United midfielder Chris Durkin and the U-17 U.S. Men's National Team kick off their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in New Delhi tomorrow, taking on hosts India at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The 17-year-old Homegrown will likely feature in coach John Hackworth's lineups over the coming days, as he has remained a regular in national team competition, helping guide the U-17s to the 2016 All Indian Football Federation Cup finals and the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 championship, after which he was named to the tournament's best XI.
Durkin and the U.S. will play three group stage matches over the next week, facing fellow Group A sides India, Ghana, and Colombia. The top two teams from each of the six groups, plus the four best third-place teams, will advance to the round of 16. The final 16 teams will compete in single-elimination matches through the final.
USA Group Stage Schedule
Date |
Opponent |
Time (ET) |
TV |
Stadium |
Friday, Oct. 6 |
India |
10:30 a.m. |
FS2 |
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium; New Delhi |
Monday, Oct. 9 |
Ghana |
7:30 a.m. |
FS2 |
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium; New Delhi |
Thursday, Oct. 12 |
Colombia |
10:30 a.m. |
FS2 |
Dr. DY Patil Stadium; Navi Mumbai |
Durkin is one of six MLS Homegrowns on Hackworth's roster, competing alongside Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC), Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City), Bryan Reynolds Jr. (FC Dallas), and James Sands (New York City FC).
The U-17s will be pushing to improve upon the last U-17 squad's disappointing 2015 tournament, in which the Americans went 0-2-1 in group play against Nigeria, Croatia, and Chile, failing to advance beyond the group stage.
