texas), Michael Luande (Seattle Sounders FC; Puyalluo, Wash.), Christopher Olney Jr. (Philadelphia Union; Hillsborough, N.J.), Diego Rocio (Philadelphia Union; Escondido, Calif.), Paolo Rudisill (LA Galaxy; Irvine, Calif.), Zion Vaughn (Real Salt Lake AZ; Chandler, Ariz.), Luke Zielinski (Philadelphia Union; Weston, Conn.)

What do you think of the roster? Any thoughts on finally seeing the youth national teams start up again?

U.S. U-17 and U-20 Women’s National Team rosters revealed for October training camp

CHICAGO – The U.S. Youth National Team program will return to the field this fall with a set of training camps for the two FIFA Youth Women’s World Cup Teams: the Under-20 and Under-17 Women’s National Teams. The U-17 USWNT will kick things off with a training camp from Oct. 10-17, followed immediately by a U-20 USWNT training camp from Oct. 17-24.

Current YNT coaches Tracey Kevins and Matt Potter will run the U-20 and U-17 camps, respectively. Both events will be held at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

“With international competition right around the corner, we’re really looking forward to seeing our U-20 and U-17 USWNTs get back together on the field,” said USWNT General Manager Kate Markgraf. “After scouting players across the country in their club competitions virtually and in-person, and evaluating them at Regional ID Centers, as well as during the last cycles before COVID, these camps are a critical opportunity to bring the player pools together and familiarize them with our staff and each other. It’s an important early step to prepare for qualifying, which is coming up quickly.”

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and U-17 Women’s World Cup are scheduled for 2022 in Costa Rica and India, respectively. Concacaf qualifying tournaments for the youth world championships will be held early next year and the training camps will serve as important preparation as they jump-start the World Cup cycles.

In preparation for World Cup qualifying competition early next year, the U-17 USWNT will gather again in Chula Vista from Nov. 17-24 while the U-20 USWNT will close out 2021 with a training camp from Dec. 12-19.

Youth Men’s National Team programming will also return this fall. Details will be announced soon.

The events will be held in accordance with U.S. Soccer’s comprehensive Return to Play protocols. U.S. Soccer is requiring all staff and players be fully vaccinated in order to attend YNT training camps. As a leader in the sport, the health and safety of all participants is the top priority for the Federation.

U-17 USWNT Roster by Position (Club; Hometown) – October Training Camp

GOALKEEPERS (4): Abigail Gundry (NC Courage; Wake Forest, N. C.), Victoria Safradin (Internationals SC; Eastlake, Ohio), Kealey Titmuss (Nationals; Grand Blanc, Mich.), Adelyn Todd (Real Colorado National; Littleon, Colo.)

DEFENDERS (10): Hailey Baumann (Michigan Hawks; South Lyon, Mich.), Alyssa Gonzalez (San Diego Surf; Lemon Grove, Calif.), Morgan Juran (Real Colorado National; Littleton, Colo.), Savannah King (LAFC SoCal Youth; West Hills, Calif.), Cambry Patrick (Solar; Allen, Texas), Cameron Roller (Solar; Sherman, Texas), Keegan Schmeiser (Chicago United; Bolingbrook, Ill.), Maggie Taitano (San Diego Surf; Carlsbad, Calif.), Gisele Thompson (TFA Boys; Studio City, Calif.), Amelia Van Zanten (Eclipse; Buffalo Grove, Ill.)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Mia Bhuta (Internationals SC; Pittsburgh, Pa.), Reese Black (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.), Shae Harvey (Slammers FC HB KØGE; Heromsa Beach, Calif.), Claire Hutton (World Class; Slingerlands, N.Y.), Riley Jackson (Concorde Fire; Roswell, Ga.), Lauren Martinho (NC Courage; Cary, N. C.), Ashley Pennie (Florida United; Miami, Fla.), Morgan Roy (Nationals; Commerce, Mich.), Samantha Smith (Boise Thorns FC; Boise, Idaho), Emma Yolinksy (Solar; Prosper, Texas)

FORWARDS (12): Jasmine Aikey (MVLA; Palo Alto, Calif.), Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Surf; San Diego, Calif.), Isabella Field (Sporting Blue Valley; Leawood, Kan.), Maribel Flores (Slammers FC HB KØGE; Fullerton, Calif.), Onyeka Gamero (Beach FC; Cerritos, Calif.), Nicollette Kiorpes (NEFC; Worcester, Mass.), Andrea Leyva (Heat FC; Las Vegas, Nev.), Mia Oliaro (NC Courage; Chapel Hill, N.C.), Melina Rebimbas (Michigan Hawks; Grosse Pointe, Mich.), Amalia Villarreal (Michigan Jaguars; Lansing, Mich.), Sydney Watts (Sporting Blue Valley; Lenexa, Kan.)

The U-17 USWNT is preparing for its first Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship since 2018 after the 2020 edition, scheduled for March of that year, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005, are age-eligible for the tournament. The 36-player roster features 31 players born in 2005, four born in 2006 and one born in 2007. The players hail from 16 states and play at 24 clubs, with the most, nine, coming from California and three each from NC Courage, San Diego Surf and Solar Soccer Club.

Three players on the U-17 roster were part of the U.S. team that won the 2018 Concacaf U-15 Girls’ Championship – defenders Maggie Taitano, Gisele Thompson and Amelia Van Zanten. While that tournament featured mostly 2003-birth year players, the USA brought a younger squad composed of players born in 2004 and 2005. The trio of Taitano, Thompson and Van Zanten were among the team’s youngest players.

