Following a thrilling comeback win over tournament favorite France, the USA is one of eight teams still standing at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Now set to face Ecuador in the quarterfinals on Saturday, June 8 (11:30 a.m. ET; FS2), a win would put the red, white and blue in prime position to match or exceed its best-ever finish at the tournament – fourth place in 1989.
With its win over France, the U.S. became the only nation in the world to reach the quarterfinals of the last three U-20 World Cup tournaments. On the books at some of the world’s biggest clubs, the deeply-talented USA roster is ready for more. Here’s what you need to know about the journey of the U.S. squad that’s making waves in Poland.
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS
The USA punched its ticket to Poland at the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship last November in Florida. The competition serves as the World Cup qualifying tournament for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
While the team’s journey started in Jan. 2018, the Concacaf Championship marked its first major competition, and the USA put on a dominant performance, rolling to eight straight victories and scoring 46 goals while allowing just two. The tournament’s crowning achievement came in the championship match vs. archrival Mexico. Midfielder Paxton Pomykal combined with U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year Alex Mendez for two goals on either side of halftime to secure the USA’s second-straight Concacaf title.
GROUP STAGE: UKRAINE 2, USA 1 – POSITIVE PERFORMANCE, DISAPPOINTING RESULT
In its World Cup opener, the USA faced a well-organized Ukraine side that made things difficult for the American attack. The U.S. dominated possession, but Ukraine capitalized on a long-ball, counter attack to take the lead midway through the first half. A beautiful team passing sequence saw forward Tim Weah set up midfielder Brandon Servania for an equalizer just six minutes later. Despite the USA’s control of the game’s tempo, Ukraine scored on a second half corner kick that proved to be the difference.
