Swope Park Rangers defender Jaylin Lindsey started and played the full 90 minutes for the United States Under-17 Men's National Team on Monday in a 2-1 victory over Malaysia at Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama, India. Joshua Sargent -- an O'Fallen, Missouri, native -- scored both goals for the United States.
With the win, the United States finishes atop the group stage standings (2-0-2, 8 points) and advances to the tournament final against South Korea. The championship match will be streamed live on YouTube at 9:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday.
Lindsey is one of 23 players on the U.S. roster, led by head coach John Hackworth, as the team prepares to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. The 16-year-old made his debut with the Swope Park Rangers earlier this month and became the first American player with a birth year of 2000 or later to play in a professional game.
The Charlotte, N.C. native joined the Sporting KC Academy in early 2015 and has made 24 appearances across the last two seasons between the Under-18's and Under-16's. Since the start of 2016, Lindsey has spent significant time training with both the Swope Park Rangers and Sporting Kansas City.
Lindsey has been a part of the U.S. Youth National Team setup since 2013, when he was called in to the U.S. Under-14's for the first of five eventual training camps with the team. He was called in to the U.S. Under-15's for the first time in December 2014 before solidifying his presence on the squad with three additional inclusions the following year – winning the Italian Tournament delle Nazioni in the process.
In late 2015, Lindsey was called in to his first U.S. Under-17 camp as a 15-year-old, making three appearances at the Nike International Friendlies in Florida, logging minutes against England, the Netherlands and Brazil. He re-joined the U-17's at the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Aegean Cup in Turkey, where he made appearances against Turkey and Romania.
