Charlotte FC's Homegrown product, Nimfasha Berchimas, has garnered attention as the youngest player selected to represent USA at the FIFA U-17 World Cup since Freddy Adu in 2003. On Sunday, he made headlines yet again by netting two goals in the opening match, the youngest scorer for the USYNT in the tournament since - you guessed it - Freddy Adu.
Berchimas opened up the scoring with an impressive strike in the 7th minute – the very number he proudly wears on his jersey.
Berchimas may not have been credited on the statistics sheet for the second goal scored by the U.S., but he played a crucial role in the build-up that led to Cruz Medina's strike. His shot from close range was parried away by the South Korea goalkeeper and straight into Medina's path to fire in the go-ahead goal.
Not to be denied, though, Charlotte FC's winger sealed his brace in the 73rd minute with a precise finish using his weaker foot, ultimately propelling his nation to a 3-1 victory and a strong start to their U-17 World Cup campaign.
The best finish by a U.S. team at the U-17 World Cup was a fourth place finish in 1999, and the last extended knockout round run was in 2017. Berchimas and the rest of the U-17 USYNT will be looking to add their names to the history of the tournament as they finish group stage play this week.
Up next will be a match against Burkina Faso on Wednesday, November 15 at 4:00 AM EST followed by the final group stage match against France on Saturday, November 18th at 7:00 AM EST.
