England have qualified comfortably for the 2017 Under-21 European Championship in Poland following their 1-0 win in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Marcell Ozuna Jersey . Aidy Boothroyd got the young stars over the line after Gareth Southgate stepped up for senior duty, securing top spot in Group 9 with a game to spare.Here, we look at the main contributors to a successful qualification campaign, and why the future looks bright for England… Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ?£6.99. No contract. Jordan Pickford - Goalkeeper - Sunderland - 22Englands first-choice goalkeeper at Under-21 level made his debut for Sunderland in the FA Cup last January, and has made five starts for the Black Cats this term.He was linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer by The Sun, and has conceded just two goals in his five appearances in Euro Qualifying.Calum Chambers - Defender - Arsenal (on loan at Middlesbrough) - 21Chambers has been a mainstay in the Under-21s defence throughout the campaign, but is yet to add to his three senior caps picked up in 2014. Matt Targett, Matt Grimes, Calum Chambers and John Swift of England pose with the Toulon trophy in the summer His loan move to Boro in the summer has allowed him more game time, however, and we could be seeing the former Southampton man in the full England squad in years to come.Matt Targett - Defender - Southampton - 21Another youngster to come through Southamptons academy, Targett made 20 appearances for Ronald Koemans side last season.He picked up Southamptons Young Player of the Season award for 2014/15, but the queue ahead of him for senior duty is long, with Danny Rose, Ryan Bertrand, Kieran Gibbs and Luke Shaw all ahead of him at present.Dominic Iorfa - Defender - Wolves - 21The 21-year-old is a regular in the Championship for Wolves, and has also established himself as first-choice right-back for the Under-21s. Dominic Iorfa has impressed for Wolves this season Remarkably well-built for his age at 6ft 2in, the pacy full-back can also get forward, and was linked with a move to West Ham in the summer.Nathan Chalobah - Defender/Midfielder - Chelsea - 21A regular at centre-back for the Under-21s, Chalobah has enjoyed successful loan spells in the Championship in midfield with Watford and Middlesbrough.He spent 2015/16 on loan at Napoli but struggled to break into the side, and having dotted around clubs in previous seasons, is part of Contes first team at the Blues, making two appearances so far this term.James Ward-Prowse - Midfielder - Southampton - 21Ward-Prowse was the first England Under-21 captain to lift the Toulon trophy since Jamie Redknapp in 1994, and scored in the vital wins against Norway and Switzerland earlier in the campaign. James Ward-Prowse has 25 caps for England Under-21s The Saints midfielder has won 25 caps for the young lions and has already made more than 100 appearances for SouthamptonRuben Loftus-Cheek - Midfielder - Chelsea - 20The Chelsea youngster is one of the most hotly-tipped players in the country, and scored the decisive goal in the Toulon Tournament final as England beat France 2-1 before picking up the Player of the Tournament award.Loftus-Cheek has played in all of Englands qualifiers, scoring twice in the process, and was given 17 appearances for Chelseas first team last season. This term, however, he has played only twice, and is yet to make a Premier League appearance under Antonio Conte.Demarai Gray - Midfielder - Leicester - 20 Gray has played for England throughout the youth stages, and made his Under-21 debut in March against Switzerland. Demarai Gray is still attempting to force his way into Claudio Ranieris starting XI His move to Leicester last January thrust him into the spotlight after growing up at Birmingham City, but he faces stiff competition from Marc Albrighton for the left-wing berth at the King Power.Grays superb performance on Thursday against Kazakhstan helped England qualify for Poland, scoring the only goal of the game. Lewis Baker - Midfielder - Chelsea - 21The Chelsea youngster was the top scorer for England in Toulon, netting four times during the tournament and opening the scoring in the final.He is currently on loan at Vitesse in the Eredivisie, and has netted five times in nine appearances already this season.Chuba Akpom - Striker - Arsenal - 20Currently out injured with a back complaint, the Arsenal forward contributed three goals to Englands qualification campaign. Chuba Akpom has three goals in the qualifying campaign Akpom is still eligible to play for Nigeria, however, and it was reported in May that he had been formally approached by the national team.Marcus Rashford - Striker - Manchester United - 18The Manchester United star scored a hat-trick in his one and only Under-21 appearance against Norway last month, and is now fighting for a place in Southgates senior squad ahead of their clashes against Malta and Slovenia.Rashford can of course still appear for the Under-21s in Poland next summer, and team-mate Loftus-Cheek said this week: Im sure he would want to (come into the squad for tournament); its a massive tournament.If he got the chance to play, hed love to play in it and wed love to have him. Marcus Rashford scored a hat-trick in his one and only Under-21 appearance Nathan Redmond - Striker - Southampton - 22Redmond was Norwichs second-highest goalscorer last season as they were relegated from the Premier League, netting six times despite not always being a regular starter for Alex Neils side.He earned an £11m move to Southampton in the summer, and has been deployed as a centre-forward by Claude Puel, playing every Premier League minute so far.Best of the rest...Chelsea forward Dominic Solanke and Bournemouth midfielder Jordon Ibe have played their part in the qualifying campaign, along with Sunderland hopeful Duncan Watmore, promising Wolves defender Kourtney Hause and another Chelsea midfielder in John Swift, who impressed at Brentford last season.Brendan Galloway, Rob Holding and Mason Holgate also played a small part in the qualification campaign, each keeping a clean sheet in defence in the decisive win over Kazakhstan.The Under-21s can also thank senior stars Dele Alli and Eric Dier, who appeared in the early stages of the qualification campaign, before their promotion to the first team in late 2015.