A first half goal by Jack McInerney, in the 35th minute, give the US the win over the United Arab Emirates and into the 2nd round.

The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team strode confidently into the second round of the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup with a 1-0 victory against United Arab Emirates at Gateway International Stadium in their final match in Group E. Jack McInerney’s first-half strike proved the difference in the USA’s second consecutive shutout in the tournament.

McInerney scored his second goal of the tournament off a rebound of a Nick Palodichuk shot in the 35th minute, slotting home inside the left post from six yards out with UAE goalkeeper Ahmed Shambih scrambling to recover.

With the win, the U.S. finished in second place in Group E with six points and advanced to the round of 16 at the tournament, where they’ll face Italy, winners of Group F on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. ET in Kaduna, Nigeria. The match can be followed live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, at twitter.com/ussoccer and at espn360.com. The television broadcast information will be announced soon.

Spain, who defeated the U.S. 2-1 in their opening match, took first in Group E with nine points from a perfect record, while UAE has also advanced on three points as one of the four best third-place teams.

It is the fourth consecutive FIFA Under-17 World Cup where the U.S. has advanced past the group stage, and seventh overall. The United States is the only nation to have participated in all thirteen events.