Ten players return from the U-15 Girls’ National Team’s Jan. 2020 training camp, the team’s last meeting before the pandemic paused USYNT programming. Forward Andrea Leyva is the younger sister of USYNT midfielder Daniel Leyva, who represented the U. S. at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

U-20 USWNT Roster by Position (Club; Hometown) – October Training Camp

GOALKEEPERS (3): Neeku Purcell (OL Reign Academy; Seattle, Wash.), Nona Reason (Indiana Fire; Noblesville, Ind.), Teagan Wy (SoCal Blues; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (9): Sydney Cheesman (Colorado Rush; Lafayette, Colo.), Tessa Dellarose (Pittsburgh Riverhounds; Grindstone, Pa.), Elise Evans (FC Bay Area Surf; Redwood City, Calif.), Kayleigh Herr (NC Courage; Cary, N.C.), Margo Matula (Albion Hurricanes FC; Houston, Tex.), Molly McDougal (DKSC; Prosper, Tex.), Evelyn Shores (Tophat; Atlanta, Ga.) Freya Spiekerkoetter (Mountain View Los Altos; Redwood City, Calif.), Kolo Suliafu (SoCal Blues; Ontario, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Maggie Cagle (Phoenix Rising; Phoenix, Ariz.), Sofia Cook (SoCal Blues; Huntington Beach, Calif.), Annie Karich (Beach FC; Surfside, Calif.), Carina Lageyre (Florida United; Cooper City, Fla. ), Devin Lynch (Sockers FC; Naperville, Ill.), Yuna McCormack (San Jose Earthquakes; Mill Valley, Calif.), Macaira Midgley (Michigan Hawks; Wolverine Lake, Mich.), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns; Wilsonville, Ore.)

FORWARDS (8): Jill Flammia (Richmond United; Richmond, Va.), Mia Minestrella (Beach FC; Redondo Beach, Calif.), Allison Montoya (Mountain View Los Altos; Los Altos, Calif.), Katherine Rader (Florida United; Stuart, Fla.), Julia Saunicheva (FC Bay Area Surf; San Jose, Calif.), Alyssa Thompson (Total Futbol Academy; Studio City, Calif.), Farrah Walters (Utah Royals FC; Scottsdale, Ariz.), Amelia White (Fort Wayne United FC; Fort Wayne, Ind.)

The U-20 USWNT will aim to defend its Concacaf U-20 Championship title next year after taking home a record sixth confederation title in early March 2020. The U-20s rolled to the Concacaf crown and a berth to the U-20 WWC with seven straight victories and a 44-1 goal differential.

Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, are age-eligible for the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship. As this training camp takes place during the fall NCAA season, no college players were called up. The 28-player roster includes eight players born in 2003, 19 born in 2004 and one born in 2005. Fourteen states and 21 youth clubs are represented on the roster, with the most players – 15 — coming from California and three each playing club soccer at FC Bay Area Surf and SoCal Blues.

The lone 2005-birth year player is midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who became the youngest American female to turn pro when she signed with the Portland Thorns in early 2019. She is the only professional player in either of the two training camps. The 16-year-old Moultrie, who is also age-eligible for the U-17 USWNT, has made eight appearances for the Thorns in her debut NWSL season this year and scored her first pro goal during this summer’s Women’s International Champions Cup.

Seven players who participated in the U-17 USWNT’s final training camp before the canceled 2020 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Feb. 2020 were called up for the U-20 camp. Forward Amelia White was one of the team’s leading scorers with five goals in 2019.

Eleven players on the U-20 roster were part of the U.S. team that won the 2018 Concacaf U-15 Girls’ Championship – goalkeepers Nona Reason and Teagan Wy, midfielders Elise Evans, Evelyn Shores, midfielders Maggie Cagle, Sofia Cook, Yuna McCormack and Moultrie and forwards Allison Montoya, Katherine Rader and Alyssa Thompson.

Julian Eyestone called in for US U17 National Team camp

FC Dallas’ mammoth 15-year-old Academy goalkeeper Julian Eyestone – all 6’6″ of him – has been named to the US U17 Team for a camp in Chula Vista, California, from November 1st to the 8th.

“I’m honored and really excited for this opportunity with the US U17 MNT,” Eyestone said. “I’m thankful for all of the great coaches and teammates that have helped me get to this point – especially the FC Dallas coaching staff. My dream has always been to play for the first team. I hope I represent the club well and continue to get opportunities to develop.”

Buzz notes: Somewhat surprisingly to me at least, Eyestone was the only FC Dallas player selected. What a change from when 6 players were called into one U15 camp from FC Dallas. The FCD 2006s are pretty loaded and I was expecting Matthew Corcoran and Malachi Molina to get called, just to name two.

Julian Eyestone.

U-17 USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN) – NOVEMBER TRAINING CAMP

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ryan Carney (New England Revolution; Dunstable, Mass.), Fernando Delgado (Real Salt Lake; Glendale, Ariz.), Julian Eyestone (FC Dallas, Dallas, Texas), Nicholas Holliday (North Carolina FC; Chapel Hill, N. C.)

DEFENDERS (10): Brian Alanis (Houston Dynamo FC; Houston, Texas), John Andrus (Philadelphia Union; Fallston, Md.), Riley Delgado (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Aaron Deppe (Chicago Fire FC; Coopersville, Mich.), Christian Diaz (Los Angeles Football Club; San Bernadino, Calif.), Tyler Hall (Inter Miami CF; Miramar, Fla.), Gershon Henry (Real Salt Lake; Portage, Mich.), Christian Metelitasa (De Anza Force SC; San Mateo, Calif.), Javen Romero (Los Angeles Football Club; Los Angeles, Calif.), Oscar Verhoeven (San Jose Earthquakes; Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (11): Edgar Bazan (Sporting Kansas City; Overland Park, Kan.), Adrian Gill (FC Barcelona/ESP; Denver, Colo.), Aaron Heard (St. Louis City FC; Fairfax, Va.), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Edwyn Mendoza (San Jose Earthquakes; San Jose, Calif.), Luis Moreno (Houston Dynamo FC; Houston, Texas), Tamir Ratovitz (Los Angeles Football Club; Los Angeles, Calif. ), Matthew Schenfeld (FC Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky.), David Vazquez (Total Futbol Academy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Jude Wellings (Real Salt Lake; Birmingham, Mich.), Milo Wray (Portland Timbers; Portland, Ore.)

