SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes Homegrown Players Cruz Medina and Oscar Verhoeven are preparing to kick off the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup with the United States U-17 Men’s Youth National Team on Sunday in Indonesia.Â
Drawn into Group E, Team USA will first face Korea Republic this Sunday, Nov. 12 (4 a.m. PT). They will then play Burkina Faso on Wednesday, Nov. 15 (1 a.m. PT) and finish the group stage against France on Saturday, Nov 18 (4 a.m. PT). All three matches will be played at Jakarta’s International Stadium and will be broadcast on FS1 in English and Telemundo platforms in Spanish.
DATE | MATCHUP | TIME (PT) | TV INFO |
Sunday, Nov. 12 | USA vs. Korea Republic | 4 a.m. | FS1, NBC Universo, Telemundo App |
Wednesday, Nov. 15 | USA vs. Burkina Faso | 1 a.m. | FS1, NBC Universo, Telemundo App |
Saturday, Nov. 18 | USA vs. France | 4 a.m. | FS1, Telemundo, Telemundo App |
The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
Medina, 17, was an integral part of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship team that qualified for the World Cup after reaching the final. The native of San Francisco, California, was named to the tournament Best XI, notching a hat trick in the group stage. Overall, the midfielder has earned 18 appearances for the U-17 National team and has been called to nine of the last 11 training camps. As a member of Earthquakes II this year, Medina collected two goals and two assists to help the club qualify for its first ever berth in the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. Earlier this month, he was one of just three American-born players named to The Guardian’s list of the top 60 young talents in the world.
Verhoeven, 17, was also part of the Team USA squad at the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship, making five appearances in the tournament. A native of Pleasant Hill, California, he was a prominent figure for Earthquakes II this year, earning 22 appearances (21 starts) as the team reached the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the first time. The defender featured prominently as a starter in their first postseason win, a 2-0 victory over St. Louis CITY2, to reach the Western Conference Semifinals.
