The U.S. Under-20 men’s national team suffered defeat in its final match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup’s group stage.
Marko Mitrovic’s squad fell 2-1 to South Africa on Sunday in both nations’ final match of the group stage. Noah Cobb scored the Americans’ lone goal of the match before South Africa rallied for a halftime lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Cobb finished off Matthew Corcoran’s cross after 12 minutes to give the Americans a 1-0 advantage.
However, the lead wouldn’t last long as a Josh Wynder own goal leveled the match for South Africa five minutes later.
Gomolemo Kekana would propel South Africa in front three minutes before halftime, slotting home Shakeel April’s pass down the middle of the net.
South African goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe was stellar, making six saves to deny the USMNT U-20’s from finding a tying goal on multiple occasions.
Despite suffering their first loss of the tournament, the Americans won their group thanks to their +10 goal differential. South Africa finished second on six points while France finished in third place on goal difference.
The USMNT U-20’s will now turn their attention towards a Round of 16 showdown with Italy on Thursday in
though the U20s were more effective at making runs into space to send them behind the backline, what i have seen through one half are endless aerial balls, of which we will score just 1. low percentage stuff. i know this is the subs but the differences in the first 2 games were more balls-to-feet service/finishes, some inverting, some combo play, some balls squared back to the penalty spot from the endline, and sending guys on outright breakaways or diagonal throughballs, not just wide passes taking them to the flag then kick it to the 6 and hope.
i mean, we’re parked at their end, but it’s all whack a cross see if we get a header.
At times the game got very stretched and became end to end, basketball on grass type play. Although it opened up some chances it left us very exposed. The US would then gain possession and slow it down. In a knockout that might not have been the strategy but when we just needed to keep the game within 2 goals it was the smart choice. It looked slightly more dangerous in the 2nd half when Tsakiris, Campbell, Habroune and Miller came on. 1st half 9 shots 5 from outside the box, 2nd half 8 shots but only 1 outside the box. With the regulars in in the second half there was more playing to feet.
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What is going on with Campbell this is not how he played at Dortmund? Do you think it’s the injuries or has he lost confidence? Maybe trying to hard to impress potential suitors?
He just needs minutes. A loan should be pushed by him for the second half of the season.
Still could become a game changer against Italy.
(1) to me the biggest sin was the late giveaway where RSA almost gets a 3rd. taking someone on in the dead middle of the field for kicks, gets stripped, nearly gives up a goal for it.
(2) he’s sprinting around, tracking back fast when needed, jogging to cover angles, healthwise he’s fine.
(3) and he’s tracking back and covering passing angles well, which is half the job.
(4) what i saw was the one foot problem again. they were anticipating the invert and doubling. so it was his man — shaded a little to the middle, and then someone else would pull across whenever he tried to cut in, also middle.
(5) at which point there is green space to the endline. he for whatever reason either wouldn’t take it or would push his dribble over the endline.
(6) now i don’t know if that part is fitness or rust or whatever. but as a wing with speed i could assist with either side. speed is speed and works either side. it should be just a question of service quality once you use the space. he most of the time won’t take what they are handing him and badly wants to invert.
(7) he was not playing like this when i watched him. he was being sent earlier and running into green space down the right.
(8) one potential useful nuance they only used 1-2 times was if they commit that heavy inside, he starts to cut then they feed an overlap into the empty green. but that run was rarely made.
(9) he looks like he has a future, speed, useful tools, skill, but on this tournament, so far, all fairness, he’s not ready to help the NT. he’s rendering himself one dimensional and then too easy to scheme for. but we’ll see in the knockouts.
IV: I went back and rewatched some of Cole and he was never so one footed. Granted it’s mostly highlight tapes. I tried to find which foot was injured if it was some mental block, but he’s been training since May so he should be over that. He’s reminding me of Musah, he has some nice dribbling skills but virtually no one is going to consistently dribble through four defenders. Use your speed give it and get it back running at the backline.
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As for the overlap I noticed the FB (Baker-Whiting) was tucking in and joining Soma/Raines in the midfield which then left him disconnected from Campbell. Not sure if that was to help Soma in the buildout or to protect the CBs from quick transitions.
2nd own goal wynder has done at a tournament.
yeah, doesn’t impress me much. i remember him shipping at least one in that fairly scrubby defense in 2023. and this one we’re parked their end most of the day and he can’t stay goalside on his mark on their break and he knocks the clear in his own net.
the eurosnobs keep talking up he’s over there but this is year 3 on the B team after playing in USL. nor does he radiate a man vs. boys vibe like say richards did at U20.
What baffles me is it’s like Deja Vu. He also reminds me of Onyewu. Where Onyewu would play good then last minute would get caught ball watching and the opposing team scores a equalizer or winning goal.
Lol. Dude just stop. Benfica coaches have already stated he is in their plans to bring up into the first team this season.
2tone,
Given some of your outrageous posts on here, you are telling someone else to stop? Ha!…funny shit.
If Benfica coaches are saying Wynder will get called up to the first team this season, then using your logic, he must be as good as other center backs like van Dijk and Marquinhos and not prone to any errors.
