Obed Vargas, who has started a lot for Seattle this season in the midfield will join the team after next Saturday's match.
Curious to see how good he can be.
Curious to see how good he can be.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: US Youth National Teams, Prospect Hype, and Youth Development Thread [The DA is DEAD updates]
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
Surprised there’s VAR. Hopefully it does something with this weird call.
Penalty it is! Not a foul on you to have your damn clock cleaned out.
Penalty it is! Not a foul on you to have your damn clock cleaned out.
It’s 6-0 before the halftime whistle. Not sure how much we can gain from this match. Just make the final. The way the groups are set up the US should be able to avoid Mexico till then as either team would need to finish third in their group in order to end up on the same side of the bracket.
Finished 10-0.
I'd also like to avoid playing Honduras in Honduras. I don't know if this iteration of Honduras U20 is any good or not, but it barely matters. Our YNTs tend to get out-CONCACAFed in these sorts of tournaments when we go up against the hosts.
It‘s likely that the US faces both Costa Rica and Honduras en route to the final. Both 1st and 2nd from their group are on our side of the bracket.
I’m seeing it as an 8:30 kickoff on TUDN.
Apparently Canada rested some starters, but with such small rosters there was only so much rotation they could do. Not a good look, especially with Cuba’s goalie getting a red in the 70th minute and Cuba not being able to sub so they put their diminutive striker in goal for the last 20+ minutes.
Apparently Canada rested some starters, but with such small rosters there was only so much rotation they could do. Not a good look, especially with Cuba’s goalie getting a red in the 70th minute and Cuba not being able to sub so they put their diminutive striker in goal for the last 20+ minutes.
It’s being broadcast on CONCACAF’s YouTube channel:
View: https://youtu.be/ajyBvryrxLo
Also showing as 8:30 PM
View: https://youtu.be/ajyBvryrxLo
Also showing as 8:30 PM
Ooofffff. That’s what the development pipelines is for - sometimes you gotta screw it up very publicly to really get it.
What a strike to tie it up.
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/Concacaf/status/1539061338919653376?cxt=HHwWgMC-ncWI7NsqAAAA
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/Concacaf/status/1539061338919653376?cxt=HHwWgMC-ncWI7NsqAAAA
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This game was pretty dumb from the US, but a tie in a game they should have won still puts the team in a position to win the group if they just beat Cuba.
That was a strange game, for a team with 12 goals in 2 games their finishing has been mediocre? They needed a Pepi like player, Pax as the false 9 wasn't ideal. Cade didn't have a good game either despite the goal. But even still they played so positive and got undone by two lapses. Beat Cuba and it doesn't really matter.
I can’t really fault the players for lacking cohesion and well drilled moves given the pandemic and the USSF shortcomings. I really do want to see some progression as the completion moves on and the matches get tighter. Fewer crosses to no one, clear back line leadership, more tempo setting from the mids. This is a talented squad - they need to become a unit.
The only Pepi-like striker who's any good in this age group unfortunately is Pepi, and his blowing past this team is great for the US program overall but is tough for this specific U20 team.
I think Cade + Cuevas on the left side was kinda rough, both good players but on the left both want to do nothing but cut inside and that made that part of the attack extremely predictable.
Taking everything into account I still think the US wins that game 8 out of 10 times. That's with the massive squad rotation, the weather and field conditions, the subs, all of it. Never mind if the US put their A squad out there and set up to actually play specifically against Canada. Canada got lucky in this one. I am a little annoyed that Varas went with so much rotation regardless of opponent (I get it, but the mix of players was off) and didn't seem to game plan around how Canada was likely to play, and it feels like he's going with a 4-3-3 regardless of who he has on the field. The US doesn't have a 9, so why play any system with a 9? Also, this whole tournament is feeling like Concacaf is putting it on as cheaply as possible. Games every other day, small squads, just using one field. I do enjoy watch Diego Luna play minus the dive. Looks like the American Shaqiri out there.
Definitely had the Dest/Konrad against El Salvador feel to it. This was not a Cade Cowell game at all, and Cuevas is much better on the right.
One of my favorite types of player to watch is the high-skills creative guy who also kinda looks like a meatball. Shaqiri, Dimitri Payet, that kinda guy. Luna's definitely in that mold.
Yep no arguments there. He's graduated and there's no backup. Not a bad problem for the senior squad but puts pressure on the U20s to do more with their chances from alternative sources.
Yes, the finalists both go to the 2024 Olympics while all four semifinalists make the U20 World Cup in 2023.
Welp, scratch that. He has a fracture in his back and will be out for the foreseeable future.
R16 match vs Nicaragua, tonight 8:30pm ET. On FS2, somehow. I would expect a slightly rotated squad, to keep the full A-team fresh (whom you'll see vs Costa Rica in the QFs and Honduras in the semis).
Warm up with USWNT vs Colombia at 7:30pm. Can watch the first half of that, and then flip between them as-desired.
Warm up with USWNT vs Colombia at 7:30pm. Can watch the first half of that, and then flip between them as-desired.