FORWARDS (11): Moises Arciniega (Barca Residency Academy; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Fidel Barajas (San Jose Earthquakes; Sacramento, Calif.), Micah Burton (Austin FC; Mounds View, Minn.), Bajung Darboe (Philadelphia Union; Sun Prairie, Wisc.), Andre Gitau (Houston Dynamo FC; Richmond, Texas), Michael Luande (Seattle Sounders FC; Puyalluo, Wash.), Christopher Olney Jr. (Philadelphia Union; Hillsborough, N.J.), Diego Rocio (Philadelphia Union; Escondido, Calif.), Paolo Rudisill (LA Galaxy; Irvine, Calif.), Zion Vaughn (Real Salt Lake AZ; Chandler, Ariz.), Luke Zielinski (Philadelphia Union; Weston, Conn.)

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2021 U17 U.S. National Team Trials: A Breakthrough

July 19, 2021

(By Isabella Xu)

In past National Youth Ranking Tournaments, I usually placed at around second-to-last every single time. After each tournament, I would just accept this with an “Okay, well, I’ll just try to do better next time,” and not actually work harder to improve. At the next competition, I would end up still being second-to-last.

But one day, I had a sudden realization: I wanted to get better at this sport. I wanted to place higher and not get second-to-last every single time. I wanted to win medals and trophies. With this newfound motivation, I started to train harder and work towards my goals. As I played more and more matches, I started to learn how to enjoy the competition and all the challenges that come with it. One way I did this was by thinking of both winning and losing as a positive: an experience. There’s always going to be victories and losses, and results can sometimes be extremely disappointing, but what you learn from all those experiences will help you do better in the future.

So, was it my more positive attitude and my sudden desire to work harder that led me directly to finally making top 7 and onto the U17 U. S. National Team? Definitely not. At the ICC U15 National Team Trials, I didn’t even advance from the first round-robin group because of a bad loss. Honestly, I was so disappointed that I just wanted to go home and quit. Maybe I’d take up volleyball, or track, or even golf. However, I changed my perspective and knew that the experience would help me to become mentally stronger and prepare me for future matches. After eating a bowl of Chipotle, I told my mom, “one bad loss doesn’t define how I’m going to do later on.” I think it’s extremely important to be able to turn the page on a more negative experience and start fresh, because when you have a bad day, you don’t just say, “Tomorrow’s definitely going to be a bad day too. And the next day. And the next.” You should aim for, “My goal today is to do better than yesterday.”

After ICC, I was even more motivated to improve and work harder. During a one-week camp in California, I was super excited to train with strong players and couldn’t wait to see immediate results in the North Carolina Body Armour State Championships. Unfortunately, when I got back to NC, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. Although I was jetlagged and tired, I had still expected to see a big difference and improvement, or something like that.

With what seemed like disappointment after disappointment, I wasn’t looking forward much to the U17 National Team Trials at Westchester in New York. I had lost quite a lot of self-confidence and didn’t expect to do that well. However, I was extremely happy I advanced first out of my small group after winning a close match from down 1-2. The next day, my first match was a strong opponent who I had previously lost to at ICC. Surprisingly, I came back from down 0-2 and won the match. Later that day, I won another match after being down 0-2. I ended up advancing third out of the four people that advanced from my group. Ecstatic that I was in the final group, I knew I had a chance to make the team and wanted to do my best. Surprising myself yet again by coming back from down 1-2 against another strong player I also previously lost to at ICC, I was extremely satisfied with my performance. This close match proved to be important to how the final rankings would turn out. I ended up placing 5th, making it onto the team.

My journey of finally having a breakthrough and making it onto the U17 U.S. National Team was a roller coaster of emotions and different learning experiences. Nothing comes that easily. Just like how stars can’t shine without darkness, you can’t have success without disappointments. As people always say, “No pain, no gain!” A big thank you to Tian Ye for coaching me at Westchester.

Special thanks to my coach, Di Yu, for always sticking with me throughout my table tennis journey, from a beginner to making the U17 U.S. National Team. Thank you Triangle Badminton and Table Tennis for providing such a great facility and awesome coaches! Thanks Coach AJ for helping me improve my game. Also, huge thanks to Bowmar Sports for their sponsorship and support!

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Japan hangs on to defeat Team USA U17

By Cole Bredahl

Team Japan used a strong passing game and created costly turnovers to defeat the U.S. Under-17 National Team, 28-20, in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium.

Quarterback Ozora Niwayama and receiver Takatomo Suzuki, the game’s MVP, were an unstoppable duo, connecting for 134 yards and a touchdown. Japan head coach PJ Gibbs loved the chemistry between the two.

“They had a great week in practice,” Gibbs said. “The acumen and intelligence of Niwayama was phenomenal. These kids are sponges. You tell them to do something once and they do it a million miles an hour. ”

Tomoaki Yokoyama and Akira Takizama got in on the touchdown party with each catching a score from Niwayama. Running back Mitsuki Yasumura also got it done on the ground with 51 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

The U.S. team never gave up and put together impressive drives, but often they ended due to turnovers. The Japanese offense recovered two fumbles and picked off two passes, including the last second Hail Mary to end the game. Gibbs, a defensive coordinator at Palmetto Ridge High School in Florida, prepared his defense for the Americans.

“We knew coming in they have tremendous athletes on the other side,” Gibbs said. So, were going to have to create other opportunities for our offense. It may have looked like we were multiple in what we were doing, but we were actually pretty basic. It took away a lot of the quick stuff they wanted to run.”

Gibbs’ defense did an excellent job shutting down the passing game for the U.S., allowing just 67 yards through the air. Gibbs said he knew he would have to worry about the two U.S. quarterbacks, Chris Parson (Duncanville [Texas] High School) and Justin Strong (Northwest [Texas] High School).

“The two quarterbacks are a heck of athletes,” Gibbs said. “They are going to be big-time college football players. I told both of them that at the end of the game.”

The victory left the head coach speechless for his players as he reflected on the memories the squad from Japan created at International Bowl.

“I am so overwhelmed with the amount of happiness I have, not for me personally,” Gibbs said. “Those kids flew 12 hours to get here. They will remember this for the rest of their life. ”

Gibbs, who also serves as a USA Football Master Trainer for the Heads Up Football program, has coached in the International Bowl before, but this year marked the first time he was the head coach of an international team.

