By FRANCO PANIZO

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National has shown during the World Cup that it can play free-flowing, attacking soccer.

On Wednesday, the Americans showed they can also grind it out when necessary.

The U.S. advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Wednesday by pulling off a hard-fought 1-0 win over Colombia. The Americans were outplayed for large stretches of the game and needed a late penalty kick save from goalkeeper Zack Steffen to preserve the result, but their overall strong defending combined with Rubio Rubin’s opportunistic finish were enough to see the U.S. through.

“We died for each other on the field,” said midfielder Paul Arriola after the match at Wellington Regional Stadium. “We saved each other. When someone was down, we helped them up. When someone was out of position, we got into position. I think that’s the way our team is built.

“Not only are we good with the ball and can keep the ball at times, (but) there’s going to be times when other teams are better than us or having a better game than us. Today we just showed the hard work and dedication and we stayed in it.”

The Colombians sure did not make it easy on the Americans. A more physically-gifted side full of technical players, Colombia pressured the U.S. into a litany of mistakes seemingly from the onset. The U.S. failed to keep the ball for much of the first half, and the defense was constantly under siege.

Things improved slightly after halftime for the U.S., as the midfield was able to keep the ball better. The Americans still did not do a great job of creating chances, but having more possession helped them take some of the sting out of Colombia’s attack and opened the door for Rubin’s well-taken winner in the 58th minute.

“That’s something that we thought we were lacking,” said U.S. head coach Tab Ramos, referring to possession. “We’re a team that likes to have the ball, and one of the things we said to the players at halftime was to play with more confidence, to play into traffic, and to play the ball into the middle of the field and to our good players, who can hold it.

“I think we did a much better job in the second half. Once we did that, the game opened up for us and it became a little bit easier.”

The Americans still had to sweat it out late. Left back Kellyn Acosta was sent off in the 81st minute with a second yellow card for a foul inside the 18-yard box, and Colombia was given a golden opportunity to tie via a penalty kick.

U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen came to the rescue, however. Steffen dove low and to his right to block Jarlan Barrera’s shot from the spot, sending the Americans into a fierce frenzy and immediately evoking memories of his similarly clutch penalty kick save in the decisive World Cup qualifier against El Salvador in January.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I thought he was going to save it, and I thought the same against El Salvador,” said Ramos. “We have that type of confidence in our goalkeeper, and I thought that he would come up big. He always does, and it’s kind of expected at this point, so I’m very happy for him. Obviously it’s very difficult to save a penalty and he did it.”

Added Steffen: “It’s always nice to make the big plays for your team. They’re doing most of the work the whole game, so when a big opportunity comes to me like that, you welcome it and just try to stay focused and hope that you can make the big play. Luckily I did.”

Up next for the U.S. is a Sunday quarterfinals date with Serbia, which dispatched Hungary, 2-1, in extra time on Wednesday. The Serbs benefitted from a late own goal in that one, and also scored in the 91st minute to force the extra half-hour of play.

Ramos and his players know Serbia will provide another difficult challenge, but they believe they are more than up for the task after squeezing out a victory over a talented Colombian side.

“I feel like we’re not done,” said Ramos. “We have a game coming up and we’re looking forward to the next one and getting through to the next round.”