For the second time in two matches, Alfred Koroma scored on his first touch.
Unfortunately, the forward's effort was one of the few bright spots on Wednesday as the United States U-17 team fell 2-1 to Uzbekistan in their second group-stage match of the U-17 World Cup in Torreón, Mexico.
Koroma replaced an ineffective Esteban Rodriguez at halftime and tallied two minutes later. The strike tied the match after Bobir Davlatov took advantage of Matt Carroll's poor clearance and put the Asian side ahead in the 13th minute.
With the game deadlocked, both squads looked for the game-winner. It didn't take long to come, with Uzbekistan captain Abbosbek Makhstaliev netting a 54th-minute penalty kick after Carroll was called for a questionable foul in the box.
The Americans tried to build an attack but looked disorganized and incapable of breaking down their opponent's bunker defense. The performance was not nearly as impressive as their solid 3-0 defeat of the Czech Republic in the opening match.
The US sit on three points, tied with Uzbekistan and New Zealand, who defeated the Asian side 4-1 in the first match. New Zealand and the Czechs play later on Wednesday.
The Americans will travel to Pachuca to take on the Kiwis on Saturday. The other two teams in the group will play simultaneously.