“[Japan’s] coaches and general managers were so welcoming to us and helped us translate. I told the [coaches] I brought with me that it was going to be the easiest week of practice of your life because you tell them something once and then the translator tells them and its done,” Gibbs said. “When they do something wrong, they apologize to you. It was an unbelievable experience I am never going to forget.”

Australia women’s soccer team faces unfair global backlash after loss to boys’ team

The U.S. women’s national team would be foolish to dismiss the Matildas after a 7-0 friendly loss to the Newcastle Jets U-15 side.

The first problem Australia’s national women’s soccer team encountered in a practice match against a team of teenaged boys Wednesday was this: the inability to field the full women’s national team.

The second problem the team nicknamed the “Matildas” encountered in that practice match was this: treating it like a practice match.

Then they got thrashed, 7-0, and it became a story. And that is the biggest problem of all.

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The Matildas often practice against high school-aged boys because they cannot find enough high-quality female competition to sharpen them for international competition. That they have grown their program to rank No. 5 in the world under those circumstances is an enormous achievement. But the result against the Newcastle Jets U-15 side is an opportunity for those dismissive of women’s sports — and, man, are they out there — to mock the abilities of women athletes.

It can be argued there was not great depth among national teams as women’s soccer developed two or three decades ago, but World Cup champion Kate Markgraff told Sporting News earlier this month, “Tactics have improved so much on women’s side, as well as the technical ability to execute those gameplans — especially among the top women’s teams.”

The Matildas took the field against the Newcastle teens without several of their top players, notably striker Kyah Simon, who is playing here with the Boston Breakers in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). They rotated players frequently in the match, not a common approach for a team looking to get a result. And they did not get one, at least not the one they had in mind.

On Twitter, former Australia midfielder Joey Peters suggested that the team’s brand “might be a little more protected than being exposed in that manner.” In so many words, she indicated her belief that a practice game need not become international news.

But of course it did.

Any legitimate question about Australia’s capability as a national team was answered in their game against the U.S. that opened play for both teams at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. After conceding a 12th-minute goal to American winger Megan Rapinoe, the Matildas’ Lisa DeVanna tied the score 15 minutes later and her team then fought hard until the U.S. grabbed a couple goals late to secure a 3-1 victory.

The Matildas advanced to the round of 16 and lost a 1-0 decision to defending champion Japan. They are hoping to compete for a medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio.

If one suspects a result such as this would preclude that sort of success, it’s helpful to revisit the occasion of a practice game between the U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” of NBA stars in 1992 that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley. In Barcelona, the U.S. smashed every opponent by at least 32 points. But those who know that team’s history recall it was beaten by a 62-54 margin in a practice game by a select team of collegians featuring Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley.

“Those young kids were killing us,” Scottie Pippen said in a documentary produced by NBA TV.

It happens.

That’s why they call it “practice.”

90,000 Team USA became 4-time U17 World Champion after beating France in the final – FIBA ​​U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018

MINSK (2018 FIBA ​​Women’s U-17 World Cup) – The USA team won the fourth U-17 world title after defeating French women in the final of the tournament in Minsk – 92-40.

Under the watchful eye of FIBA ​​President Horacio Muratore, the World Cup winners in 2010, 2012 and 2014 took control of the 2018 final from the very first minutes: the 16-2 spurt was the first step towards another title.The victory over the French women allowed the American women to hold an ideal tournament in Minsk: 7 victories in a row without a single defeat.

The attack of the USA national team was incredibly balanced: five basketball players at once scored 10 points or more, and Elia Boston scored 16 points. Including – Jordan Horston, who also helped her national team with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals. Click here to find out more.

Australia defeated Hungary 57-51 in third place.Point guard Shyla Hill did not score a single point in the first half, but after a long break, she woke up, finished the game with 16 points and helped the Australian national team climb to the third place on the podium. Click here to find out more.

Jordan Horston was rewarded for her excellent performance in the final and basketball throughout the tournament – the defender won the TISSOT MVP title and entered the symbolic five of the championship, where the 17-year-old American was joined by team-mates from the US team Hale Jones and Eliya Boston, as well as an Australian Shyla Hill and Frenchwoman Iliana Ruper.Click here to find out more.

The fourth US championship was witnessed by: FIBA ​​Africa President and Vice President Haman Niang, FIBA ​​Europe President and FIBA ​​Committee Executive Turgay Demirel, FIBA ​​Europe Vice President and FIBA ​​Central Council Member Cyriel Kumans, as well as a member of the Board FIBA Lena Wallin-Kantsi.

The final position of the teams at the 2018 FIFA Women’s U-17 Championship in Minsk:
1. USA
2. France
3.Australia
4. Hungary
5. Italy
6. Spain
7. Japan
8. Latvia
9. Canada
10. Mali
11. China
12. New Zealand
13. Argentina
14. Colombia
15. Belarus
16. Angola

Russia U17 – USA U17 – 6: 2, November 9, 2019, World Challenge Cup, final: photo, video of goals, Russian team won the U17 World Challenge Cup – November 10, 2019

coaching staff – only positive emotions.I think this will help us in the final. We will be on an equal footing with the Americans. Now we will rest, tomorrow we will move to another city, to another arena, and already there we will prepare for the game. Tomorrow will be determined by the endurance and dedication of each player. ”

The head coach of the Russian junior national team under 17 Andrei Kozyrev was in the most positive mood before the main match of the World Challenge Cup, but those who followed the results of the unofficial world championship hardly shared his optimism. 10: 1, 6: 4, 5: 4, 8: 4, 7: 3 – this is how the path to the final in the performance of the USA national team looked like. The score 10: 1, for example, happened in a game with the future bronze medalist of the tournament, the Czechs. In general, the “Stars and Stripes” on the eve of the decisive battle looked terrible and terrible rival.

However, during the World Challenge Cup, the Russian team also gained a serious pace. It all started with two defeats at the start of the group stage, but then things went noticeably more cheerful for ours. The victory in a merry shootout with the Swedes helped – 5: 4.It was followed by two overconfident successes – 8: 4 in the quarterfinals against one of the compositions of Canada and 4: 0 in the semifinals with the Czechs.

