THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Friendly Match: USA U17 1-0 India U16

Friendly Match: USA U17 1-0 India U16

The Indian U16 national team suffered a narrow defeat against the US U17 national team in friendly match played at Bradenton, Florida, USA.

The Indian juniors are currently based at the IMG Academy in Florida as part of a long-term training camp. The U17 national team of the USA is also having a camp at the same premises and therefore both sides arranged the match in Bradenton.

The match against the US boys was a close encounter and the Indian youngsters were not rewarded for a spiriting performance.

India U16 coach Bitan Singh lauded the boys for putting up a brave fight. “The boys played well. The USA U17 boys are a class act. The match will only add to the confidence of our wards,” Bitan told after the match.

The Indian yongsters based at the IMG Academy will join the U16 preparatory camp for the AFC Under-16 Championships final phase in Goa. The camp will kick-off under the watchful eyes Colm Toal from June 1 and the IMG Academy based boys would be joining the home-based boys.

The Indian U16 national team is scheduled to take on Uzbekistan, Syria and China in Group D of the championship. The matches will be played in the Iranian capital Tehran.