After pulling off one of the upsets of the tournament, the USMNT U-20 squad’s run in the 2019 U-20 World Cup came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Ecuador on Saturday in Poland.
The Concacaf champions beat France in the Round of 16 to knock one of the favorites out of the tournament, but the CONMEBOL champions proved too much for the Baby Yanks.
Scoring on your rival? Awesome.
Scoring on your rival in a knockout tournament? Awesomer.
Scoring on your rival with a goal from midfield? Awesomest.
Antonio Blanco ripped a shot from 45 yards in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona on Saturday, advancing Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate into the Copa del Rey Juvenil semifinals.
Blanco’s equalizing goal came with the match in the balance. Barcelona attempted to cross midfield only for the Madrid player to steal the ball, take one touch and blast a long-range effort over the Barça keeper.
The U.S. has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup after shocking tournament-favorite France 3-2 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday. Trailing 2-1 with just over 15 minutes remaining, the USMNT U-20s came storming back with late goals from Sebastian Soto and Justin Rennicks.
The U.S. secured passage to the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup by defeating Qatar 1-0 thanks to a goal from 19-year-old PSG forward Timothy Weah on Thursday. It was, in all honesty, the American’s worst performance so far in Poland, but the result sees the team finish runners-up behind Ukraine in Group D.
The U.S. now awaits the result of tomorrow’s meeting between France and Mali — a France victory or draw will see a knockout round clash against Les Bleus, but a Mali victory would see the U.S. play against the African side.
Erling Braut Håland is an 18-year-old striker for Red Bull Salzburg. Sparingly used, he netted one goal in 82 minutes over two matches in league play during the 2018-19 campaign.
Son of former Leeds United and Manchester City player Alf-Inge Håland, Erling Braut showed he’s got a bit of his father’s mean streak in him playing for Norway on Thursday at the U-20 World Cup.
For many Americans, win = good and loss = bad. It’s ingrained in the psyche of a sporting nation that values hundreds of points in a single game — the highest entertainment consisting of a series of start-stop mini games that bear no resemblance to the intricate processes that dictate the 90 minutes of play on a soccer field.
Argentina’s U-20 World Cup campaign is off to a glorious start in Poland, thanks in large part to Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco. The 20-year-old attacker scored a penalty in the 63rd minute to put Argentina up 2-1, and then he scored what would prove to be the match-winner in the 71st with a stunning side-foot volley from distance.
The United States opened U-20 World Cup play with a frustrating 2-1 loss to Ukraine in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, on Friday. Ukraine scored with its first shot on target, but the U.S. responded with a brilliant 14-pass move to equalize. However, despite holding 67 percent of possession and registering 10 shots, Ukraine scored the game-winner off a corner kick in the 51st minute.
Tim Weah, son of Liberia President and former FIFA Player of the Year winner George Weah, headlines a stacked USMNT U-20 World Cup roster, which was announced by U.S. Soccer on Friday morning.
Watch a couple minutes of Concacaf U-17 Championship highlights and one thing is clear: There is a lot of talent in the youth ranks at some of North America and Central America.
This isn’t that surprising to anyone who follows MLS these days. Two of the biggest stars in the field are Mexico’s Efrain Alvarez and the United States’ Gianluca Busio, two 16-year-olds who are already making waves in MLS.