The first period of the final turned out to be rather cautious, which you rarely see at junior tournaments, but after the break, the Americans switched to that very frightening mode, throwing ours 18 times on goal in 20 minutes. It would not have ended well if it had not been for the prohibitively reliable performance of the SKA goalkeeper Valery Brinkman – the 16-year-old goalkeeper stopped 24 attempts of the opponent in the starting 40 minutes.

During the entire second game segment, Russian hockey players harassed the American goalkeeper only 6 times, but they turned out to be much more productive than their opponent. In the first half of the period, after a pass and a slight throw from an uncomfortable hand performed by Vsevolod Gaydamak, the finishing move was taken by Fyodor Svechkov from Togliatti.

And 11 seconds before the second pause in the game, one of the main characters of the entire playoffs, Prokhor Poltapov from CSKA, perfectly performed the 1 to 0 exit.

A goal in the locker room nailed the USA team – in the third period it no longer looked like itself, and when in his fifth minute Ilya Ivantsov scored the third goal with the outcome of the final, everything became completely clear.

By the 15th minute of the third period, the scoreboard burned indecent for the “Stars and Stripes” numbers 5: 0, but in the end they were able to slightly correct the situation with two abandoned washers. 6: 2 – the Russian national team simply destroyed a strong US team and won the World Challenge Cup for the second time in a row. Before that, the unofficial U17 World Championship had not been submitted to our team for four years. After two starting defeats at this year’s tournament, it was very difficult to believe in the final triumph, but the Russian juniors were able to greatly surprise everyone.

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FIFA rating on October 21

The US team defeated French women in the finals of the Women’s World Championship in Minsk

The final match of the World Basketball Championship (U-17) among girls has ended in Minsk.

France (U-17) – USA (U-17) – 40:92 (12:23, 16:23, 7:24, 5:22).

The American women have once again proved in practice that they have no equal at the tournament in Belarus. The defeat of the French women earned the United States the fourth out of five gold in the history of the U-17 Women’s World Championships.

Bronze awards went to Australia, whose basketball players in the match for third place were stronger than the Hungarian national team with a score of 57:51.

The tournament was not so successful for the Belarusian women: two victories and only 15th final place. In the last match of the consolation tournament, our athletes won over the Angola team – 70:58.

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90,000 “It’s not our fault that our level is so low. “Myasnikova – about the problems of women’s football and haters

Defender of CSKA Moscow and the women’s national team of Kazakhstan Yulia Myasnikova, in an interview with Meta-ratings.kz, spoke about the problems of women’s football, the level of the Russian championship, the average salary and much more.

– Julia, you became the silver medalist of the Russian championship. How would you rate the results of the season? Can I add it to an asset?

– It must be entered into an asset. I think this silver medal is even more expensive than the gold one.I’m incredibly happy that we managed to gain a foothold in second place. There were a lot of problems and injuries this season and this naturally influenced the results.

– How would you rate your personal performance this season? Are you satisfied with yourself?

– I am never happy with myself, I missed a lot of games due to injury. But most importantly, the team coped with it, the season ended on a positive note. I think this is a big start for the next year. Thank God, we are recovering from our injuries and are back on certain tracks, along which we walked for the first two years.

– In September, for the first time in a long time, you returned to the national team. Can you highlight any positive aspects despite the unfortunate results?

– New young players who made it to the national team. They should be proud to be on the national team, because being called up to the national team is always a positive thing. Many aspire, hope and want it. I would like to congratulate the new girls.

I am glad to see Kaloyan Petkov in the national team. This is a trainer with whom I worked for seven years at BIIK.It was very pleasant to see him.

When you play for a national team that has not won for a very long time, there are often major defeats due to the difference in the level of the teams. The girls did not give up, did not lose heart, and anyway we are running, trying to recoup.

– You missed your home games in October. What happened?

– Unfortunately, I got a knee injury, because of which I had to miss two rounds of the Russian championship and the matches of the national team.

– I was very surprised that there were only 18 players in the squad for the September matches.This is normal for futsal, but for football, and for two away games …

– The fact that there are few players is really a fact. I cannot say that this was the main reason. Two or three players would help us a lot, at least of the level that exists in Kazakhstan. No offense to the young, of course. If we were not 18, but at least 23-25. But we even had about 14-15 football players for training. Plus, it might not have been the bench players, but the main players who were lacking in the game.

– Some players refuse to come to the national team, and for me it was a shock.Why it happens?

– I personally did not speak with the players, I could not find out their reasons. I only heard what others said. Perhaps someone had microtraumas, someone did not recover. I don’t want to think and believe that the girls just ended their careers in the national team. The fact that we do not have a salary and bonus is a fact. You are really going to play for the country, for the flag, for the homeland. You motivate yourself by being summoned, you should be happy to represent your country, but this is work anyway.

These are just games where you can get hurt. I had this, and you hear very bad things behind your back, they say, you did not get in the national team and they will not treat you here. However, the federation paid for my treatment.

– After such cases, you didn’t have any thoughts “why do I need this, why did I go to the national team”?

– No, I didn’t have such thoughts that I don’t want to go. First, we are girls, more emotional than guys. We work hard and try, and it’s a shame to read somewhere “yes she made a mistake” or “they lost again”, “shut down women’s football, who needs them”. People, let’s call them couch critics, sometimes do not know where we are going.

Many people say: “I don’t like it, so why did you go to women’s football”? I don’t come to anyone’s work when they complain that they’re tired and don’t say “why did you go to the accounting department?” Each area has some pros and cons. We are people too, we get tired too. This is my favorite thing, and I did it consciously. I like football.

The fact that I am called up to the national team is, of course, a positive thing. But it is not our fault that we have such a low level in football.We are happy to grow so that the competition in the national team is not from 20 people, but from 50 people, so that they are eager to get into the national team and want to get into. And so, we sit and think, because we have only 5 teams, most of the players from BIIK, some from Tomiris and Okzhetpes, that’s all. And at the same time, in the same “BIIK” in the Champions League, legionnaires often play, Kazakhstanis sit on the bench, and when they come to the national team, they play at the base. Our team is going from the “bench”.

