U-20 World Cup

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu May 07, 2015 1:34 pm

Roster--Still one spot open (holding to see if Gideon Z gets FIFA clearance before May 15)

Goalkeepers: Jeff Caldwell (University of Virginia; Todd, N.C.), Ethan Horvath (Molde, Norway; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Zack Steffen (Freiburg, Germany; Downingtown, Pa.).

Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; Westcliff on Sea, England), Matthew Miazga (New York Red Bulls; Clifton, N.J.), Shaquell Moore (unattached; Powder Springs, Ga.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Desevio Payne (Groningen, Netherlands; Greenwood, S.C.), John Requejo (Tijuana; Carpinteria, Calif.).

Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; Plano, Tex.), Paul Arriola (Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif.), Russell Canouse (Hoffenheim, Germany; Lancaster, Pa.), Marco Delgado (Toronto FC; Glendora, Calif.), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham; Dallas), Joel Soñora (Boca Juniors; Buenos Aires).

Forwards: Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake; Rochester, N.Y.), Bradford Jamieson IV (Los Angeles Galaxy; Los Angeles), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht, Netherlands; Beaverton, Ore.), Maki Tall (Red Star; Washington), Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes; Loomis, Calif.).

Group A with the U.S.
New Zealand,
Ukraine
Myanmar.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu May 14, 2015 1:49 pm

Gideon has clearance to play for US of A

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu May 14, 2015 2:05 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote:Gideon has clearance to play for US of A

You just posted this here to get this thread a reply and some views. Awesome news, lets just hope he doesn't turn out to be the next Adu.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Fri May 15, 2015 7:49 am

That is great news. Hope he is what he is supposed to be.

Post by **brian** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:53 am

If nothing else it'll be nice when he's gets that first cap for the Red, White and Blue so I don't have to listen to US fans panicking that he changes his mind about playing for us.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Fri May 15, 2015 10:09 am

brian wrote:If nothing else it'll be nice when he's gets that first cap for the Red, White and Blue so I don't have to listen to US fans panicking that he changes his mind about playing for us.

yeah if he has a good tournament, he should definitely be capped in the Gold Cup.

Post by **brian** » Fri May 15, 2015 10:13 am

degenerasian wrote:
brian wrote:If nothing else it'll be nice when he's gets that first cap for the Red, White and Blue so I don't have to listen to US fans panicking that he changes his mind about playing for us.
yeah if he has a good tournament, he should definitely be capped in the Gold Cup.

Oh, he's getting capped in the Gold Cup no matter what (well, unless he gets injured I guess).

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:00 pm

U20s win a friendly in New South Wales against the Aussies. 2-1 comeback win for the states with GZ getting his first action (31 minutes as a sub when the game was 1-0 Roos)

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri May 29, 2015 6:18 am

Tournament kicks off tomorrow in NZ. USA v. Myanmar. This will clearly be the biggest news of the week out of FIFA

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:07 am

Thanks for the reminder. Looks like the games are actually televised! Really excited to see Zelalem in action.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Sat May 30, 2015 7:12 pm

2-1 (even though it was not a goal, love the quick restart that you see).
video highlights
http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/videos/ ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They have the hosts on Tuesday. 3 more points moves them on.

Post by **brian** » Sat May 30, 2015 8:04 pm

How the fuck did we give up a goal to fucking Myanmar?

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:02 pm

brian wrote:How the fuck did we give up a goal to fucking Myanmar?

Poor play by the goalie on a corner kick. Got to hold that ball if you want to make it in the Bundesliga (or U of MD)

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:24 pm

Mexico vs Mali, Malian had a guy sent off a few minutes into the 2nd half, now halfway through the 2nd half, Mexico got 2 red cards in a minute.

10 vs 9 should be fun.

ETA: Mali's up 2-0!

Post by **brian** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:58 pm

Wish I were watching that game. Mexico getting two red cards in a minute is the most Mexican thing ever.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sun May 31, 2015 8:24 pm

Two powers Brazil and Nigeria meet early and it's 1-1 already, really attractive game so far.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 12:28 pm

Why does the youth WC always seem to have obscure soccer countries like Myanmar in the finals?

