Andrew Carleton dazzled the crowd with a goal and two assists in a stunning performance that propelled the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time since 2005.
Facing Paraguay in the first round of the knockout stages, Carleton was deployed in a more central attacking midfielder role after playing largely on the wing the past few matches. His impact from the middle was almost immediate, with a key contribution that didn’t even show up on the scoresheet. Just 18 minutes into the game, he hit a defense-splitting pass that set up a teammate to cross into Timothy Weah for a tap-in to make the score 1-0.
That ball from @andrewcarleton7 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k8F8LhkMjM
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) October 16, 2017
Then it was another Atlanta United Homegrown on the roster, Chris Goslin, who nearly scored the goal of the tournament just before halftime. After Carleton drew a foul no less than 40 yards from goal, Goslin was audacious with the ensuing free kick, sending in a powerful, curling blast that smacked off the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten.
Keeping us on the edge of our seats, @chrisgoslin17 👀 pic.twitter.com/VjlW502CqX
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) October 16, 2017
After Timothy Weah’s long-distance shot made it 2-0 to the U.S., the second half turned into the Andrew Carleton show. After some nice interplay on the right wing, striker Josh Sargent laid the ball into Carleton’s path at the top of the box and he made no mistake, sending a swerving first-time shot into the bottom corner.
Then Carleton turned creator. First, he returned the favor to Sargent, playing a perfectly-weighted through ball into the striker’s path to set up the fourth goal. Just minutes later, he collected a loose ball and took out the entire Paraguay defense with one pass, putting it on a plate for Timothy Weah to slam home his hat trick from close range.
The U.S. would finish the game with a 5-0 victory, with Atlanta United goalkeeper Justin Garces securing his third clean sheet in four matches at the tournament so far. Carleton now has two goals and three assists in four matches so far this tournament, and it’s only the second time the Americans have won a knockout match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The team will now face the winner of England/Japan later this week with a spot in the semifinals the prize for the winner.
