Tag: CONCACAF U-17 Championship

U.S. U-17 star Keyrol Figueroa explains why he picked the United States

His father is an all-time Honduras great, but the teenager has opted for the U.S.

Keyrol Figueroa has spoken out about his decision to represent the United States amid a standout CONCACAF U-17 Championship performance.

Figueroa is the co-leading scorer at the tournament with six goals, scoring a brace earlier this week as the U.S. defeated Guatemala 5-3 to clinch a spot at the U-17 World Cup later this year.

There has been plenty of attention of late around Figueroa, who is the son of former Honduras great Maynor Figueroa.

Keyrol Figueroa was born in Honduras but moved to England at a young age when his father transferred to Wigan — then in the Premier League. Keyrol would eventually return to England when he signed with Liverpool, where he currently plays for the club’s U-18 side.

Though his father has the most caps in Honduras history with 181 and he’s also eligible to represent England, Keyrol has opted to represent the United States at international level.

In a video posted on U.S. Soccer’s Twitter, he explained that having family all across the United States influenced his decision.

“I was questioning which team I was going to represent,” he said. “But what made me pick the U.S. is the fact that all my family are spread across the U.S. I think every little person represents me. So I thought the U.S. was a perfect choice. I want to represent them and make them proud. I want to make everyone close to me proud because I think it’s not just my dream, it grew into everybody’s dream.”

Maynor Figueroa only recently retired after he played in MLS from 2015 to 2021 with Colorado, FC Dallas and Houston. He also played for Honduras in the most recent World Cup qualifying cycle, starting both games against the USMNT.

Keyrol Figueroa said that his father has taught him plenty about being a striker, despite spending his career as a defender.

“He was a defender, and he knew what he hated about strikers that he played against,” the 16-year-old said. “So he’d always teach me. He taught me how to beat players one-v-one, or even where to put [the ball] in the back of the net. Because sometimes when I was younger, I used to love to kick the ball hard, but he actually taught me how to compose myself and slow myself down and where to put it.”

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U.S. Under-17s reach World Cup with wild win at Guatemala

Keyrol Figueroa scored a pair to take the lead for most goals at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship

The United States has reached the U-17 World Cup after a wild 5-3 win against a Guatemala side boosted by a vociferous home crowd.

Tuesday night’s CONCACAF U-17 Championship quarterfinal was for a berth at the U-17 World Cup, and both teams were up for the game in front of 11,275 fans at Estadio Nacional Doroteo Guamuch Flores.

The USYNT took an early 2-0 lead before Guatemala pulled a goal back just before the half. The game really kicked into overdrive, though, at the beginning of the second half as three goals were scored in a span of three minutes.

The first was the pick of the night as defender Aiden Harangi struck it pure from 25 yards out, going low into the far corner to give the U.S. a 3-1 lead.

Two minutes later, Guatemala pulled one back to make it 3-2, before the U.S. would hit back a minute after that. Keyrol Figueroa scored his second of the night, as the Liverpool striker became the co-leading scorer at the tournament with his sixth goal.

The U.S. wouldn’t be able to coast from there, however, as Guatemala made it 4-3 in the 74th minute to spark a huge response from a home crowd looking to lift their side to an equalizer. Those fans were quieted in the 83rd minute, though, when Taha Habroune scored to make it 5-3 and finally put the game away.

With the win, the U.S. advanced to the semifinals on Friday, where it will take on the winner of Thursday’s Canada-Puerto Rico match.

The win also saw the U.S. qualify for the U-17 World Cup for the 18th time, the most of any country. Peru will host the event, which will take place in November and December of this year.

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