McGann, U.S. U17s take first in Nike International Friendlies

Philadelphia Union Academy defender Rayshaun McGann and the U.S. U17 team won the 2016 Nike International Friendlies tournament in Florida with a resounding three wins over Portugal, Turkey and Brazil.

McGann, 16, was used as a substitute in all three games by head coach John Hackworth. He came on in the 75th minute for midfielder Blaine Ferri in the first game and scored a goal in stoppage time to seal the 7-1 win over Portugal.

He came on in the 71st minute for defender Christopher Gloster in the 5-1 win over Turkey and in the 42ns minute for midfielder James Sands in a 3-0 win over Brazil on Sunday that gave the hosts their first title in the annual tournament since 2013 and third overall in the 13 years of the competition.

Former Union Academy goalkeeper C.J. dos Santos (Benfica) was on the roster but didn’t see the field in the three games.

The title is the second for McGann this year with the U17s, which won the 44th Mondial Football de Montaigu tournament in France back in March. McGann and the U.S. U17s lost in the title match of the 2016 AIFF Youth Cup in India to South Korea in May.

With the win, the U17s close out the calendar year with a 19-4-6 record over 29 matches.