Team USA on defense vs Chile
Team USA secured a 2nd place finish in Group B with a convincing 34-21 victory over Chile. The match started out evenly and was tied at 8-8 midway through the first half. The U.S. then pulled away for a 14-9 halftime lead. In the 2nd half, Argentina cut the lead to 15-18 at one point, but the U.S. ran off 4 unanswered goals and never looked back closing out the game with 34-21 win.
Leading the U.S. in scoring Sam Hoddersen, with 17 goals. Chile had no answer for Hoddersen, who plays for German 3rd Division side, HSG Rodgau Neider-Roden, as he scored on fast breaks and multiple positions on the court.
Video of USA-CHI: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
The U.S. is now finished with Group play and has a rest day prior to a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday Barring a Chile win over heavily favored Brazil, the U.S. will finish 2nd in Group B.
In Group A action, Argentina beat hosts Paraguay, 33-23 while Uruguay held off the Dominican Republic, 41-38. Argentina is likely to finish first in the Group while Paraguay is likely to finish 2nd. Uruguay would then finish 3rd unless the Dominican Republic beats Paraguay in today’s final match.
After last night’s action, the group standings are
Group A
Argentina 2-0-0 4 points +35 GD
Paraguay 1-1-0 2 points -2 GD
Uruguay 1-1-0 0 2 points -5 GD
Dominican Republic 0-2-0 0 points -28 GD
Group B
Brazil 1-0-0 2 points +28 GD
USA 1-1-0 2 points -21 GD
Chile 0-1-0 0 points -7 GD
Probable Schedule for Team USA
After a rest day on Wednesday, the U.S. will likely play Uruguay on Thursday in the quarterfinal. With a win over Uruguay, the U.S. would then play Argentina in the Semifinals on Friday. A win against Argentina would setup a likely rematch vs Brazil in the championship, while a loss would likely have the U.S. play the winner of the Paraguay-Chile quarterfinal match for 3rd place and the final ticket to the Jr World Championships.