Burrell’s Liotta selected as assistant coach for U.S. national team

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 | 12:01 AM

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Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta has been named the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the U18 U.S. national team that will take part in USA Football’s International Bowl on Jan. 14 and 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s an honor to be selected to represent the United States and coach some phenomenal athletes,” Liotta said. “Any time you get the chance to wear the red, white and blue it’s very humbling. I am also very proud to represent the Burrell School District on a national stage. They told me they want to see a lot of points on the scoreboard, so we’re going to see if we can light it up down there.”

The 18U national team features some of the top players in the country who have committed or are expected to commit to some of the top Division I programs.

Honored and proud to announce that I have been named the Offensive Coordinator/QB coach for the U18 US National Team @USNFT for the International Bowl in January. Thankful for the opportunity to represent our country and my school district @BSDBucs. Thank you @CoachAI @ChuckT17 pic.twitter.com/5atLG4oBBP

— Shawn Liotta (@ShawnLiotta) September 17, 2019

This is the 11th year for the event. It began with a single 18U game between the U.S. and a team from Canada.

Canada owns a 6-4 advantage in the series, but the U.S. team won the most recent meeting in January by a 42-21 score.

The event has grown to include other countries and age groups. Sweden, Denmark, Australia and American Samoa have formed teams for this event.

This year, the U.S. will take on teams from Panama (U19), Japan (U17) and Mexico (U16).

“As football around the world continues to grow, we grow with it,” said Aaron Ingram, USA Football’s senior manager of national teams.

All of the games will be played at AT&T Stadium.

The team-building process began with regional tryouts in the spring. The selection committee started notifying players and coaches over the past two weeks.

“We’re lucky to find someone like Shawn,” Ingram said. “He’s an outstanding teacher. He can relate to kids instantly, and they easily relate back to him. I knew right away we needed to have him in our program. We’re excited to have Shawn work with the quarterbacks and call plays.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell