• Registration is disabled due to constant spammers. Email [email protected] and we will temporarily re-enable registration for you.

U20 World Cup

NML

Well-Known Member
About to reach half time of the first game.

After watching club soccer for the past 10 months, I forgot how defensive international tournaments are. Not exactly a bevy of quality in the youth teams of New Zealand or Ukraine, but it's still been tough to watch.

US should probably win their group, and have a real shot at the semi's with the way the knockout rounds fall - group winner faces a third place team, followed by the winner of a pair of runner ups.

Not sure how much I (or anyone) will watch because of the weird time difference.
 

adchester

A-1 From Day 1
I'm watching the game tonight because Friday night and I have shit else to do. US ton win by like 5 tho
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
Great finish there. Shots on target is game to you?!
 

adchester

A-1 From Day 1
Halftime 1-1. USA started off shaky, but dominated the end of the half. Tall and Hyndman the standouts for me.
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
Is this team supposed to be good?

They look like the senior team. Absolutely no ability to hold possession. Wilt in the face of pressure like a FIFA puber.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
Is this team supposed to be good?

They look like the senior team. Absolutely no ability to hold possession. Wilt in the face of pressure like a FIFA puber.

They have some good individual players, but they don't have 11.

The midfield should be good, and they were in the second half. Even though I think playing Acosta at left back was weird, because he's so good at covering the back line, he did have a good showing yesterday other than that awful miss.

Rubio Rubin is a boss. Hyndman was really good too. They are the two best players in all of group A, and some of the best in the tournament. Our center backs and GK are very good.

So there's some pieces, but also some holes. Like the fullbacks - although both played well yesterday. They wingers are meh - Allen and Delgado were pretty non existent and Thompson, who I like the best, was too once he came off the bench. We lack someone to play with Rubin, who can get behind the defense and score goals. Tall did a good job yesterday, and I haven't seen enough of him to comment, but BJ4 isn't that good. Hopefully Tall keeps it up.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
I was actually pleased with the match. Their goal was a bumfuck off a corner, but they didn't really have another chance. I can't think of a single tough save Steffan had to make. After the first 15 minutes, the U.S. completely controlled the game, outside of the last five. I guess some people saw "Mynamar" on the schedule and just figured it'd be 6-0, but they are decent and worked really hard. The U.S. won every single individual battle though and other than the few minutes they led, I was always confident they'd win. Like I said in the first post, international tournaments are always very defensive. Mynamar was extremely well organized.

Plus, with the draw in the other match, U.S. is sitting real pretty to not only advance, but win the group.
 

Yankee151

Hot Girl Summer
This the only image I can find of the groups:
FIFAU20Draw.jpg


Ghana is in group B, Mali in Group C, Senegal in Group D, Nigeria in Group E
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
We got a black guy named Bradford Jamieson IV and Carter vickers.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
Maki Tall out for the rest of the tournament. That's a bitch. I'm guessing BJ4 steps in tonight/tomorrow morning, but I'm not confident in him.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
So after a dominating effort against the hosts New Zealand, which was one of the better matches I've seen a US team play at a WC, the US were guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds. Ramos decided to rest three starters for the final group match to avoid tired legs and yellow card accumulation suspension, and they looked pretty bad. It was 0-0 until Ukraine scored from a FK in the 55th minute, but it was mostly one sided up until then. US got a cheap PK call, but Hyndman missed, and then the wheels really came off.

It'll be nice to have some more rested players for the next game, but the group winner road was likely easier - with a R16 match-up with possibly Mali, followed by a quarterfinal match against either Austria or Fiji. The runner up isn't exactly murderer's row either - US could see Colombia, Portugal, or Senegal in the round of 16, and then maybe Serbia or Uruguay. Germany will likely be the team in the semi's.

Haven't seen a ton of matches, but Germany and Brazil seem to be far and away the best two teams there. Argentina is already eliminated, messicans could be eliminated tonight.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
U20's beat Columbia early this morning 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Columbia was probably the better team, I think shots were 22 to 7. Run of play was back and forth for the first hour, with a slight advantage to Columbia. But Rubin had a hell of a striker on a counter to get the lead. They did a good job killing the game out until they gave away a penalty in the 83rd minute, with Acosta also getting sent off. Steffan made a great save doe, and they killed the game out.

Wasn't overly impressive, but making the quarters is a nice accomplishment. And with Serbia in the next round, who snuck by Hungary and were pretty lucky, the semi's aren't out of the question.

We've got a handful of really talented guys who are a good bet to make the national team soon. Steffan is goal has been a bauce. Our CB combo of Miazaga, who is a starter for NYRB, and Cameron Carter Vickers, from Spurs, have been great. CCV in particular has looked good. Hyndman has already been a part of the full national team, and I'm sure Zelalem isn't far behind. He can dwell on the ball too much, but technically he's as good as anyone. Rubio Rubin is going to be a star too.
 

DeadMan

aka spiker or DeadMong
Good to hear on that last paragraph. I'm trying not to get too excited about the impact they could make because I made that mistake back with the U20 team that had Altidore, Adu, etc. I remember being super high on Szetela and that didn't pan out at all :laughing: But, hell, if we can get one good center back, a good backup goalie, and one or two other decent players, that's pretty solid.

None of these guys will be on the Gold Cup roster, though, right? I just looked through the preliminary 35 and I don't think any of them made it. Would love to see Zelalem out there.
 

NML

Well-Known Member
I don't think JK wants any of them doing two tournaments. Only exception is probably Jordan Morris, who isn't recovering from a 10 month season. So for him to do Toulon, then these friendlies, and then the GC, is no big deal.

Hyndman and Rubin are the only two I'd consider. Don't think Zelalem is ready yet. He's too slow on the ball. I think a loan to a L1 or Championship side next year would be helpful.

Interestingly enough, two of our best players, Zelalem and CCV, are eligible for the next U20 cycle. Both are 17.
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
CCV is lucky he got out of high school without a rape allegation with that name. Straight out of the yearly Lax funny name lost
 
Top