Got it…thanks for the insight.
And I can’t for the life of me understand why FIFA still keeps these rosters for the youth WC’s at 21 players. These guys play as many games as full National teams do in WC’s. Should be 23 man rosters.
Some of it is cost. Two less of everything isn’t nothing. Mostly it’s trying to level the playing field in terms of depth. With two more spots Wydner probably doesn’t start and maybe not Cremaschi. Maybe that’s not much but smaller nations like Paraguay or South Africa maybe that helps because the big boys legs are a little more tired.
The upper bracket is the harder bracket. Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Ukraine, Nigeria, Chile are all in the upper bracket. The Lower Bracket is USA, Japan, Morocco, South Korea, Paraguay, Norway, France, and Italy. Potential Morrocco at QF stage.
Oh and S.Africa in the upper bracket.
We drew with Japan in June and lost to Norway, we won and drew with Morocco last month. We beat Colombia and Mexico earlier this year, but lost to Mexico last year. We split with Chile last fall. About half the squad faced Argentina last summer on the U19 team and also played South Korea last fall as U19s. So in the last 18 months we’ve faced 2/3 of the teams remaining. The U19s did play Spain and Ukraine this summer but only Feree was on that roster. Ukraine fielded most of their WC squad but Spain’s roster was mostly 2nd tier guys like the US. So Spain, Nigeria, Paraguay and Italy are the teams we haven’t played recently. There isn’t a team that we couldn’t beat, but we could also lose to about all of them if we don’t finish chances like we didn’t today.
this is a “i didn’t do soccer tournaments” tell. who cares about the other half of the bracket. focus on our end. let that take care of itself.
i mean, how often do we anticipate a mexico or canada final only to actually get jamaica or panama? win your games and then compete with whoever shows up at the end. that side really doesn’t matter unless you win the games to see who it is.
one game at a time and if we get a semi or quarter where we can rotate, get some players rested for a final.
Relax, 2tone is just being a fan. No one in the coaching staff should be looking past Italy, but 2tone to my knowledge isn’t secretly Mitrovic.
Lol. Dude I played a long time in many tournaments. Won many. Dont quit your day job.psych analyzing isnt going to work out for you.
my attitude was always we can win ANY game. good draw, bad draw who cares, you have to play the big dogs eventually.
it doesn’t matter if the other half of the bracket is easier or harder — for starters — you’re not playing them. you play whoever shows up that day. and often the “easy” side is work enough, and sometimes the “hard” side has some helpful upsets. it’s best not to fuss over.
and once you get past a point everyone is pretty or very good. no more new caledonia. personally i think we use our tough schedules as excuses as opposed to what they should be, which is learning exercises. don’t know how many times i watch some tough friendly expose a US team then they call the same people to play the same way. which reads to me as resignation.
IV & 2T: trying to predict youth tournaments is a difficult task anyway. Brazil won the Conmebol qualifier, Australia won Asia and both are bounced. Japan and Argentina are the only unblemished and finished 4th and 2nd in their qualifiers. In ‘23 the four semifinalists all finished 2nd in their group stage groups. Italy finished higher in ‘23 WC than they did in their group stage’23 Euros. These young players just aren’t consistent enough to make accurate predictions.
Westfield and Kholer can cover far more ground then Cobb or Baker Whiting did today. So I still think the US has the ability to beat Italy.
And quite frankly if you play Campbell at RW Mitrovic needs to get Westfiel overlapping more. He is getting doubled up and overlapping runs will open it up more for him. I saw Baker Whiting making inside runs which is used more for a traditional RW.
Well they better be much more cohesive against Italy.
Harbroune may start at striker against Italy like he did against France. Much more effective being a false 9 then Zambrano has been as the 9.
Campbell hasn’t shown much to be honest as an inverted RW. I would consider playing him as a more traditional LW against Italy and put Gozo on the right. That he he can use his left peg more traditionally.
Italy will defend and counter. US better be more ready for that then they were against S. Africa today.
Not sure Italy will have the speed of South Africa, but hopefully this will be a wake up call to be more alert on defense.
I will say South Africa GK made some very good saves. Not for him could have been 4-2 win for the US.
Overall the mission was accomplished. Win the group, rest some players. But the inability to create and finish chances in the final third leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Not sure anyone was good, Cremaschi was off today and should have been taken off for me much sooner. Beaudry finally made a couple strong stops so maybe that’s good. Campbell needs to wake up his right foot because his impersonation of a bad Arjen Robben led to two transition opportunities for South Africa. Bambino way too soft on the 2nd SA goal. On to Italy.
“Campbell needs to wake up his right foot because his impersonation of a bad Arjen Robben led to two transition opportunities for South Africa.”
Soccer is full of predominantly one footed players. Cole’s struggles seemed more to do with him “trying too hard.” as opposed to being one footed.
As the frustration grows so does reliance on your one “best foot.”
I don’t know what is going with him and BVB but he’s clearly talented and he looks like a guy they really ought to think about either loaning out or selling. Or they could play him more. It’s as if BVB think every sale should be a Sancho, a Bellingham or a Haaland.