Everything went according to plan on Friday for John Hackworth and his U.S. Under-17 Men’s National team, and now the Americans sit in a strong position heading into their next two group-stage matches.
The U.S. U-17s picked up a 1-0 opening day victory over host nation India, giving the Baby Yanks a place at the top of Group A for the time being.
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Josh Sargent -- who recently committed to play for Werder Bremen starting in 2018 -- gave the U.S. its opener in the 30th minute after the dangerous attacker was brought down inside the penalty area just moments sooner.
The hosts mounted some pressure towards the end of the opening stanza through Aniket Jadhav, but both of his chances in the final minutes of the first half fell short.
Second-half finishes from Chris Durkin and Andrew Carleton sealed the game for the Americans, who currently sit atop Group A on three points and +3 goal differential.
Next up for the U.S. will be Ghana on October 9 before closing out group play three days later against Colombia.