Wisconsin Soccer Central

As high school students across Wisconsin were preparing to head back to school last week, Wind Lake's Luka Prpa was on a plane headed to Florida for the next step in his education – on and off the soccer field.

Prpa was one of 29 players named to the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program for the 2014 fall semester, and one of nine new players in the program.

He and his teammates will live in Bradenton, Fla., and train each morning at the IMG Academy facilities under the direction of Under-17 national team coach Richie Williams and his staff. In the afternoon, the players will attend classes at nearby St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Prpa played for Muskego High School in 2012, then played with Chicago Magic PSG in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy during the 2013-14 season. The midfielder, who previously played with North Shore United, scored 14 goals as the side finished third in the Under-15/16 competition.

He's just the fourth Wisconsin player to be part of the Residency Program since it started in 1999, following Waukesha defender Tim Ward (2002 to '04), Middleton goalkeeper Josh Lambo (2005 to '07) and Milwaukee defender Brice Carr (2007).

More than 100 of the 400-plus players who have been part of the program have gone on to play professional soccer.

• Hapoel Haifa striker Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) scored his seventh international goal on Tuesday, helping Canada beat Jamaica 3-1 in a friendly in Toronto to end a 16-match winless streak. Ricketts sealed the victory in the 72nd minute, finishing after Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake dropped a cross played in by Simeon Jackson as Canada gave manager Benito Floro his first win in his first home game. The Canadians, who won after allowing the first goal for the first time since 1995, had been 0-11-5 since a 3-0 victory over Cuba in a World Cup qualifier back on Oct. 12, 2012. On Twitter: @TosaintRicketts
• The U.S. Futsal national team, including Philip Suprise (Milwaukee Pius), beat professional club La Nata 11-6 last Tuesday in Buenos Aires in the finale of their tour of Argentina. The Americans, led by former Milwaukee Wave coach Keith Tozer and assistant Mark Litton (Racine St. Catherine's/UW-Parkside), lost to Argentina 5-1 and 5-3 the previous weekend in Mar del Plata – the Argentines, ranked fifth in the world, also beat the 35th-ranked U.S. twice earlier in the week.