U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team vs. South Africa
2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Group E
Sunday, October 5 | Estadio El Teniente; Rancagua, Chile
4 p.m. ET on FS2, Telemundo
USA HAS CHANCE TO FINISH ATOP GROUP E WITH WIN OR DRAW VS. SOUTH AFRICA
Following a thrilling 3-0 win over France in their second group stage match, the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team finishes the group stage against South Africa on Sunday, October 5 (4 p.m. ET; FS2, Telemundo). With a win or draw, the USA can clinch the top spot in Group E and remain in Rancagua for the Round of 16.
South Africa comes into the match on three points following a 5-0 win over New Caledonia on Thursday.
The 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be broadcast in English on Fox Sports platforms and on the Fox Sports app with corresponding authentication. Matches will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo platforms and the Telemundo app.
Fans can follow all of the action from Chile on ussoccer.com as well as U.S. Soccer Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
2025 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP – USA GROUP E SCHEDULE/RESULTS
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET)/Result | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, Sept. 29 | New Caledonia | Estadio El Teniente; Rancagua, Chile | 9-1 W | - |
| Thursday, Oct. 2 | France | Estadio El Teniente; Rancagua, Chile | 3-0 W | - |
| Sunday, Oct. 5 | South Africa | Estadio El Teniente; Rancagua, Chile | 4 p.m. | FS2, Telemundo |
2025 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP – GROUP E STANDINGS/RESULTS
| W | L | D | GD | PTS | |
| USA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 3 |
| New Caledona | 0 | 2 | 0 | -13 | 0 |
September 29
France 2, South Africa 1
USA 9, New Caledonia 1
October 2
USA 3, France 0
South Africa 5, New Caledonia 0
2025 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; U-20 CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Gavin Beavers (Brøndby/DEN; Henderson, Nev.; 2/0), 12-Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.; 9/0), 21-Duran Ferree (San Diego FC; San Diego, Calif.; 1/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Reed Baker-Whiting (Seattle Sounders; Seattle, Wash.; 8/0), 18-Luca Bombino (San Diego FC; Saugus, Calif.; 10/0), 5-Noah Cobb (Colorado Rapids; Chattanooga, Tenn.; 13/0), 16-Ethan Kohler (SC Verl/GER; Campbell, Calif.; 14/1), 3-Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; 18/2), 17-Frankie Westfield (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 9/1), 4-Joshua Wynder (Benfica/POR; Louisville, Ky.; 13/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 19-Matthew Corcoran (Nashville SC; Dallas, Texas; 7/1), 8-Benjamin Cremaschi (Parma/ITA; Key Biscayne, Fla.; 11/5), 14-Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio; 16/3), 6-Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo; Chicago, Ill.; 17/2), 15-Pedro Soma (San Diego FC; Coconut Creek, Fla.; 16/2), 10-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 25/9)
FORWARDS (5): 11-Luke Brennan (Atlanta United; Atlanta, Ga.; 11/2), 7-Cole Campbell (Borussia Dortmund/GER; Peachtree City, Ga.; 5/2), 20-Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake City; Eagle Mountain, Utah; 13/3), 13-Peyton Miller (New England Revolution; Unionville, Conn.; 8/1), 9-Marcos Zambrano (Real Salt Lake; Gladwyne, Pa.; 15/7)
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
Zavier Gozo, Brooklyn Raines and Marcos Zambrano each tallied goals in the dying moments to lift the U-20 MNT to an emphatic 3-0 win against France in the team’s second match of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. All three goals were scored after the 84th minute of the match. The win place the U.S. solidly atop the group E standings with six points while South Africa and France are behind with three points apiece.
EVERYBODY EATS
Zavier Gozo, Brooklyn Raines, and Marcos Zambrano became the seventh, eighth, and ninth different players, respectively, to score a goal at the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the U-20 MNT. That sets a record for most goal scorers in a single tournament, besting the eight who tallied for the USA at the 2023 edition in Argentina.
