Keyrol Figueroa scored in USA’s 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso at the under-17s World Cup on Wednesday
Liverpool forward Keyrol Figueroa netted his first goal of the under-17s World Cup to help the United States edge victory over Burkina Faso and secure qualification to the last-16.
Keyrol Figueroa of USA celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Group E match between USA and Burkina Faso
The 17-year-old, who started his country’s opener against South Korea on Sunday, fired the USA ahead on the brink of half-time in Indonesia with a composed finish at the far post. Figueroa lasted 65 minutes in Wednesday’s encounter with his strike setting the USA on their way to a 2-1 victory and assuring of their place in next week’s round-of-16.
Figueroa, who is the son of former Premier League defender Maynor Figueroa, will now prepare for Saturday’s clash against France, with both sides set to battle it out for top spot in Group E.
The under-17s World Cup is the latest international tournament the Reds forward has set alight this year after dominating the headlines during the USA’s run to the final of the CONCACAF U-17 Championships. Figueroa scored seven goals in as many games before his side were defeated by Mexico in February’s final.
Born in Honduras, Figueroa, who once netted a remarkable 90 goals in a single season for the Reds’ academy, made the move to Liverpool from Major League Soccer side FC Dallas in 2018 as an under-14s player.
Since his switch across the Atlantic, the versatile forward has progressed right the way through the Anfield youth ranks and has become a regular feature of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s under-18s side.
This campaign, however, injuries have restricted the 17-year-old to just one outing in the under-18s Premier League as he battled to prove his fitness in time for the under-17s finals in Indonesia.
Last season, he returned four goals and three assists in 13 games across all competitions, which included a promotion to Liverpool’s under-19s UEFA Youth League squad for their knockout tie against Sporting CP.