I’m curious as to who the full A team is. I imagine the starting D and GK from the Cuba game. I’d prefer Pukstas, Diego Luna and Alvarado in the midfield but see Edelman as the likely starting 6. Up top, Aaronson, Clark, and Cowell. But how does Varas see it?
The biggest concern for me is central defense.
Yeah, Diego Luna is making himself a lot of fans this tournament. Guy looks like a meatball and is somehow slicing-and-dicing out there.
Costa Rica (Tuesday, 7:00pm ET) should have a little more punch going forward, but still be a fairly easy win (thus qualifying us for the U20 WC).
The match with Honduras for a spot in the 2024 Olympics, though (Friday 7/1), will be MUCH tougher. Youth-watchers I've been reading have said they look like the best team in the tournament, and of course they're playing at home. Our CBs (the weak point on this roster) already showed themselves mistake-prone vs Canada, that will be a very nervous match for some of us.
Costa Rica (Tuesday, 7:00pm ET) should have a little more punch going forward, but still be a fairly easy win (thus qualifying us for the U20 WC).
The match with Honduras for a spot in the 2024 Olympics, though (Friday 7/1), will be MUCH tougher. Youth-watchers I've been reading have said they look like the best team in the tournament, and of course they're playing at home. Our CBs (the weak point on this roster) already showed themselves mistake-prone vs Canada, that will be a very nervous match for some of us.
The legend of Diego Luna aka Moon Boy grows. At one point he was taking corner kicks left footed. He’s right footed.
Even if Luna doesn’t rise high and tops out at the MLS level, a highly saucy attacker who is 5’8”, 188 lbs and shockingly agile for his size is the most can’t-miss cult hero prospect I’ve ever seen.
What do we think about Paxten Aaronson? I feel like he looks great getting to spots and distributing the ball.
I like what I see. He’s a super technical player. I wish he didn‘t play the false 9 and got the ball facing goal more, but he’s still one of the most dangerous players on the team. These games are so hard to judge though because of the talent gap with the competition, even Canada. His usage indicates that the coaching staff likes him a lot too. The real games start onTuesday and we should have a better idea then.
It's a shame that seemingly the only solid center forward in the entire U20 pool right now is Ricardo Pepi, who has basically graduated from the U20 level.
Just an FYI. U20 plays Costa Rica at 7pm tonight on FS2 for anyone who wasn't paying attention.
The US looked decently good. CR had some chances including a missed PK, but Sullivan could have had a couple as well. I know XG had it pretty even but the result seemed fair to me as far as the eye test goes. The CBs looked better against solid competition than I expected. I’ve been impressed by the technical skill and first touches by the US pretty much across the board, but especially Aaronson last night.
A win against host Honduras on Friday puts the US in the Olympics as well. I hope Cuevas goes back to RB, but otherwise the starting lineup looked good to me. Maybe Edelman over Pukstas at the 6.
A win against host Honduras on Friday puts the US in the Olympics as well. I hope Cuevas goes back to RB, but otherwise the starting lineup looked good to me. Maybe Edelman over Pukstas at the 6.
Some drama from last night:
Guatemala led Mexico for most of the game, but Mexico equalized in the 74th minute. They got a PK late in the game, but it was saved. They then proceeded to miss four out of five penalties in the shootout, which they lost 2-1.
Mexico is eliminated from both the U20 WC and the Olympics. Guatemala(!) will play the Dominican Republic(!!!) for a spot in the Olympics, and both are in the 2023 U20 World Cup.
Guatemala led Mexico for most of the game, but Mexico equalized in the 74th minute. They got a PK late in the game, but it was saved. They then proceeded to miss four out of five penalties in the shootout, which they lost 2-1.
Mexico is eliminated from both the U20 WC and the Olympics. Guatemala(!) will play the Dominican Republic(!!!) for a spot in the Olympics, and both are in the 2023 U20 World Cup.
This could be big in terms of recruiting dual nationals. Mexico has made a concerted effort to recruit and cap tie kids born or living in the US who are also eligible to represent El Tri. It’s cute that Mexico has all of these youth team camps but now without meaningful tournaments and thus limited exposure. The US on the other hand will be in at least one major tournament and a win tomorrow will mean a second one as well. Players can still switch of course, but it makes them less likely to choose Mexico initially which can only help.
Man, could we just do a round-robin among the final 4? USA vs Honduras for one spot, and Guatemala - DR for the other, is the most slanted bracket I've seen since the last time I tried to put up shelving.
Cade Cowell suspended 3 matches including tonight's semi-final for taunting I guess, would move up a level if he's done with U20s. CR having 9 players suspended feels about right based on the response to Cowell's wave/birds? Going to be interesting how they replace Cowell he's started 3 and played in the other games.
Would that also include games in the U-20 World Cup next year?
He isn’t starting caliber player on this team to me but definitely a nice late game replacement when you have a lead. Varas will likely still roll with Clark-Aaronson-Sullivan up top, though I’d like to see Sullivan and Aaronson swapped.