U.S. UNDER-17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OPENS CONCACAF U-17 QUALIFIERS WITH 8-0 WIN AGAINST ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

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U.S. UNDER-17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OPENS CONCACAF U-17 QUALIFIERS WITH 8-0 WIN AGAINST ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

Aaron Medina Records Perfect Hat Trick in First Half;

Paul Sokoloff and Malik Jakupovic Bag Braces, While Will Ostrander Provides Three Assists;

USA Continues Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers on Saturday, Feb. 7 Against St. Kitts and Nevis (7 p.m. ET; FS2)

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Feb. 5, 2026) – The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team rode a perfect first-half hat trick from Aaron Medina, along with braces from Paul Sokoloff and Malik Jakupovic to earn a dominant 8-0 win against hosts St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the opening match of the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers.

Following the first matchday, the USA sits atop Group F with three points and a +8 goal differential, edging ahead of Dominican Republic who defeated St. Kitts and Nevis 5-0 in the day’s earlier match.

The U.S. next faces St. Kitts and Nevis on Saturday, Feb. 7 (7 p.m. ET; FS2). The winner of each of the eight Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers groups advance to 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar this fall.

The U.S. controlled the game from the opening whistle, outshooting the Vincy Heat 27-3 and holding an overwhelming 69 percent of possession.

The U-17 MNT wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Medina netted the game’s opening goal with a left-footed volley from an Ostrander pass in just the sixth minute of play.

After a sweeping attack, the U.S. doubled the lead in the 15th minute via an own goal deflected from a Medina shot. The LA Galaxy attacker then bagged his brace in the 29th minute, tapping in a cross from Ostrander with his right just in front of the net. The forward completed his perfect hat trick to give the U.S. a three-goal advantage with a directed header from a Max Steelman cross in the 37th minute.

The U.S. continued its dominant form into the second half as Sokoloff made a daring run inside the box before finishing an Ostrander assist to make it 5-0 in the 61^st minute. The midfielder bagged a brace five minutes later, heading home a Mattheo Dimareli corner kick at the near post in the 66^th minute.

Substitute forward Malik Jakupovic made it 7-0 when he rose above the defense to put home a cross from Sokoloff in the 71^st minute. Jakupovic added his second of the game, finishing off a pass from Myles Gardner to cap the scoring at 8-0 in the 87th.

-U.S. UNDER-17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT- 

Match: United States Under-17 Men’s National Team vs. St. Vincent and the Grenadines 

Date: Feb. 5, 2026 

Competition: 2026 Concacaf Under-17 Qualifiers – Group F 

Venue: Arnos Vale Stadium; Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Attendance: 375

Kickoff: 7 p.m. local (6 p.m. ET) 

Weather: 78 degrees, clear 

Scoring Summary 1 2 F 

USA 4 4 8 

VIN 0 0 0

USA – Aaron Medina (Will Ostrander) 6^th minute

USA – Own Goal (Damarion Peterson) 15

USA – Aaron Medina (Will Ostrander) 28 USA – Aaron Medina (Max Steelman) 37

USA – Paul Sokoloff (Will Ostrander) 61

USA – Paul Sokoloff (Mattheo Dimareli) 66

USA – Malik Jakupovic (Paul Sokoloff) 71

USA - Malik Jakupovic (Myles Gardner) 87

Lineups: 

USA: 1-James Donaldson; 3-Prince Forfor, 13-Daniel Barrett, 4-Tyson Espy, 5-Liam Vejrostek; 15-Peter Molinari (6-Landry Walker, 77), 8-Kaedren Spivey; 20-Max Steelman (7-Myles Gardner, 72), 18-Paul Sokoloff (Capt.) (10-Vicente Garcia, 72), 11-Will Ostrander (17-Mattheo Dimareli, 63); 19-Aaron Medina (9-Malik Jakupovic, 62)

Substitutes not used: 2-Eddie Chadwick, 12-Matthew White, 14-Astin Mbaye, 16-Roko Pehar, 21-Keller Abbott

Head coach: Alex Aldaz   

VIN: 1-David Butler; 13-Shemron Gaymes (2-Adam Pierre, 64), 3-Damarion Peterson, 5-Xavroy Barbour, 20-Gideon Bess (14-Julian Hendrickson, 46); 6-Jolanson Charles, 8-Jonathan Keizer (17-Glenrick Hazell, 84); 15-Javier Friday, 12-Jaymor Williams, 7-Reggie Barbour (11-Beau Hoyte, 46); 9-Daemar Michael

Substitutes not used: 4-Joshua King, 10-Luke Duncan, 18-Emon Gill, 19-Mario Taylor Jr. 21-Dinesh Grant

Head coach: Kendale Mercury   

Stats Summary: USA / VIN 

Shots: 27 / 3

Shots on Goal: 12 / 3

Saves: 3 / 5

Corner Kicks: 11 / 0

Fouls: 15 / 10

Offside: 8 / 0

Misconduct Summary:  VIN – Adam Pierre (Caution) 70^th minute

Officials:  

Referee: Michah Erskine (GUY) Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Browne (ATG)