Nike Friendlies Kick Off With US U-17 vs. Russia

Total of 54 Teams Competing in Tournament

December 5, 2007

BRADENTON, Fla. – The 2007 Development Academy Nike Friendlies kick off Thursday when the U.S. Under-17 (’92) men’s soccer team faces off with Russia at 3 p.m. live on the Fox Soccer Channel.

The match will be the first-ever international match for the U-17 age group and also the first for Wilmer Cabrera since taking over the team in October. The team will play three international matches during the Friendlies, which will take place from Dec. 6-9 at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.

The U.S. will continue its familiar December match-up with Brazil for the third straight year, and fourth overall, at the Friendlies when the countries square off on Saturday, Dec. 8, live on FSC at 2:30 p.m. ET. The U.S. will then face Turkey on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, which will be televised on a same-day delay at 8 p.m. ET.

A total of 54 teams competing across the Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 age groups will participate in the 2007 Development Academy Nike Friendlies. Playing alongside the international bracket, 46 teams from U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy will round out an 81-game schedule. Clubs representing 17 states and all eight Academy conferences will be a part of the elite player development opportunity. Concurrent with past Nike Friendlies events, the matches played during the weekend will not count toward the Development Academy standings.

Created to provide players with the best possible opportunity to develop, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy was initiated after a comprehensive review of player development systems in the United States and around the world. The Nike Friendlies will provide Academy teams with the opportunity to experience international refereeing and to play in an international atmosphere.

The U.S. Under-17 and Under-15 Men’s National Teams will each be divided into two squads that will represent U.S. Soccer. The U-17 teams will be divided in to the U-17 ’91 MNT and the U-17 ’92 MNT, while the U-15 team will be made primarily of players born in 1993, and will play as the U-15 Blue and U-15 White teams.

U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy Nike Friendlies is an annual competition in which the best youth soccer clubs around the United States are invited to play high-level games that stress quality soccer and player development over wins and losses.