Poor France. It's bad enough that they're still living down the 1940 German takeover, which turned out to be more of an understanding than an invasion. Now they have again suffered an international embarrassment, although that may be overselling it a tad. Whatever, the French fell to the Americans in the inaugural Football Junior World Championship yesterday in Canton, Ohio. The final, 78-0, was slightly less surprising than getting run out of their own country by the Germans during World War II. Primarily because unlike the French army, considered the most powerful in Europe at the time, there wasn't much in the way of expectations for the French Junior National Team.
Also not helping: most of the American squad was made up of future Division I players, including running back David Wilson (Virginia Tech), who rushed for 181 yards on 12 carries, and scored four touchdowns.
For France, it was a learning experience.
"We knew that it would be a really tough game to play. When we qualified by finishing third in the European Junior Championship, we knew we would play USA this July. (USA) had more days of camp than us; they are bigger, faster and stronger, and they were more prepared," said France head coach Olivier Moret.Stat worth mentioning: the French passed for 38 yards but rushed for -31, a 0.1-yard per play average. Other fun facts: The U.S. racked up 610 yards of total offense, and their defense had 20 tackles for loss, three sacks and two picks.
"Football is a game of fight and you have to prepare them to play well, even though you know the game will be long and lost."
Running back Thomas Ruiz, who earned France's MVP award, said: "It is the toughest game I have ever played. But it was also the best. I have learned today that I have got to work harder."
Next up for the Americans: a second-round showdown with Team Mexico, who squeaked by the Swedes, 41-0. Fun starts at 7 PM ET Wednesday.
Via NFLPRGuy's Twitter feed
