The U.S. U-20 Men's National Team will play Venezuela on Sunday at 1 a.m. CT (FS2) in the quarterfinals of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U.S. U-20s are coming off a dominant 6-0 win over New Zealand in the Round of 16, while Venezuela defeated Japan 1-0 to keep their perfect tournament - 11 goals scored and 0 allowed - intact.
To preview Sunday morning's match, we caught up with American Soccer Now writer and youth soccer expect Brian Sciaretta.
What have been your impressions of the U.S. U-20s throughout this tournament?
I have a very high impression of this team. Many have talked about the top players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Nick Taitague, Marlon Fossey, or Josh Perez who were not able to play in this tournament. But Tab Ramos has assembled a true team that is competing very, very hard and is fun to watch. The team is improving as the tournament progresses.
How do you feel Sporting KC defender Erik Palmer-Brown has performed in Korea?
I think Erik Palmer-Brown might be the best defender at the U-20 World Cup through the first four games. He's had to adjust to three central defense partners in the first four games but hasn't missed a beat regardless of who he is paired with. To succeed out of position in defensive midfield during qualifying and then dominate in central defense at the World Cup just shows how he has a highly advanced understanding of the game. Physically he has all the tools. We are just seeing him put it all together in South Korea.
Considering the number of players not with the U.S U-20s due to various reasons, how impressed are you by the depth of this team?
The depth of this team is impressive. Never before has an American youth national team done so well at a major competition without many of its top players. But you are starting to see recently that young American players in their teenage years are far closer to a top level than ever before. When scouts from European teams evaluate American players, they are noticing our players are closer to being first-team read than ever before. Christian Pulisic joined Dortmund when he was 16 and made his debut at 17. Weston McKennie signed for Schalke late last summer, was injured for a portion of this season, but made his Bundesliga debut in May. In MLS, Tyler Adams is a starter for the Red Bulls while being eligible for the 2019 World Cup team. Justen Glad, Danny Acosta, Sebastian Saucedo, Derrick Jones, and Tommy Redding have all played significant first team minutes to start this season. So it is not just one or two players sneaking through. There is a growing trend that younger Americans based both domestically and abroad are ready for first-team soccer in larger numbers. When that happens, the youth teams are naturally going to be deeper.
Venezuela has been dominant on both sides of the ball in this year's tournament. What type of challenge do they pose to the U.S. squad?
Venezuela has outscored its opponents 11-0 over this entire tournament. Outside of the first 10 minutes of the World Cup, the U.S. team is outscoring its opponents 11-2 and the two goals conceded came from a goalkeeping blunder and a set piece breakdown when the U.S. team had only 10 players. So I am expecting a tight game. Both the United States and Venezuela have very strong defenses that can really make it hard on opponents. Venezuela is a highly disciplined team and the U.S. will not have many chances. It's going to have to be clinical with its opportunities to advance.
Considering the success of the U.S. 20s, the U-17s and even some of the younger age groups on the men's side, how would you assess the current state of U.S. Soccer?
I think the overall state of the U.S. men's program is strong. Youth teams are on the right path and that is evident not only in the results of the teams but in success players are having with their clubs. The full national team has to play catch-up after a poor start to the Hexagonal round of qualifying. Bruce Arena is in a tough spot because he doesn't have that many opportunities to cast a wide net and expand the player pool. But I think he'll get there. The team has a good chance to get to the knockouts next year in Russia. If they can pull that off, that wold make it advancing out of the group stage in four out of the last five World Cups. That's impressive and the sign of a healthy program. The next step beyond that is within reach. You get the sense that the teenagers playing today are on another level than previous American teams. I believe Arena when he said that he believes the U.S. can compete for the World Cup in 2026.
