Aiming to reach the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup for just the second time, USA Under-20s tackle Uruguay Under-20s in Sunday's quarter-final at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
The Yanks cruised past New Zealand 4-0 in the last 16, while their South American adversaries edged past Gambia 1-0 in a bad-tempered affair.
Match preview
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Cruising through the group stage with three wins and three clean sheets from their contests with Fiji, Ecuador and Slovakia, the USA continued along the same path to success during their last-16 showdown with New Zealand, who were no match for Mikey Varas's youthful charges.
The Yanks only had Owen Wolff's effort to show for their first-half exploits, but the floodgates opened after the restart, as Cade Cowell, Justin Che and Rokas Pukstas all got in on the act during the final half hour, propelling the USA to their fourth successive quarter-final appearance at the Under-20 World Cup.
However, progressing beyond this stage has been easier said than done for the USA, who have been eliminated at this point in the last three editions of the tournament in 2015, 2017 and 2019, while only prevailing in one of their seven quarter-final battles at the Under-20 World Cup in total.
That success came at the 1989 tournament in Saudi Arabia, where the USA ended up in fourth place - their best-ever finish at the Under-20 World Cup to date - but with five successive clean sheets to boast in all tournaments, the Yanks' must flaunt every inch of their defensive acumen to quell a goal-happy Uruguay outfit.
By the time the referee's whistle had blown to signal the end of the first half, the ill-disciplined Gambia and Uruguay had already gone down to 10 men in Thursday's last-16 battle, as Mansour Mbye saw red for the African nation before Luciano Rodriguez joined him on the naughty step in added time for violent conduct.
Uruguay had failed to capitalise on their man advantage during the 28-minute period in between the two red cards, but with 65 minutes on the clock, Anderson Duarte tucked away the game's only goal to keep Marcelo Broli's men in the running for a maiden Under-20 World Cup crown.
Beaten finalists in 1997 and 2013, Uruguay have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Under-20 World Cup for just the second time in their last eight appearances, and they progressed to the semi-finals on both occasions - ending up in fourth place in the 2017 edition.
Netting nine goals in total at an average of over two per game so far, La Celeste's red-hot attackers will prove a stern test of the USA's defensive mettle, but recent results against their northern counterparts have been nothing to write home about.
After winning each of their first three meetings with the USA, Uruguay have failed to triumph in either of their last two - losing 2-1 in the last 16 of the 2007 Under-20 World Cup and drawing 1-1 in a 2019 friendly - and either Israel or Brazil will be waiting to lock horns with the victors for a spot in the showpiece match.
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Team News
Once again, the USA ended their last-16 thrashing of New Zealand without any new injury or suspension concerns bedevilling them, meaning that Varas will have the luxury of a full contingent of players for Sunday's game.
With his squad enjoying four days of rest - a welcome change to their hectic group-stage schedule - Varas ought to avoid making any alterations to his starting XI, as Pukstas warms the bench despite netting his side's fourth as a substitute on Tuesday.
In contrast, Uruguay boss Broli must work around the untimely absence of the suspended Rodriguez, who is the joint-top scorer in the current Celeste Under-20 squad with 10 goals in 37 appearances, level with captain Fabricio Diaz.
An attacking shake-up will therefore be in order, with Nicolas Siri potentially coming in to lead the line and pushing Duarte to the left-wing position, as Juan Cruz de los Santos switches to the right to cover for the suspended Rodriguez.
Broli should otherwise have all of his troops at his disposal, but the quick turnaround time could benefit Rodrigo Chagas or Ignacio Sosa's chances of a start in the engine room.
USA Under-20s possible starting lineup:
Slonina; Che, Wynder, Craig; Gomez, McGlynn, Edelman, Wiley; Wolff, Luna, Cowell
Uruguay Under-20s possible starting lineup:
Rodriguez; Ponte, Boselli, Facundo Gonzalez, Matturro; Diaz, Garcia; De Los Santos, Franco Gonzalez, Duarte; Siri
We say: USA Under-20s 2-1 Uruguay Under-20s
As important as Rodriguez's contributions often are to the Uruguay attack, the 19-year-old has not netted once in Argentina so far, and La Celeste possess plenty of other difference-makers in the final third.
The USA's magnificent run of clean sheets should therefore come to an end, but the Yanks will have had an extra two days' worth of rest and have proven potent in the final third themselves, so we have faith in Varas's side to come up trumps, end their quarter-final hoodoo and seal a spot in the final four.
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Ben Knapton