– Knowing that after the matches with France, Wales the score will be unpleasant, how do the girls find motivation to come to the national team? After all, there is one hate around in social networks …

– As I said, first of all, it is love for the sport that you have chosen.This is a game, I want to enjoy it. Not everyone has been given the chance and not everyone will have the chance to play with such big teams as Wales and France. Running next to such football players – not everyone in life will have such an opportunity, it is truly an honor. Speed, ball control, quick decision-making – how different the level is. And in some sense it becomes a shame that we, in general, can do the same. There is a feeling – there is something to strive for. But when you come home, you realize that there are 12 women’s teams in France, and we have only 5.

Some say: you need to try harder, study individually. It’s not just us! What coaches do we have, where do they study, what are their coaching categories? The same Kaloyan Petkov, who worked in Russia, Bulgaria, the USA, and due to this, legionnaires come to our championship. It’s all on his connections, some kind of acquaintances. Therefore, it is necessary to improve coaching qualifications, send for an internship in Europe, so that later knowledge can be applied here.

– Men’s football has it all.Grigory Babayan, for example, trained at CSKA, and now he has become an assistant coach.

– This is cool! When I started playing in the national team, we went to games with different teams, for example, with Germany. They just have huge bases. We have about seven natural fields only in Shymkent on the basis of BIIK, and nowhere else is there anything like it. Little girls in Germany, up to a certain age, work with boys from 5 to 12 years old. I stood with my mouth open and watched as small children do exactly the same exercises that I do at 20 in a professional team.If they are already at 7, at 10 years old, doing such a thing, what will happen at the age of 20? And we, straining, do it in our 25-30 years …

I did not grow up in some kind of football academy, at the age of 11 I joined the team, where there were already girls 18 years old and older. How am I going to fight them, should I put the body? At first I just carried balls and water. I was constantly crying that I wanted to play, but I was trampled. Although you train with them somewhere, when it comes to playing, you realize that you are still quite a child.And throughout that period, the thought was in my head: “I will show them all when I grow up.” When I had grown up, I became taller, stronger and stronger, of course, they began to put me in the squad, and everything started!

– After the defeat from Greece, you wrote a post on Instagram. I agree with every word, but did it come to you for this?

– In general, I myself am a very emotional and self-critical person. Demanding on herself and others. When these results are obtained, sediment remains.Even after some victories, when everyone goes and rejoices, I rarely rejoice with them. I go straight away and think that I gave away so many inaccurate passes, but in some situation I could have played better. And this is after victories! And after defeats in the head in general … 0: 6 – how to return home at all? How can I tell my family, my grandparents that I lost 0: 6? Although they always say that the most important thing is my health. It’s very embarrassing and hard. I can’t help but worry, I’ll be thinking about it all week.

As for the post on Instagram, while I was walking and holding the phone in my hands, I wrote everything in a minute.Everything that has accumulated inside, what I thought about for many days. I hate to lose! I have had it since school that I should always be the best. Before writing the post, I went to the KFF page on social networks and flipped through the comments under the post with our defeat. I thought that if I now go to my direct, I will see how much they wrote to me … And honestly, not a single person wrote me a bad word or comment. When I was writing the post, I also thought that they would write, they say, “you yourself went to football” or “you need to train more.”But no – not a single one wrote that. I am very grateful to them for this, and to some extent I calmed down. Since not a single person has written something bad, it means that I am doing something right. If they criticize constructively, I will always listen to it, accept it and think about it. And when they say: “Oh, women, go cook borscht that you forgot in football,” it’s already so hackneyed that you just ignore it. Or they write: “close women’s football.” Yes, they will not close it! Men will not perform if we are “locked” (laughs). They are nowhere without us, both in life and in football.

Women’s football is and will be, and over time it will flourish. I hope that our country will only get better every year. They will open academies and schools, train girls, because we still have a slightly different mentality. In Russia, in this regard, it is simpler, but in Kazakhstan, a girl should be at home, think about her family, be a hearth, cook beshbarmak (laughs).

– You have been playing for CSKA for the third year already. What are we missing, what is there in Russia?

– Let’s start with fewer – the number of teams.In addition to the major league, there is a youth championship with 8 teams. There are different amateur leagues, they also compete with each other. I don’t know how it was here before. My opinion: people here fell in love with football more after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Then Russia acted very successfully, the people really caught fire with this. There are more fans and amateurs. And this was reflected in women’s football.

And what are the large-scale tournaments in Kazakhstan? Only European cups and matches of the national team. In Russia, there was such a large-scale event, a significant tournament, everything moves at great speed.At CSKA, we began to deliver equipment to schools, to open sections. We, the players of the main team, come to these schools and play football for several hours, answer questions, sign T-shirts for children. In fact, it is a great joy that someone comes to them. After such lessons, the children really come to the stadium, watch with their parents and say, “Mom, I took pictures with her, I scored a goal for her.”

I remember myself, when I played at Shakhtar, we played a match against the men’s team.There were 15 of us girls running around. It was somewhere in 2012, when Andrei Finonchenko was still playing. I dropped him in that game, he fell, held on to his leg and started screaming. The coach from the podium tells him – “get up!”. Naturally, he played along with me then, we were 15 years old, and he was a healthy uncle. We played with Shakhtar’s team, they hammered about five goals to us, and we – one. There were 10 of them, they played with one touch, and there were 15 of us. Now I’m 28, and these moments will forever remain in my memory.

– Do you think that more teams will save our football? New teams are being added, like Kyzylorda, and will be losing 0:25.

– Where did this command come from? They did not play until the age of 15, until the age of 17. The team was just formed from scratch, and the girls immediately started playing. Girls aged 15-16 are playing football at this level for the first time. In other countries, girls under 17 are already winning European championships, but here they just came to football. Of course, you will lose 0:25.

When I played in Kazakhstan, there were such funny moments: once they whistled offside, whistled the second time. I approached this striker and asked: “Do you know what an offside position is?”She said no. The footballer entered the field and does not know what an offside position is. There were also cases when, after a missed ball, they did not know how to bring this ball into play. The stands are laughing, the judge is already prompting, I am prompting, and she stands with square eyes and says: “Well, I rolled the ball to my own, what am I doing wrong?” This is not normal.

