FIFA U-17 New Zealand squad touch down in India

Mumbai, Sept. 22: The New Zealand team arrived here on Friday for the upcoming Fifa U-17 World Cup, to be played across six cities in India.

The Kiwis arrived here this afternoon and were taken to a hotel in suburban Andheri by the Mumbai District Football Association president Aaditya Thackeray.

New Zealand are in Group B along with Turkey, Paraguay and Mali.

They play their first two group matches against Turkey (on October 6) and Paraguay (October 9) at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai before flying to New Delhi for the third game against Mali on October 12.

The Kiwis will look to replicate the feat of the team at the last edition of tournament two years ago in Chile, where they defeated Paraguay 2-1 to make the Round of 16.

They lost in the play-off stages to Brazil (1-0) but showed huge promise on the world stage.

US, GHANA NAME

SQUADS Meanwhile, star players Josh Sargent and Tim Weah — bound for topflight European clubs — will lead a 21 -member strong United States squad in the upcoming U-17 World Cup.

The US Soccer Federation named 17 players who were part of the team that played in the qualifying in which they finished second.

The USA are in Group A along with hosts India, Colombia and Ghana. They open their campaign against India on October 6, followed by matches against Ghana on October 9 and Colombia on October 12. Sargent will sign with Bundesliga (German League) club Werder Bremen next February when he turns 18. He also played at the U-20 World Cup in Korea earlier this year, making him the first US player since Freddy Adu in 2003 to play in the U-20 and U-17 World Cups in the same year.

Weah, son of former Fifa World Player of the Year and Liberia great George Weah, signed with Paris Saint Germain earlier this year.

SQUADS USA: Goalkeepers: Alex Budnik, Carlos Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin Garces; Defenders: Sergino Dest, Christopher Gloster, Jaylin Lindsey, James Sands, Tyler Shaver, Akil Watts; Midfielders: George Acosta, Taylor Booth, Christopher Durkin, Blaine Ferri, Chris Goslin, Indiana Vassilev; Forwards: Ayo Akinola, Andrew Carleton, Jacobo Reyes, Bryan Reynolds, Joshua Sargent, Tim Weah.

Ghana: Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Danlad, Michael Acquaye, Kwame Aziz; Defenders: Najeeb Yakubu, Gideon Mensah, Bismark Terry Owusu, Edmund ArkoMensah, Abdul Razak Yusif, Gideon Acquah, Rashid Alhassan, John Out; Midfielders: Isaac Gyamfi, Gabriel Leveh, Ibrahim Sulley, Mohammed Kudus, Emmanuel Toku, Mohammed Iddriss; Strikers: Eric Ayiah, Richard Danso, Mohammed Aminu, Ibrahim Sadiq.