In Kano, Nigeria, the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team fell in their opening round match against Spain 2-1, despite an early red card to Spanish defender Sergi Gomez and a Jack McInerney strike in the fourth minute. Spain managed to take the lead with two counter-attacking goals in the 22nd and 30th minutes. The Spanish side withstood several late second-half chances by the U.S. to get the win as the game was broken up by lighting outages on two occasions. The result leaves the United States in third in Group E, and they will look to rebound with a win against fourth place Malawi on Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. ET.

Now that the U.S. has qualified for the World Cup, AmericanSoccerNews is pleased to announce a partnership with Cartan Tours, a FIFA-licensed tour operator and ticket distributor for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Through the partnership, ASN readers will receive a 5% discount on all ticket and travel packages booked through Cartan Tours. To take advantage, simply contact Cartan Tours about their soccer travel packages and mention AmericanSoccerNews when you book your trip. The best way to do this is probably by telephone. Cartan’s toll free number is 1-800-584-2010. Do it soon because tickets are running out. We’ll see you in South Africa!