– How can you break BIIK’s hegemony in the women’s championship?

– This is the team to strive for.They are the best! When I played at Shakhtar, we also lost – 0:10. You go out on the field and know in advance that there is no chance. Then Natalia Ivanova, Ekaterina Krasyukova, Maria Yalova played. On the contrary, I would like to play in a team like BIIK. How well the girls play with them, what level they show!

If there is no competition, then, in general, what is all this for? You get used to good things very quickly. If you strive to get to the top, then, probably, you will strive to play in this team, want to be there.And not just on the bench, but to gain a foothold in the base.

“BIIK” is the best women’s team in Kazakhstan, which has shown itself in Europe. Only this year, for the first time in a long time, they did not qualify. All previous years, they left the group, reached the 1/8 finals.

– Don’t you think that BIIK has nothing to do in Kazakhstan? You can, after all, as in the KHL with Barys, also participate in the same championship of Russia.

– As far as I know, there were once thoughts about this.I can’t imagine how possible it is to take and transport a team to another championship. In “BIIK” there are very good conditions: the stadium, infrastructure, weather – out of 12 months in Shymkent 9 is always warm. It is impossible to train in one city and fly to another country to play games every week. It is necessary to transport the entire team. But when you have such conditions, when everything was built under the command, then this will already be a strange situation.

BIIK is not a team where one core has been playing for ten years.These are new players – someone leaves, someone comes. At the same time, the result is stable, which is good. This means that the coaching staff is working in the right direction, contacts with different players from different countries.

– For example, Kairat-Moscow has now entered FNL-2, where they perform well in their debut season.

– It’s great that there is already such an experience. But I would like not to leave for another country and play somewhere, but to discover something at home. The same Masha Yavlova opened a football school.I heard that good players are gradually graduating from there. Let teams open in each city. When we had a training camp for the national team, girls from Taldykorgan came to the games. They also have a children’s school.

When I played at that age, 40 people came to select U17, U19. And now from my year there are only me and Aigerim Aitymova. Where did these 40 people go? It is the same with other years: 1991 – 1 person, 1990 – 1-2 people, 1994 – 1-2. From all ages we have 1-2 people.Where are the others?

– I noticed that girls can end their careers at any time. If we compare last year’s and the current roster, then half of the players are missing, and some have already ended their careers.

– Because they don’t get paid, there are no salaries. Good conditions only in “BIIK” and “Okzhetpes”. In all other teams, this is very difficult and deplorable. When I started, we did not think about salaries, since we lived at home with our parents, and we were also motivated by studies. Our team was called Shakhtar-KarSU (approx.ed. – Karaganda State University). We were given a 50 percent discount on tuition at this university. This is a very big plus. You go in for sports, they pay you some kind of small salary, they give you a uniform, plus they give you a discount on your studies. This was the biggest motivation that we could get an education through sports. I have not heard, to be honest, that there was something like that somewhere.

And so, salaries in other teams are too small. Love for football alone cannot last long, because when you get injured, the club is not always able to cure you.You yourself have to pay. You come home and ask your parents for money for physical therapy. Or even worse – you come home with a broken nose, and your parents have square eyes, especially since you are a girl. Not only do you ruin yourself, but also the parents pay for it, so that they can then be cured.

– Will naturalization help the women’s national team, as in the men’s futsal team? Indeed, in our championship there are many legionnaires, including American women.

– You can, of course. This practice is widespread.But who wants to play for Kazakhstan, if we have a small place in the rating, there are no big achievements. And our mink is going well, our guys are great fellows, they have always had a good result, there is something to go for. If a person changes citizenship, then he weighs – “we can win this or that they have such and such good players.” And why should girls change? To lose not 0: 6, but 0: 2?

– But money plays the main role in naturalization. If they are paid to do it, then they will play.And they don’t care about the results.

– This is not how we get paid.

– Is it good if they pay? As a player of the national team of Kazakhstan, are you “for” naturalization or “against”?

– Why not. A person moved to another country, plays for a club, and remains here for a long time. If he feels comfortable, and he is also offered to play for the national team, then, of course. Money has always been a motivation. In men’s big football, they always pay good money, because when people break down, they know that after the end of their careers they will have some kind of “safety cushion”.Unfortunately, we girls do not have this.

A guy at this time can build his personal life, start a family, earn money and play football. And girls choose either family or sports. If we need to start a family, children, then in any case we drop out for one and a half to two years. Secondly, it also depends on the conditions. Not everyone has money for babysitting. If you agree that someone else’s aunt will regularly look after your child, and this is normal for you, then pay the nanny. Plus, if you play in the team of the city where your relatives are located, this is also an important moment.And other girls want to see the first steps of their children, to raise, educate, be near. And at such moments we are no longer fighting athletes, but girls who create comfort and a hearth in the family.

– Irina Saratovtseva said in one interview that the average salary of girls in Kazakhstan is 100 thousand tenge. How do things stand with this in Russia? What is the average salary there?

– People have a strange reaction to money, especially when it comes to football. If you say 20 thousand, there will be those who will say: “I sit in the office for 20 thousand from morning to evening, hunchback, my back hurts”.Say 50 thousand – there are also dissatisfied. I don’t know why people have such a reaction with football. People think that football is a ball that you play on the grass, sunbathe in the sun and get high. In fact, people don’t know about injuries, surgeries, and the aftermath of football.

In the Russian national team, girls earn, and quite well. They have bonuses for tasks, for certain games. They strive to go to the national team to earn money. Their selection is tougher than ours.

– What are the salaries in the clubs?

– A number of clubs also have bonus payments for games.

– If we have 100 thousand tenge – the average salary, by how many percent is this number higher in Russia?

– In Russia, first of all, the standard of living is different. If in Kazakhstan I buy a loaf of bread for 100 tenge, here I buy it for about 500 tenge. Life here is more expensive, but I’m comparing it in Moscow, since I’m here. Here and renting an apartment is very expensive, not as much as in Kazakhstan.

I used to think that you can earn something – you won’t earn anything.You will live, eat and dress with all this money. It’s not like guys when you can procrastinate. It’s like a regular job, it’s the same with us.

