Preview: US U-17s v. Malawi

With their frustrating loss to Spain in the rear view mirror, the US U-17s now look ahead to their game against Malawi on Thursday. If Wilmer Cabrera and company want to have a realistic shot of moving on to the knockout stages, they will need a positive result.

Malawi come into the match a little short handed, as midfielder Gastin Simkonda and defender Kodwani Lefeyo will miss the match because of red cards in their opener against the UAE. Nevertheless, they will provide a solid test for a US backline that had its struggles in the opener against Spain. Malawi controlled the first half of their opening match and were unlucky not to score in the first half, as they were denied by the post twice.

Malawi made it to the U-17 World Cup in a fairly unimpressive manner, dropping 3 of 4 games, and losing another that did not end up counting because of Niger's disqualification. Despite their record, their fourth place finish was good enough for the final CAF berth. After losing their opener, they too will be pressing for a result on Thursday, so expect to see an active attack from the Africans.

The US, meanwhile, will try to improve on loss to Spain. The defense had several shaky moments, looking flat-footed and slow to react at times. Striker Jack McInerney will be looking to add to his tally in the opener, while Stefan Jerome will work to get his name on the score sheet as well. After a lackluster performance against Spain that lasted only 45 minutes, Jerome will hope to get the call once more from Wilmer Cabrera and take advantage of the opportunity with quality contributions to the attack.

Wilmer Cabrera has a full squad to choose from, though the fact that Zachary Herold, Eriq Zavaleta, and Marlon Duran are all sitting on yellow cards might influence his lineup and tactical decisions. The match will be at 11 AM ET at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, and it can be seen on ESPNU and ESPN360.com.