Host nation India will get the FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017 underway when they square off against the United States of America in the curtain raiser of the tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.Pitted alongside USA, Colombia and Ghana in Group A, the hosts will have their work cut out if they want to make it beyond the group stage. That said, the team certainly has the manpower to pull off a few upsets.The Indian defence has a formidable look to it with the presence of the versatile Boris Singh. Deployed mostly as a left-back, the 17-year-old’s deftness with the ball at his feet can be traced back to him practising dribbling with a tennis ball. He will be helped at the back by Punjab-born centre-back Anwar Ali, who was a part of the Minerva Academy squad that beat the Indian team earlier in March.Anchoring the midfield will be the duo of Suresh Singh and Amarjit Singh. The former is no stranger to such a stage having captained the team that played in the AFC U-16 Championships last year. Both Suresh and Amarjit’s playmaking prowess will enable India to launch swift attacks, while also marshalling the centre of the park with gusto. The fleet-footed Komal Thatal, who netted a wonder strike against Brazil in the BRICS Championship last year, will be another midfielder to keep an eye on.The responsibility of finding the back of the net will mostly fall on Abhijit Sarkar, who has shown good form having scored seven goals in 19 matches. Aniket Jadhav, who has represented Pune FC at the Under-19 Hero I-League level, will also need to shoulder the responsibility up front.Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Manipuri goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, who has been a long-term first choice custodian for his team, can expect to have his hands full with opponents like USA, Colombia, and Ghana.Of course, opening match opponents USA have a squad that can give any team in the competition a run for their money. 12 of the 21 selected players are part of Major League Soccer [MLS] clubs. Besides that, they have Josh Sargent, who is the country’s first representative in over a decade in both the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups in the same year. Another of their prized players is Tim Weah who, earlier this year, signed for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain.While India will want to use the home advantage and take the attack to the visitors, they will need to be wary of USA’s threat as they look to play to their strengths.