– You cannot live on 100 thousand tenge in Kazakhstan. Is it possible in Russia to live only on an average salary? Do you get any expensive things to buy?

– No, no expensive things. With the salary of a football player, you will not allow yourself such things. They earn more in Russia, because the standard of living is higher here. I repeat once again, in Russia they earn more often at the expense of bonuses in the national team and clubs.In the same team, they can dig up and buy a car due to some victories.

– Earning more for the national team than for the club?

– Of course! At least it used to be like that. I don’t know how this season, what tasks they face. They recently made it to the final round of the European Championship. Due to this, they also earned.

– And you don’t make money in the national team.

– And I come, lose and come back.

– The players on the national team do not earn, and the clubs do not have super-salaries.What, then, to live on? Any kind of advertising agreements?

– It’s harder with this. Firstly, I am not from Russia, and there is no such thing in Kazakhstan. Haven’t seen any of the guys who have contracts with Adidas or Nike. And in Russia they sign with young players, who just flicker somewhere. Their marketing and business are more developed than ours. There is no such thing that I left for CSKA, became a two-time champion of Russia and contracts fell on me. And in Russia you can simply be a promising player and people will be interested in you.You can be nobody, but someone promoted somewhere and everyone knows you. They may not know how you play, but they will know you by ear.

– That is, they focus mainly on their players?

– Of course. Who needs someone else’s player? I come to Russia and they say: “You are not Russian, you are a Kazakh from Kazakhstan.” And when you come home to Kazakhstan, they say to you: “What kind of Kazakh are you? You don’t know the Kazakh language ”. You are not your own there, and you are not yours here. And how will you know the Kazakh language if I grew up in Karaganda, where more people speak Russian? At school I had, and indeed, many Kazakh friends who do not know the Kazakh language.Although their parents know, grandparents know, but they spoke to you only in Russian.

And there is the opposite situation – girls who live in the south of the country, even if they are Russian, they still know Kazakh. Because they grew up in an environment where there are more Kazakh-speaking Kazakhs. And you just speak this language since childhood. Although at school I passed Kazakh at UNT at 5. But due to the fact that you do not speak it all the time, you do not hear it all the time, of course, there will be problems. I can count, I know a lot of phrases, words.

– You don’t have an agent now?

– When I left BIIK, I had an agent. He was English speaking. And CSKA came to me on its own. I don’t know if I did the right thing or not, but I said goodbye to the agent. The club is Russian-speaking, I am Russian-speaking, and it is easier for us to agree with each other than to translate into English several times. This is all very long and tedious.

When you have an agent, of course, it’s easier. He speaks for you, knocks out amounts. Moreover, when the agent has some kind of connections.It is not that Adidas approached you and said: “what a good player, what results she has, beauty, let’s sign her.” It doesn’t work that way. An agent comes to Adidas and says that there is a person and you need to come up with something with him.

– Looking at all this, you would not want yourself an agent?

– I have a contract with CSKA. Then everything will be visible, we’ll see. I can’t think about it and talk about it yet. And so, I would like, of course, a lot of things in some area. Let’s see how much a Kazakh woman is needed in Russia.

– Let’s talk about CSKA. As far as I have heard, the men’s team is given a private car from the club’s sponsors. Do girls have this?

– No.

– Do you take a taxi?

– Yes. Or girls who have a car give a lift. Sometimes I go down to the subway.

– Do they recognize you on the street?

– In Shymkent, when I played before, almost everyone knew me, because the whole city knew BIIK. And the athletes are always visible from afar.I will not say that it is often, but it will be recognized anyway.

– Now women’s and men’s football are slowly merging. Already, female judges began to work in men’s football. Will this be the norm in the future?

– I think so. Everything goes to this.

– And in Kazakhstan?

– It seems that everything will still be very long and difficult. Until people will perceive girls as individuals who can also engage in such sports. Why don’t they say anything about weightlifters? They also took some places, were prize-winners of the Olympics.This is the norm, even if she speaks in a man’s voice (laughs). But if I play football, it’s bad.

– Probably more dependent on the results.

– A little bit of everything. It is necessary that people understand that now is the 21st century. Everyone does what they want. They develop in the area in which they see themselves. You need to invest money in sports, especially in children. Not just buying expensive iPhones for children, but for them to try something new.

Football is loved all over the world.We also need to love him, and not wait for the results here and now. Not that you bought the boots for a child, but he hop for you and began to score one by one, and he was immediately taken to Europe. Everything takes patience.

– Do you often hear people complain to you that they pay taxes, and you lose 0:12?

– We are not paid a salary, so my conscience is clear. UEFA and FIFA allocate money for our development. I don’t live on taxes, I don’t get anything from them. I only cry for them.Someone also goes to my taxes and speaks somewhere.

People do not know and do not understand how much money the women’s team lives and performs. We don’t get paid, but actually go to play for our homeland. It does not always work out well, but it depends on the level. Some Opel will not go better than a BMW or Mercedes. No matter how you say it, no matter how you puff, it won’t get any faster.

– What is your relationship with Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov? Two Kazakhstani footballers play for one foreign club.How often do you communicate?

– We congratulate each other on some victories, supported when we got injured. Friendly relations. I am here alone in a foreign country, just like him. We are from the same country, so it is important to always support each other. Moreover, we are in one more club.

– Finally, name the top 3 main problems in the women’s championship in Kazakhstan.

– First of all, the development of children’s football. It is necessary to open academies, schools.

Secondly, mass character.We need to talk about women’s football, write about it. Banners, TVs. It is necessary to attract children with something.

Third, the infrastructure needs to be improved. Then hold more major tournaments. When children see this and hurt, then, naturally, their eyes will shine, they will want to play like this or that football player.

And, probably, I would like Kazakhstan to pay attention to their athletes, there was some kind of support, not only from the state, but also from sponsors.So that they start investing in football players, so that they believe in them. After all, only Gennady Golovkin and a number of famous athletes hung on banners and posters in our country. Nobody else. Ask about Golovkin in any city of Kazakhstan – everyone will answer, everyone knows. And all because he wins. In Kazakhstan, few people knew him, but as soon as he left, he immediately became a star.