By Calum Wilson
Last Updated: 18/10/17 5:19pm
Steve Cooper is hoping to guide England to their first ever Under-17 World Cup semi-final
England Under-17 manager Steve Cooper is refusing to get carried away as he prepares his team for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against the United States.
Cooper's side beat Japan after a penalty shootout to reach the last eight, after drawing 0-0 in Kolkata.
England have never reached the semi-finals of the Under-17 World Cup and will go into the match with USA full of confidence after winning all three of their group games prior to the victory over Japan.
Despite that, Cooper told Sky Sports that his players are not getting over excited about their chances of winning the tournament.
"One step at a time," said Cooper. "The boys will tell you that. We said at the group stages, first of all it was about qualification then it was about topping the group and obviously when you get to knockout football it is what it says it is.
England's Jadon Sancho was recalled from the World Cup by Borussia Dortmund
"You have to win to stay in the competition so to look any further than the next game would be a little bit naïve of us. We're not going to fall for that.
"We're fully focused on the controllables and that is our preparation and our performance against the US."
The US thrashed Paraguay 5-0 in New Delhi to reach the last eight and Cooper expects another difficult game on Saturday.
"We're staying focused, not getting carried away and looking forward to a really tough game coming up against the US," he said.
Liverpool's Rhian Brewster impressed in the last-16 win over Japan
"They're a good team with some good players. They're athletic as well as being technically gifted. They play with a clear identity so we know we're coming up against a tough opposition but you wouldn't expect any different in a quarter-final of a World Cup.
"But as always we'll be focused on ourselves, putting the right game plan together and try and create an environment for the players so that they can go and give their best and deliver when it counts.
"One of the big aspects of being an England teams at the moment is about having a playing style and an identity that can be used in any game so we won't be any different comparing for this game."
After making it out of the group, England were dealt a blow when Borussia Dortmund recalled Jadon Sancho from the competition. Cooper expressed his disappointment at the decision but the Welshman is adamant his focus is now fully on his remaining squad.
England boss Cooper says his side are taking each game as it comes
"It's all about the team," said Cooper. "I'm only interested now in the 20 boys that are here that did brilliantly last night [against Japan]. They played some great football, showed great character in not conceding.
"Japan were a tough opposition that put up a good defensive block and at times it was difficult to get through."
Whatever the outcome of Saturday's game, the England boss says his young players will have learned a lot from reaching the knockout stages of a World Cup.
"We've enjoyed our experience so far," said Cooper. "We've played in front of some amazing attendances which has been a real benefiting factor for the players because they're still quite young so to get an early experience of playing in front of crowds like that will serve them well in the long-term. They seem to thrive on it, which is a good sign.
"We're now in Goa and that's part of the experience as well, moving from one part of India to another, set the camp up and get ready for another game.
"Performances have been really good and the lads have grown in confidence from that."
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