FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP 2023 SQUAD BY POSITION (CLUB; HOME TOWN; UNDER-20 PARTICIPATIONS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Alex Borto (Fulham/ENG; South Plainfield, NJ; 2/0), 12-Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 4/0), 1-Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.; 9/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 17-Justin Che (Hoffenheim/GER; Dallas, Texas; 9/1), 5-Bradan Craig (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 1/14), 14-Marcus Ferkranus (LA Galaxy; Santa Clarita, Calif.; 0/12), 13-Jonathan Gomez (Real Sociedad/ESP; Keller, Texas; 10/1), 2-Michael Halliday (Orlando City SC; Apopka, Fla.; 0/11), 3-Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.; 9/1), 4-Joshua Wynder (Louisville City FC; Louisville, Ky.; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, NJ; 0/14), 10-Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Sunnyvale, Calif.; 5/20), 8-Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, NY ; 2/20), 20-Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Stillwater, Okla.; 2/13), 15-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 4/9), 18-Obed Vargas ( Seattle Sounders FC; Anchorage, AK; 0/8), 16-Owen Wolff (Austin FC; Austin, Texas; 2/7)
FRONT (4): 9-Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.; 5/10), 11-Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Virginia; 7/2), 7-Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa . ; 7/18), 19-Darren Yapi (Colorado Rapids; Denver, Colo.; 0/6)
STRONG START OF THE ELIMINATION STAGE: MYNT Under-20s earned their place in the quarter-finals with a resounding 4-0 win against New Zealand in the round of 16. Midfielder Owen Wolff opened the scoring in the 15th minute and the US kept the pressure on the Oceanian champions all afternoon. Forward Cade Cowell added his third goal in three games just after the hour, defender Justin Che finished off a rebound from midfielder Diego Luna in the 75th and newcomer Rokas Pukstas added another in the 82nd. With the win, EE The USA advanced to the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive tournament after being the only nation to reach the final eight in the last three editions. The United States is also the only team that has not conceded a goal so far in this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup.
URUGUAY FIGHTS FOR THE FINAL 8: Uruguay reached the quarterfinals after a second-place finish in Group E and a hard-fought 1–0 win against Gambia in the round of 16. During group play, The light blue began the tournament with a 4-0 win over Iraq, fell 3-2 to European champions England in a two-leg match and defeated Tunisia 1-0 with a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time to secure their place in the knockout stage. In the round of 16 against Gambia, two red cards were shown in the first half and both teams finished the match with 10 players. Uruguay’s breakthrough came in the 65th minute from midfielder Anderson Duarte. Now, the South Americans are looking for their third place in the semifinals of the last five U-20 World Cups.
| Date | Adversary | Result | scorers |
| Monday, May 22 | Iraq | 4-0 win | Abaldo, Ferrari, Matturro, OG |
| Thursday, May 25 | England | L 2-3 | F. González, Abaldo |
| Sunday, May 28 | Tunisia | 1-0 win | F. Gonzalez |
| Thursday, June 1 | Round of 16: Gambia | 1-0 win | Duarte |
USA ROSTER NOTES
- Goalkeeper Gaga Slonina and defender Brandan Craig have played all 360 minutes for the USA so far in Argentina.
- Eight players have scored for the US in Argentina: forward Cade Cowell (three goals), defensemen Justin Che, Jonathan Gomez and Caleb Wiley, plus midfielders Diego Luna, Rokas Pukstas, Niko Tsakiris and Owen Wolff.
- Three players have registered assists: Luna (three), Craig, forward Quinn Sullivan and Wolff.
- Pukstas and striker Kevin Paredes joined the team in Argentina after the group stage. All 18 USA outfield players have racked up World Cup minutes after both newcomers took the field against New Zealand as second-half substitutes.
- Players born on or after January 1, 2003 are age-eligible for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Head coach Mikey Varas selected 10 players born in 2003, eight born in 2004 and three born in 2005 .
- The three players born in 2005, defender Joshua Wynder and midfielders Tsakiris and Obed Vargas, are also age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- The roster features players from 18 clubs, including 11 from Major League Soccer, led by three players from the Philadelphia Union and two from the San Jose Earthquakes.
- Six players are based abroad: two in England and Germany and one player in Croatia and Spain.
- A total of 13 states are represented on the roster, with four players hailing from California and Texas. An Anchorage native, Vargas is a rare World Cup roster pick for Alaska.
- Six players have earned call-ups with the full USMNT, including four who have already debuted with the senior team. Forward Cowell (three caps) and defender Gómez (two caps) lead the charge, while goalkeeper Slonina made his debut last January against Serbia. Most recently, defender Wiley played his first cap as a substitute in April’s Allstate Continental Classic against Mexico.
- Defenders Justin Che and Wynder have been called up to USMNT camp and are still searching for their full international debut.
- The USA qualified for the 2023 Under-20 World Cup by taking home their third straight confederation crown at last summer’s Concacaf Under-20 Championship in Honduras.
