Four the fourth time in four tournaments Team USA will battle with Team Canada in the gold medal game of the 2016 IFAF Under-19 World Championship.
The United States has won the tournament twice defeating Canada in 2009 41-3 and then again in 2014 40-17. Canada beat Team USA in 2012, 23-17 for the gold.
Team USA opened the tournament downing Austria 65-14 before coming from behind to defeat Canada 34-14 in the second game for both teams. The United States then scored 41 second half points to beat Japan 50-20 to earn a berth in the gold medal game. Canada rallied against Mexico in their first game scoring three late touchdowns to win 30-16. Then after the loss to Team USA, Canada played Mexico again, this time to determine a spot in the final, winning 28-21.
Team Austria defeated Australia 43-13 Saturday July 9 to earn fifth place in the tournament.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Canada
- Samuel Makwanda (No. 16). Makwanda was effective in the first meeting between the two teams, rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
- Félix Lussier-Roy (No. 3). The U.S. was mostly able to bottle up Lussier-Roy last time, but he broke loose against Mexico for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Makwanda and Lussier-Roy combined for a solid one-two punch in the backfield.
- DeShawn Stevens (No. 11). The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker is a major defensive playmaker. The Ontario native played at the Kent School (Conn.) and will continue his football career at the University of Maine in the fall.
United States
- Eddie Lewis (No. 1). Lewis made numerous big catches in the United States’ win over Japan. He is extremely talented at racking up yards after the catch and is perhaps the team’s top receiving target.
- Walter Lewis (No. 10). Against Japan, Lewis had a breakout game, finding the end zone on three separate occasions. The Timber Creek (Erial, N.J.) product figures to be a focal point of the offense once again Sunday.
- Ryan Coleman (No. 55). Coleman made numerous big defensive plays Thursday against Japan, including returning a fumble 94 yards for a touchdown. He’s coming off a senior season in which he registered 106 tackles, including 24 for loss.
The livestream is provided by Maximo Advance.
