USMNT: Americans yearn for U-20 World Cup after overthrowing France

by



[ad_1]

Beat again the previously undefeated Frenchman against the Americans in the quarter-finals of the Under-20 World Cup, and the club is considering a title challenge.

Before making the US trip to Poland for the Under-20 World Cup, Tab Ramos was cautiously optimistic. He knew he would bring a good American team to this year's competition. In his words, they were the most talented of the four teams he had brought to the tournament.

What he did not understand was the quality of the opponents his team would face and the type of road they would have to travel to achieve the dream of a race in depth. For this reason, Ramos thought that everything that was being contested for the World Cup title was silly before the tournament.

The group stage showed that Ramos was right to be cautious. Group D proved difficult, but the United States qualified for the round of 16 as the second runner-up. An even bigger test was expected in the round of 16 and the Americans found a way to pass it, eliminating a team from France considered one of the tournament's favorites.

The article continues below

Publisher's choice

The French showed the quality that helped them move into the group stage – including a victory against the new World Cup quarter-finalists Mali – and dominated the United States for long periods. This was not a surprise considering the quality of the French lineup. What was a surprise to those who did not know the American team well, and even for those who knew it well, was that the Americans could take a punch from a power station and return one.

When France took a 2-1 lead in the second half, we had the impression that the round of 16 was looming. Sebastian Soto's first goal left the Americans hopeful, but the way France punished the American defense to score two goals in response, dominating the game for much of the first 60 minutes, suggested that the Americans were doomed to the expected destiny .

Everything changed when Ramos inserted Ulysses Llanez and Justin Rennicks. The fast duo gave the Americans the energy they needed, and Llanez 'determined approach motivated his teammates to put the French on their heels. Suddenly, France, who thought she could win the victory, realized that she was facing a dangerous opponent.

"It was honestly the basics at that time," Soto said after the match. "You think you're playing against a world-class team like France, yeah, you think you're scared or intimidated, it's like," No, these are basics. This is football. "It's a bit like what we showed, but also with the fight, it was great."

This should not have surprised the French, who had faced the Americans in a trio of friendly matches over the last year. The two sides knew each other well, even if that did not prevent France from appearing flat during the last 25 minutes, whereas the Americans clashed.

The United States needed some skills, and that's what they did when they created a well-crafted team goal, limited by an individual skill. Llanez opened the scoring against Tim Weah 35 yards from goal. The product of Paris Saint Germain had the time and space necessary to achieve a perfect pass for Soto, who placed him in a tight space and calmly beat the French goalkeeper of Fiorentina. Alban Lafont.

The equalizer should have awakened France, but the favorites have not responded and it is rather the Americans who have shown more life in the last minutes. This was clearly seen on the winning goal, which occurred when Sergino Dest launched a long-range speculative explosion. Lafont would have been a consistent starter in the Serie A goal, but he failed to catch it, letting out a rebound on which Rennicks managed to sneak in to sneak behind France's slow slow-motion defenders. an improbable winner.

It was a victory that was partly due to determination, but also to the ability for some Americans to deliver special moments, even in a game where they were outclassed. Soto tried his luck, Weah scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game, Chris Richards again dominated the heart of the American defense and Llanez left the bench and provided the necessary energy for the second consecutive game.

If the victory was surprising, it is not only because of the quality of France or suspensions that prevented midfielders Alex Mendez and Chris Durkin from playing in the United States. It was a surprise because the United States did not seem to have beaten Qatar in the group stage final. It was an unconvincing performance against an opponent that the Americans had to dominate, and the United States seemed dull, and they asked questions about the quality of this team.

The Americans have not dominated France and they have been dominated for long periods, but what this American team has done is refuse to fight against a superior opponent. They fought and scrapped and created great games when they needed them.

They delivered the kind of victory that US fans had used to seeing a lot more often than in recent years.

"We are one of the teams that, if you underestimate us, we will punish you," Rennicks said. "I think that's what happened today."

Ramos' reaction to the final whistle was revealing. While the people around him were celebrated wildly, the American coach had an incredulous look, taking a moment to look at his watch as if he were already starting the countdown to Saturday's quarter-final against Ecuador . It may be because he realized that he had already come here after winning in the round of 16 in the previous two tournaments. Both times, the Americans returned home after tight losses in the next round. In 2015, it was a defeat on penalties against the eventual champion of Serbia, then a defeat in overtime against the future finalist of Venezuela in 2017.

Ramos arrived in Poland without knowing where his team stood against the best in the world, but he now knows that it's a team capable of doing something special. If the Americans can beat Ecuador in the quarterfinals on Saturday, this is the first time in 30 years that an American team has qualified for the semi-finals of the U-20 World Cup.

After eliminating France, this American team will come Saturday with the certainty of being able to beat anybody. After watching the Americans defeat France, running for the Under-20 World Cup title no longer seems such a crazy idea.

[ad_2]

Source link