By JUSTIN FERGUSON
A month of top action from the world’s brightest young stars will come to an end in Turkey with the final two matches of the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Saturday will be the first appearance in a U-20 World Cup Final for France, who has outscored opponents 10-2 in the knockout stages. French goalscorers Yaya Sanogo and Florian Thauvin will face a tough task against a Uruguay squad that has only allowed three goals in the entire tournament. Uruguay, led by Roma forward Nicolas Lopez, has gone to extra time in its last two matches, a 1-0 upset of favorites Spain and a penalty kick marathon victory over Iraq.
Before France and Uruguay tangle for the title, Iraq and Ghana will square off in an intriguing third-place match. Iraq has played 120+ minutes in each of its knockout stage matches, so look for the Young Lions of Mesopotamia to hang with Ghana, a survivor from the “Group of Death” and the competition’s 2009 champion.
In addition to the members of Group C in the Gold Cup, several European club powers will hit the field on Saturday for some friendly competition. It will be David Moyes’s first match in charge at Manchester United, who start their Asian tour with a match against a Thai all-star squad.
If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today’s TV schedule is after the jump):
9am – Fox Soccer Channel – Manchester United vs. Singha All-Star XI
11am – ESPNU – Ghana vs. Iraq – U20 World Cup Third-Place Match
11:30am – beIN Sport – Fortuna Düsseldorf vs. Monaco
2pm – ESPN – France vs. Uruguay – U20 World Cup Final
3:30pm – FOX – United States vs. Cuba – Gold Cup
6pm – Fox Soccer Channel – Costa Rica vs. Belize – Gold Cup
7pm – MLS Direct Kick – New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal Impact
7:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – New England Revolution vs. Houston Dynamo
8:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – Sporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FC
9pm – MLS Direct Kick – Dallas FC vs. Real Salt Lake
10:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders
11pm – NBC Sports Network – Portland Timbers vs. Los Angeles Galaxy