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 1:02 pm

The Sybian wrote:Why does the youth WC always seem to have obscure soccer countries like Myanmar in the finals?

I'm trying to think of a rough equivalent, but it's escaping me. The bottom line is that winning at the highest level requires a deep talent pool. As we've seen, having a great U17 or U20 team doesn't necessarily mean you've cleared a milestone leading to being competitive at the full men's level. It shows you can go find 30-40 kids, (most likely) put them in a residency program and they can get results.

That can work for those limited number of kids that come through the program (as we found out with that US U17 team, based from kids out of Bradenton back in 99), but it doesn't translate to the Men's game, where you need hundreds of those kids to be snatched up by big clubs and turned into professionals by the time they are 17-18 year olds.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 1:04 pm

The Sybian wrote:Why does the youth WC always seem to have obscure soccer countries like Myanmar in the finals?

I think it's because the qualifiers come from one regional tournament rather than a qualification process like The Hex.

The qualifiers for this tournament came from 6 smaller tournaments held in

Europe: Hungary
Asia: Myanmar
Africa: Senegal
Concacaf: Jamaica
South America: Uruguay
Oceania: Fiji

So in a tournament anything can happen and the hosts have a huge advantage. It doesn't matter how good you are, 19 year old kids playing far from home is always a challenge.

In Asia, Qatar won (they are ramping up for 2022), North Korea 2nd, Uzbekistan (2013 world quarterfinalists) and Myanmar (host) were the semifinalists and qualified for the 4 spots. In the quarters (the do or die round) Myanmar defeated Japan at home on penalties.

In Concacaf there were also 4 spots, 2 groups of 6, group winners qualified directly to New Zealand, 2nd and 3rd were reseeded and then a 1 game playoff to the other 2 spots.

Mexico and Panama qualified directly, USA def El Salvador, Honduras def Guatamala.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 1:08 pm

Also the balance of qualification is no so Euro centric for the youth tournament

Confederation WC spots in 2018/U20 spots in 2015
AFC 4.5/4
CAF 5/4
Concacaf 3.5/4
Conmebol 4.5/4
OFC 0.5/2
UEFA 14/6

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 12:49 am

Panama also got 2 red cards in a minute, that's also such a Mexican thing to do.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:10 am

US onto round 2 with a 4-0 monkey stomp of the hosts
Also Fifa choose an interesting clip to end the video highlight package. Guess they did not think New Zealanders speak English and we would catch that.
http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/videos/ ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:13 am

wlu_lax6 wrote:US onto round 2 with a 4-0 monkey stomp of the hosts

Please, leave these poor sick monkeys alone
They've got problems enough as it is

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:51 am

Guess who is now in a FOTC rabbit hole?

Post by **brian** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:00 am

At the end of your life, you're lucky if you die.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 3:18 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote:US onto round 2 with a 4-0 monkey stomp of the hosts
Also Fifa choose an interesting clip to end the video highlight package. Guess they did not think New Zealanders speak English and we would catch that.
http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/videos/ ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interestingly, that is the only video that comes up as "Private" when you try to play it.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:55 pm

Mexico-Uruguay starting. Mexico desperate for a win, I expect full shenanigans.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:51 am

Fiji!!!!!

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:23 am

The US looked really damned good against New Zealand. They have a lot of players who are comfortable on the ball, and have vision in making dangerous passes. There were tons of great passes that split several defenders while hitting a runner in stride. The unfortunately named Paul Arriola has a wicked shot, and he isn't afraid to use it.

Gedion Zelalem could be something special. He linked up well with the team, especially considering he joined the team one week before the tournament. He showed some sick skills, but it was effective, not just showboating.

Here he pulls off a rabona, hitting a runner in the box. The second pass, I don't know what to call it. Defender certainly didn't expect the ball coming off his foot that quickly.

