The U.S. Under-20 men’s national team squared off with France in its first March friendly on Wednesday, but Mikey Varas’ squad unfortunately came out on the losing end.
France handed the Americans a 4-0 friendly loss in Marbella, Spain which featured several talents on both sides of the field. Paxten Aaronson, Gabriel Slonina, Kevin Paredes, and Quinn Sullivan all were among the starters for the USMNT U-20’s.
The French took a 1-0 lead before halftime, putting the Americans in a surprising hole. Obed Vargas, Darren Yapi, and Michael Halliday all came off the bench in the second half for the Americans, but France would eventually add three more goals later in the match to pad its victory.
Wednesday marked the USMNT U-20’s first defeat since November 2021, snapping a nine-matcn unbeaten streak.
The USMNT U-20’s qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year after capturing the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Honduras. The Americans rolled to the title after scoring 31 goals in the tournament, and conceding only two.
Aaronson was named Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner while several others impressed such as Sullivan, Diego Luna, among others.
The USMNT U-20’s will also face England and Serbia as final preparation before the World Cup begins in Indonesia this summer.