17 year old Josh Sargent became the youngest American ever to score at an under-20 World Cup on Monday in the USMNT’s 3-3 draw with Ecuador (photo credit: US Soccer)
There are two rules to watching a match at 4am on a work day morning. The first is that the coffee needs to be boiled and it better keep coming. The second of course is that the match itself better be exciting.
Thankfully those that woke up early on Monday morning to watch the United States under-20 National Team take on Ecuador’s under-20 side in the 2017 World Cup got both. Well, hopefully they got number one but they definitely got number two. Despite going down not just once, but twice the USMNT U-20’s clawed back into the game earning a 3-3 draw against their South American counterparts.
Ecuador would take the lead early thanks to two early goals from Herlin Lino (5′) and Bryan Cabezas (7′). The USMNT would strike back though with two goals from Josh Sargent (36′ and 54′). Cabezas and Ecuador (64′) would strike back late in the second half with the Atalanta striker seizing on a defensive miscue to put La Tricolor up 3-2. But the U.S. weren’t the only side to be plagued by a mistake late as a poor clearance from Ecuador would leave USMNT midfielder Luca de la Torre with the chance to earn a point. The Fulham midfielder would seize upon his chance delivering the game-tying goal in stoppage time.
Analyzing teams during a tournament can be difficult. Very often squads evolve as the tournament goes on. When you factor that these are at the end of the day youth sides it can make the process of figuring out teams even more difficult.
1.) Sporting Kansas City need to sign Josh Sargent. Fast.
It would be easy to say that the reason why Sargent should be considered the man of the match was because of his two goals. But while his goals were exceptional it was his style of play that set him apart. Down two goals Sargent continued to press the Ecuadorean defense looking for any small hole that he could find. That sense of urgency on the attacking end is not something that the United States has seen at this level since a certain bleach blonde striker from California astounded the world in 1999 at the under-17 FIFA Championship.
Here is the kicker when it comes to Sargent: he is just 17 years old. Playing above his age level against one of the best South American sides shows that he is more than ready to make the jump to the professional game. In December, Sporting Kansas City claimed his Homegrown Player rights despite having never played for Sporting KC at the academy level. Sargent is from Missouri which falls under SKC’s territory for claiming Homegrown Players.
That does not necessarily mean that he will be signing up for the Powdered Blues this fall, or ever for that matter. Sargent could end up going to Europe or playing college soccer. What he ends up deciding to do will largely depend upon his performance at this World Cup and at the under-17 World Cup this fall. If he continues to have a strong campaign SKC might want to get their checkbook ready if they don’t want to lose Sargent.
2.) Derrick Jones should be starting.
Speaking of Homegrown Players one of the key decisions of the match was USMNT coach Tab Ramos choice to bring in Derrick Jones for an injured Gedion Zelalem late in the first half. Down two goals Jones brought life into the US midfield using his strength and excellent passing skills to change the tempo of the match. The Philadelphia Union midfielder was critical in setting up Sargent on his first goal, providing the pass out de la Torre.
Senior-level experience at a tournament like this is critical and it appears that Jones’ time with the Union has turned him into a more well-rounded defender and creative presence. It will be interesting to see if his positive performance will lead to more match-time against Senegal on Thursday (7am EST FS1).
3.) Can they correct the mental mistakes before the business end of the tournament?
Despite their form being good for most of the match, the defensive lapses really stand out. In particular the play of goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann left a lot to be desired. In the video below watch the first goal.
While one can forgive defensive lapses at this level in the form of missed marking assignments or poor passes Klinsmann’s goalkeeper work here is a textbook example of what not to do behind the pipes. Not only did he make a poor read on goal but his challenge nearly took out Cabezas, which would have resulted in a penalty and possibly a red card had Lino not converted on his attacking chance.
Klinsmann wasn’t the only player to make a defensive mistake that proved costly. Center-back Tommy Redding was torn to shreds by Cabezas for the better part of the match and in particular with the second goal. But Klinsmann’s series of mistakes during that second goal really put the United States in a bad position. Although the U.S. talent level is probably at its highest in years it is going to need to avoid making critical errors like that so early in the match if they have any designs on making a deep run in this year’s tournament.
USMNT
FIFA
