We showed we are a footballing nation: US U-17 coach

The United States Under-17 football team head coach John Hackworth on Monday said the country can hope for a better future in football post their entry into the quarter-finals of the age-group World Cup, after the senior team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

The US failed in their Concacaf qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after an underwhelming performance against Trinidad and Tobago.

Here in the Indian capital, the US U-17 team powered past Paraguay 5-0 to enter the quarter-finals.

Hackworth, even though denied that their entry into the last eight will be a compensation for the senior team's failure, he hoped that the Americans can hope of a better future.

"I don't think anything will take away that (the missed qualification for 2018 World Cup). It is at a different level. We talked about it and I told these guys that the responsibility is falling on them to give hope to our country. Any bad result brings negativity and more so the disqualification," Hackworth said at the post-match press conference.

"Hopefully with this performance we have shown to our country and the whole world that we are a footballing nation and we have shown that we have potential world-class players."

Hackworth's boys will meet the winner between England and Japan who faceoff in Kolkata on Tuesday.

--IANS

pur/nir