Jonjoe Kenny says Everton Under-19s are focused on going all the way in the Dallas Cup after reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
The Kirkdale-born defender has played a key role at the heart of the young Blues’ defence so far in the competition, completing every minute of all three groups games.
Paul Tait’s side progressed through to Friday’s semi-finals as the best runners-up, and Kenny says there is a determination within the squad to go on and secure silverware.
“It has been tough after getting beat in the first game but we’ve bounced back,” he told evertontv. “It was a great team performance [against Ryutsu-Keizai University] and the lads had to dig in.
“We’ve travelled a long way to play in the tournament and we don’t want to nearly do it and just get to the semi-finals, we want to win it.
“It’s up to us. The final is soon after the semi-final and it’s a big carrot for us because we know there’s a possibility of getting there.”
The young Toffees have recorded back-to-back clean sheets in their last two games, with shut-outs against LA Galaxy and Ryutsu-Keizai.
And Kenny says he has been delighted to contribute towards a solid foundation, which will now be tested by free-scoring Brazilian outfit Coritiba in the last four.
“That’s my job - to keep clean sheets,” he added. “I leave scoring goals to the strikers and I’m always buzzing to get a clean sheet because it’s like scoring a goal for me.”