If you care to see a cut of every Zelalem touch... I love his composure, he is so fucking smooth. He is great at turning out of pressure with a man on him, and I love the way he lets the ball run across his body to create space to run with the ball. Can't wait to see Arsene mold him into a world class player. He fits Wenger's mold perfectly.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:58 pm

Zelalem, Hyndman (Fulham) and Rubin (Utrecht in the Dutch league) are really a nice group to build this u-20 team around.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 1:02 am

Argentina are out, that's good news for everyone especially the US. If Argentina had won today they would have finished 2nd in Group B. 1st A vs 2nd B is a possible QF matchup

Looking good for the US if they get a point later today. They will play a 3rd place team (most likely be Senegal) in the 16s and then the winner of Austria against possibly FIJI! in the quarters.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:00 am

Or the U.S. can let Kovalenko get a hat trick against them in a 23 minute stretch. Looks like the U.S. will play Portugal, Colombia, Senegal (likely Colombia)

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sat Jun 06, 2015 12:45 am

Yup the US play Colombia Wednesday night in NZ.

The Mexicans are out! Uruguay and Mali will have a coin flip to see who gets 2nd and 3rd in Group D. Winner of the coin toss gets Brazil hahahaha

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:26 am

1-0 win. Rubio Rubin with a solid blast off a deflection. But Frei was the hero. PK stop in the early 80s of the game after a US player dragged a guy down (and got his 2nd yellow). Also a scary moment just a few minutes in where they took a US Player (Jamison) off on a backboard and to the hospital. The Colombians were interesting. Played very physical and used every trick to try and draw cards on set plays (stepping on guys ankles, etc).

Up next..Serbia who got a 2-1 Extra time win. They were down 1-0, scored with almost no time left and then won on an own goal.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:13 am

Quarterfinals Late Saturday/Early Sunday morning

Brazil-Portugal
Uzbekistan-Senegal
Germany-Mali
USA-Serbia

Post by **brian** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:35 am

It's not a World Cup quarterfinal without the Uzbeks involved.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 3:51 pm

brian wrote:It's not a World Cup quarterfinal without the Uzbeks involved.

Got through with a 1-2 record in group play but there -1 was better than Honduras and Fiji. They beat Austria in the round of 16

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 10:00 am

Taped the match so missed the first 25 minutes because of Truck racing. But Serbia looked like the better team. Still U.S. just did not perform from the spot. A Baggio style shank, a post in the top right corner,etc. U.S. Keeper did okay. Probably wishes he had one or two back, but it did go 9 rounds. Tough out for a pretty good US Team

3 of the 4 games went to kicks
Brazil beats Portugal
Mali over Germany
Senegal over Uzbecks (1-0)

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:55 am

wlu_lax6 wrote:Taped the match so missed the first 25 minutes because of Truck racing. But Serbia looked like the better team. Still U.S. just did not perform from the spot. A Baggio style shank, a post in the top right corner,etc. U.S. Keeper did okay. Probably wishes he had one or two back, but it did go 9 rounds. Tough out for a pretty good US Team

3 of the 4 games went to kicks
Brazil beats Portugal
Mali over Germany
Senegal over Uzbecks (1-0)

That was absolutely brutal. I fucking hate when players (Rubin and Requejo) stutter step, stop their runs and dink a pitiful shot. The Serbian goalie's only save came off of Rubin doing this prior to Requejo, so why not just fucking shoot it?

I have to wonder why Ramos waited so late to bring on Sonoro (103rd minute) as the first sub. He complete bossed the midfield, running circles around the rest of the tired legged players. Ramos only used 1 sub in a 120 minute 0-0 game. The US was missing several players due to injury and suspension, were the unused subs that much worse than the players on the field? Jamieson was listed as a sub, was he available to play? His speed would have been a great choice to add a weapon to the stale offense. The back 4, Carter-Vickers and Miazga in particular, were phenomenal. Zelalem was almost invisible the last 2 games, really disappointing, but I love Arriola. His workrate was off the charts, he has a nasty shot, speed and he plays fearlessly.

Post by **Sabo** » Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:58 am

I thought I read somewhere that teams were only permitted one sub per game in this tournament.