Charlotte FC Homegrown player, Nimfasha Berchimas, keeps putting his name in the history books at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. On Wednesday morning, he scored a game-winning goal – his third in two matches – against Burkina Faso, guaranteeing the US a place in the Round of 16.
Berchimas had already garnered attention as the youngest player selected to represent the USA at the FIFA U-17 World Cup since Freddy Adu in 2003. Then, he immediately became the youngest player to score multiple goals at a U-17 World Cup since Adu with a brace in the opening match.
Now, he is just one goal away from tying Adu’s goal tally at a U-17 World Cup (four).
Already up 1-0 over Burkina Faso deep into first half stoppage time, Berchimas doubled the USA’s advantage at Jakarta International Stadium. Left back Peyton Miller delivered a cross on the ground, finding the CLTFC Homegrown on the back post to fire home.
Burkina Faso scored late on in the 89th minute, but Berchimas’s goal stood up as the game-winner in a 2-1 victory.
Berchimas, a High Point, N.C. native, was also instrumental in his side’s opening goal in the 45th minute. He delivered the opening pass to Paulo Rudisill, putting the midfielder into a good position to square across goal for a Keyrol Figueroa tap-in.
Now, Berchimas and the rest of the USA U-17 squad will match up with France in the final group stage game against France on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET (FS1, Telemundo). Both the US and France have perfect 2-0 records, so the final match will be a battle for first place in Group E.
The best finish by a US team at the U-17 World Cup was a fourth place finish in 1999, and the last extended knockout round run was in 2017.
