Sporting Kansas City Academy forward Tyler Freeman marked his debut for the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team with a goal in a 2-2 draw against the Costa Rica U-17s on Tuesday in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Freeman (No. 10 above) was an unused substitute on Monday as the U.S. U-17s ousted rivals Mexico 1-0 in the first of four friendly matches during their two-week training camp in Costa Rica. The Shawnee, Kansas, native was given a start on Tuesday, however, and made the most of it by playing the full match and firing his side ahead with a 47th-minute penalty kick. Freeman also recorded a secondary assist on the Americans' second goal, playing playing Jahlane Forbes into space before David Arce tucked home to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead after 70 minutes.
Costa Rica managed to equalize twice, denying the U.S. their second win in as many days. Freeman made a strong impact nevertheless, and will have the opportunity to represent his country twice more before the training camp ends. The U-17s are scheduled for a rematch with Costa Rica on Friday and will end the trip with another battle against Mexico on Sunday.
At just 15 years old, Freeman is the youngest player on the 23-man squad and the only selection born in 2003. The forward is also one of four players to earn his first call-up at the U-17 level, having helped the U.S. U-16s to a third-place finish at the prestigious Torneo Delle Nazioni in Italy in April.
As a member of the Sporting KC Academy, Freeman spent most of the 2017-18 campaign with the U-17s, where he scored four goals in 16 league appearances and helped the team reach the Development Academy Playoffs.
Freeman, a rising junior at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, previously represented Sporting KC at the U-13, U-14 and U-16 levels. He led the U-13s to a fourth-place finish at the 2016 CONCACAF U-13 Champions League, scoring three goals in the tournament, before joining the U-14 BNT for the first time in November 2016.