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Kazakhstan 0-1 England England fixtures England stats Table Brett Cecil Cardinals Jersey . The Canadian Luge Association officially named seven athletes to the 2014 Olympic team Tuesday. Edney, will lead teenagers John Fennell and Mitchel Malyk into their first Games in mens singles. Tristan Walker and Justin Snith will represent Canada in doubles, while Gough, will be joined by Kimberley McRae in womens singles. St. Louis Cardinals Store . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday.BALTIMORE -- After the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals expended everything they had in three consecutive spirited games, the neighbouring rivals parted ways knowing they will see each other again in August. And perhaps again after that. Steve Pearce homered and scored twice to help Wei-Yin Chen earn his ninth victory, and the Orioles beat Washington 4-3 on Thursday night for their eighth win in 10 games. Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz both drove in a run for the Orioles, who built a 4-0 lead in the third inning and held on. Baltimore took two of three from the Nationals in this rain-shortened, home-and-home interleague showdown between division leaders. "I personally enjoyed that series a lot, just cause of the proximity and the atmosphere down in D.C.," said Orioles reliever Darren ODay, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. "Theyre top of the NL. Hopefully we get to play them a few more times, later in the year in October. That would be nice." The Orioles won the opener in Washington, needing 11 innings to do so, before rain postponed Tuesdays game until Aug. 4. The Nationals prevailed on Wednesday before coming up short in the finale. Although the teams are based only 40 miles apart, enthusiasm for the series isnt exactly Mets-Yankees or Cubs-White Sox. But theres still hope. "It was a good series. It was very well put together," losing pitcher Gio Gonzalez said. "It showed that theres a lot of hope for a Beltway Series. They looked good and we looked good. Everyone had some fun." Jayson Werth homered for Washington and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and an RBI. Chen (9-3) gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, walking none and striking out six. The Taiwanese left-hander is 6-1 in 12 starts since May 3, and his nine wins are most on the team. After ODay survived the eighth, Zach Britton got three outs for his 15th save, capping his 22nd consecutive scoreless appearance at home by retiring Werth with a runner on first. At that point, the Orioles and many in crowd of 30,417 breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Thats a very good team," Jones said. "We love the competition, and we love the fact that you never know what could happen in October. You could have a Battle of the Beltway when its a little coolder and bring the fans back out. Jose Martinez Cardinals Jersey. " Gonzalez (6-5) allowed three earned runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. His streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings ended when Pearce connected in the first. Gonzalez won his previous three starts without giving up a run and was unbeaten in four starts following a one-month stay on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. "I felt fine," he said. "Its a tough lineup, all the way down to the last guy." Pearce put the Orioles in front for good with a drive to left on a 2-0 pitch. It was his 11th home run, more than his previous three seasons combined. Baltimore added three runs in the third after Gonzalez retired the first two batters. After an RBI double by Jones put runners at second and third, Cruz grounded a run-scoring single in the hole that shortstop Ian Desmond gloved before throwing wildly to third, allowing Jones to score. That ended Washingtons 13-game errorless streak, which matched the teams longest run since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005. Zimmermans two-out RBI single made it 4-1 in the fourth, and Washington got runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth before Chen struck out Anthony Rendon on three pitches. The Nationals closed to 4-3 in the sixth. After Werth homered on an 0-2 pitch -- his second long ball in two nights -- Zimmerman doubled and Desmond chased Chen with an RBI double off the scoreboard in right field before Tommy Hunter retired Wilson Ramos on a groundout. Ramos later flied out with the bases full in the eighth. NOTES: Desmond got hit on the thumb with a pitch but said he was OK. ... Baltimore optioned RHP Bud Norris to Double-A Bowie and recalled RHP Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Norfolk. Norris pitched Wednesday and wont be needed against until after the All-Star break. ... The Orioles host the New York Yankees in a three-game series before heading into the All-Star break. Miguel Gonzalez (4-5) faces New Yorks Hiroki Kuroda in the opener Friday night. ... Washington closes the first half with a three-game series in Philadelphia. Jordan Zimmermann will start for the Nationals on Friday night. ... Ramos extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games, but teammate Bryce Harper went 0 for 3 and is in a 1-for-20 skid over his last six games. ' ' '