The U.S. U-23 national team hammered the Bosnia-Herzegovina U-23 national team, 5-2, in Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina on Friday in a tune-up for the Americans’ 2016 Olympic qualifying campaign, which takes place in October.
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The U.S. U-23s jumped on the board early though Stanford forward Jordan Morris’s 8th-minute strike from the top of the box, and went two goals ahead after Mario Rodriguez applied the finish on Morris’s assist six minutes later.
Morris, who chose to return to Stanford next year rather than sign a Homegrown Player deal with the Seattle Sounders, also received a call-up to the senior national team in November.
Bosnia answered back 20 minutes into the second half, cutting the Americans’ lead to 2-1 before former Chicago Fire midfielder Benji Joya converted from the penalty spot to restore the two-goal lead.
The Bosnians converted a penalty of their own minutes later to cut the lead back to one, but a pair of late goals by Alonso Hernandez (Monterrey) and Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes) completed the rout.
The U.S. U-23s are scheduled to face Denmark U-23 squad next Tuesday in Copenhagen.
U.S. U-23 LINEUP
Charlie Horton (Cardiff City), Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake), Will Packwood (Birmingham City), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Pablo Ocegueda (Oaxaca), Jerome Kiesewetter (Stuttgart), Benji Joya (Unattachd), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Ariel Lassiter (LA Galaxy II), Jordan Morris (Stanford), Mario Rodriguez (Monchengladbach)
Goals: Morris (8'), Rodriguez (14'), Joya (66'), Hernandez (78'), Alashe (86')