SOUTH AFRICA BOUNCES BACK FROM OPENING LOSS
South Africa took care of business in its second Group E match against New Caledonia. Siviwe Nkwali opened up the scoring in the 25th minute, then midfielder Shakeel April made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Just ten minutes later, forward Siviwe Magidigidi capped the first half with a goal of his own to make it 3-0. Magidigidi notched a brace in the 52nd minute to make it 4-0 and then midfielder Lazola Maku finished off the scoring with ten minutes remaining in regulation. Thanks to its five-goal win, South Africa now sits in second place in the group, ahead of France on goal differential.
USA ROSTER NOTES
- Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005, are age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- Head coach Marko Mitrović selected 11 players born in 2005, eight born in 2006 and two born in 2007.
- The roster features players from 19 clubs, including 16 from 12 different Major League Soccer teams. San Diego FC leads the way with three selections, followed by two each from Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake. Five players are based abroad: two in Germany, and one player each in Italy, Portugal and Spain.
- The USA qualified for the 2025 U-20 World Cup after a runner-up finish at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico. The USA rolled through the group stage with wins against Jamaica (9-0), Cuba (4-0) and Costa Rica (1-0), before a 1-0 quarterfinal victory against Guatemala and 2-1 semifinal win over Panama. Despite taking the lead, the USA fell 2-1 in extra time to hosts Mexico in the final.
USA VS. SOUTH AFRICA
- Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between the USA and South Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- This year marks South Africa’s fifth overall appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and its first since 2019.
- Nineteen players on South Africa’s 21-man roster are based domestically. Two are based abroad, with one apiece in Portugal and England.
- Head coach Raymond Mdaka led South Africa to its first continental title at the U-20 level, guiding the team to a 6W-0L-1D record at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which also served as qualifying for the World Cup.
SOUTH AFRICA – 2025 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Fletcher Smythe-Lowe (Estoril/POR), 16-Kgoleng Ratisani (Sekhukhune United), 20-Takalani Mazhamba (Kaizer Chiefs)
DEFENDERS (6): Sfiso Timba (Kaizer Chiefs), 3-Neo Rapoo (Siwelele), 5-Asekho Tiwani (Mamelodi Sundowns), 6-Siviwe Nkwali (Stellenboach), 14-Tylon Smith (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), 19-Thato Sibiya (Mamelodi Sundowns)
MIDFIELDERS (4): 4-Patrick Autata (Durban City), 8-Gomolemo Kekana (Mamelodi Sundowns), 10-Mfundo Vilakazi (Kaizer Chiefs), 15-Lazola Maku (Siwelele)
FORWARDS (6): 7-Shakeel April (Cape Town City), 9-Jody Ah Shene (Cape Town City), 11-Kutlwano Lethaku (Mamelodi Sundowns), 12-Thabang Mahlangu (Siwelele), 13-Luke Baartman (Kaizer Chiefs), 17-Langelihle Phili (Stellenbosch), 18-Siyabonga Mabena (Mamelodi Sundowns), 21-Siviwe Magidigidi (Siwelele)
HOW THEY GOT HERE
- South Africa secured one of CAF’s four World Cup spots after winning the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
- In the group stage, South Africa lost to Egypt 1-0, beat Tanzania 1-0, beat Sierra Leone 4-1, and drew with Zambia 1-1 to finish atop the group.
- In the knockout rounds, South Africa beat DR Congo 1-0 in the quarterfinals to officially qualify for the U-20 World Cup. They followed up that win with a 1-0 win over Nigeria in the semifinals and a 1-0 win over Morocco in the final.
U-20 WORLD CUP HISTORY
The United States has qualified for 18 of 24 all-time U-20 World Cups, tied for second-most all-time with Argentina. The biennial tournament was staged for the first time in 1977 and Tunisia hosted the inaugural event, originally held as the FIFA World Youth Championship before becoming the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007. The USA’s first qualification came at the 1981 tournament, which was held in Australia.
The USA has made it out of the group stage 12 times at the competition with the high watermark coming in 1989. Led by future legendary USMNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller, the U.S. finished fourth place in Saudi Arabia that year. Keller took home the Silver Ball at the tournament, while fellow future senior team players Mike Burns, Neil Covone and Chris Henderson also played key roles. While the U-20s advanced from group play with just one win, the USA took down Iraq in the quarterfinals before falling in extra time to Nigeria in the semis.