Tyler Shaver, 15, who lives in Greenwich, CT, has just returned from France where his U.S. U17 Men’s National team went undefeated against Brazil, England and Russia, to earn a place in the final against host France. They won that game 3-2 to win the 44th annual Mondial de Montaigu Tournament.
Games played:
Brazil 1-1 on March 22
England 2-2 on March 24
Russia 4-0 on March 26
France 3-2 on March 28
Shaver played all 80 minutes of each game other than the game against England where he was rested.
In the final game, Shaver’s assist enabled forward Tim Weah to score a go-ahead goal for the United States after just 6 minutes. “That was a highlight of the tournament for me,” says Tyler, who plays as a central defender. Another highlight was prior to the France game, when U.S. Coach Shaun Tsakiris told Tyler that he would be Co-Captain with Chris Goslin.
Tyler, who plays for CT’s Beachside Soccer Club, is one of 20 boys in the country who represented the U.S. in France. “It’s always an honor to be able to wear the U.S. crest and represent the U.S.A., and it was a special honor for me to be made captain as we closed out the event. It was very exciting to win my first international tournament with such talented and skilled teammates and a lot of fun to be able to play soccer world powers. I look forward to returning to Residency and Beachside [my academy team] to continue my development.” Tyler has previously competed in Argentina, England and Turkey with the U.S. National team.
Earlier this year, Tyler was invited to the U.S. National team’s full time residency program in Bradenton, Florida. When he is not training with the U.S. National team, he is a defender for Beachside Soccer Club, where he plays on the U17-18 academy team. He previously played for New York Soccer Club.
Photo: CT’s Tyler Shaver controls the ball against France (photo Freddy Arteaga )