The U.S. under-20 national team has advanced to the quarterfinal round in each of the last five FIFA Under-20 World Cups, dating back to 2015.
On Sunday, this U.S. team will look to down Morocco and be the first to advance to the semifinals since 1989. U.S. coach Marko Mitrović said his team isn’t running away from the chance to make history.
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“There is no pressure, this team doesn’t feel the pressure,” he said in a phone interview on Friday afternoon from Chile. “This team is very proud. It goes to compete against anyone. And this team is very aware of the opportunity that we have. But what matters to me tonight is for the guys to have a good night (of sleep), wake up in the morning and then we move forward. That’s what matters to me. That’s how far ahead I’m thinking right now.”
If there is one thing Mitrović has learned across his years of coaching, including a run to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup championship as an assistant coach with Serbia in 2015, it’s that consistency is difficult for youth national teams.
Mitrović has coached in six youth international tournaments, including the U.S. team at the Olympics last summer. He knows that part of the job on a youth national team is working with players who are still developing. Inconsistency is part of the growing process. There will be up-and-down performances.
It’s why, going into this World Cup, Mitrović had faith that this team had something special in them.
Dating back to early 2024, this U-20 team played 16 games ahead of the World Cup. They lost just three of them. In those performances, Mitrović saw consistency, and he identified maturity and an understanding of the stakes that he likened to that champion Serbian side.
“If I would compare the two groups … it’s one strong [characteristic] on the field: teams that had a strong willingness to compete,” Mitrović said. “And an understanding of the importance of executing every action on the field and competing for every action. Because when you get to this stage, just coming to the World Cup, you face the teams with quality.”
The U.S. opened the tournament with a decisive 9-1 win over New Caledonia and an impressive 3-0 victory over France. A 2-1 loss to South Africa in the group stage didn’t stop the Americans from winning the group and going through to the knockouts. The U.S. then beat Italy, 3-0, on Oct. 9 to advance to the quarters.
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To get there for a fifth straight tournament is a testament, Mitrović said, to the country’s progress in the sport over the past three decades. Any of those teams, he said, had the quality to advance to the semifinals. The hope, though, is that his team can be the first to do it in 36 years.
They’ll face a familiar Morocco team. The U.S. played Morocco twice in September, winning the first game 4-1 and drawing the second 0-0 three days later. The games were “completely different, like watching not the same teams from the same game,” Mitrović said. It spoke to the unpredictability of match-ups at this level.
“There is a level of knowledge, but I don’t think it hurts or helps,” he said. “We know with Morocco that they are where they are right now as a country (and with their) development. We saw a lot in the World Cup in Qatar 2022 (in which Morocco finished four), but also, we faced them in the Olympics, and for me, they were the best in the Olympics, even though they won third place.
“The amount of talent that they have — and this group has so many talented players — beating Brazil and Spain in the group stage, tells you a lot. But when you get the quarterfinal, whoever is your opponent, you are very aware that all the teams are elite teams. There are no easy opponents anymore. So we’re very aware of that and we know we are ready for that.”
This U.S. team has plenty of talent, too. Inter Miami homegrown Benjamin Cremaschi, who recently moved to Serie A club Parma, has five goals, including a brace in the knockout win over Italy. His experience, including 75 games with Inter Miami (and training alongside a group of legends at Inter Miami) has shown through.
San Jose Earthquakes homegrown Niko Tsakiris and Real Salt Lake homegrown Zavier Gozo, one of the youngest players on the team, have had nice tournaments, as has Benfica center back Josh Wynder and Philadelphia Union homegrown Frankie Wesfield.
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Mitrović said the team got a message from the U.S. senior team pushing them forward. The hope, Mitrović said, is not just that this team can make history on Sunday, but that, like the teams before them, it will produce players who one day contribute to the senior team.
He believes this squad has the talent and quality to do both.
“Every group has a different dynamic,” Mitrović said. “I was lucky to work with this group. … I don’t think I did anything great here. It’s more, they’re great humans. They found a way to get together. And I think we have a strong presence of players with the strong character to compete. Sometimes you’re lucky to get the environment where people around you share the same values.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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