- Forward Sullivan was included in the tournament’s ideal eleven after scoring six goals in Honduras. Sullivan and goalkeeper Antonio Carrera, defenders Craig, Marcus Ferkranus and Michael Halliday, midfielders Daniel Edelman, Luna, Jack McGlynn, Rokas Pukstas and Tsakiris and forward Cowell return from that World Cup qualifying squad.
- All players on the list have been capped at Under-20 level, led by Luna’s and McGlynn’s 19 appearances.
- Sullivan is the team’s top scorer with seven international goals, six in World Cup qualifying.
- Four players have appeared in eight of the 10 training camps held since the cycle began in November 2021: Ferkranus, Luna, McGlynn and Sullivan.
USA VS. URUGUAY
- CAUTION NOTE: Defender Josh Wynder plus midfielder Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn all picked up yellow cards during the USA’s first four games. If any of the three receive a second booking against Uruguay, they will be suspended for the potential US semifinal matchup. USA
- Uruguayan midfielder Luciano Rodríguez will miss the quarterfinals after receiving a red card in the round of 16 against Gambia.
- The United States has a 1-3-0 record against Uruguay in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- The teams last met at Canada 2007, a 2-1 overtime win for the USA in the Round of 16. Future Uruguayan star Luis Suárez put the South Americans up 1-0 in the 73rd minute, but an 87th-minute own goal sent things into extra time. Michael Bradley scored in the 107th to send the USA to the quarterfinals.
- The United States fell 3-0 to Uruguay in the round of 16 at Malaysia 1997. The first two meetings came in the group stage. Uruguay was the United States’ first opponent in the Under-20 World Cup, losing 3-0 at Australia 1981. They met again at Mexico 1983, a 3-2 two-legged defeat that featured a goal by Hugo Perez.
- This is Uruguay’s 16th appearance at the U-20 World Cup, they have qualified for the last eight tournaments, the longest active streak of any nation. The United States, Uruguay and New Zealand are the only three countries that have qualified for the last five U-20 World Cups.
- Uruguay have finished runners-up twice (1997, 2013) and have reached the final four six times, more than any other nation to have won the tournament. Only South American powerhouses Brazil (nine) and Argentina (eight) have made more appearances in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Semi-Finals.
- Nineteen of Uruguay’s 21 players are based in the country, with four coming from Defensor Sporting and Peñarol. Two are playing abroad in Italy and Spain.
URUGUAY – SQUAD OF THE FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP 2023 BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-José Arbio (River Plate), 1-Facundo Machado (National), 12-Randall Rodríguez (Peñarol)
DEFENDERS (6): 3-Mateo Antoni (Liverpool), 2-Sebastian Boselli (Sporting Defender), 6-Mathias De Ritis (Peñarol), 16-Facundo Gonzalez (Valencia/ESP), 13-Alan Matturro (Genoa/ITA), 4-Mateo Ponte (Danube)
MIDFIELDERS (10): 17-Matias Abaldo (Sporting Defender), 8-Rodrigo Chagas (Nacional), 11-Juan Cruz de los Santos (River Plate), 5-Fabrico Diaz (Liverpool), 7-Anderson Duarte (Sporting Defender), 9-Andres Ferrari (Sporting defender), 14-Damián García (Peñarol), 10-Franco González (Danube), 18-Santiago Homenchenko (Peñarol), 15-Ignacio Sosa (Fenix)
FORWARD (2): 19-Luciano Rodríguez (Liverpool), Nicolás Siri (City of Montevideo)
HOW DID THEY GET HERE?
- Uruguay qualified for the U-20 World Cup as one of four teams from South America with a runner-up finish in this winter’s 2023 CONMEBOL U-20 Championship.
- The light blue led their group in the first group stage, going 3-0-1 unbeaten against Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.
- Four victories in the second group stage secured Uruguay’s spot in the U-20 World Cup. A late goal boosted The light blue to a 1-0 victory against Colombia and another dramatic finish led the team to a 2-1 victory against Ecuador. Uruguay overcame Venezuela 4-1, then a late goal was enough to overcome Paraguay 1-0 before beating Brazil 2-0 on the final day, conceding in the 84th minute and second of second-half stoppage time.
- Midfielder Fabricio Díaz plus forwards Álvaro Rodríguez and Luciano Rodríguez led Uruguay in scoring in World Cup qualifying with five goals each. Álvaro Rodríguez is not part of the squad for the U-20 World Cup.
HISTORY OF THE U-20 WORLD CUP
The United States has qualified for 17 of the 23 all-time U-20 World Cups, tied for second with Argentina. The biennial tournament was first organized in 1977 and Tunisia hosted the inaugural event, originally held as the FIFA World Youth Championship before becoming the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007. The first US qualifier It came at the 1981 tournament, which was held in Australia.
The USA has made it out of the group stage 11 times in the competition with the highest mark coming in 1989. Led by future USMNT legend goalie Kasey Keller, the USA finished fourth in Saudi Arabia that year . Keller took home the Silver Ball at the tournament, while future senior team players Mike Burns, Neil Covone and Chris Henderson also played key roles. While the U-20s advanced from the group stage with just one win, the US defeated Iraq in the quarterfinals before falling to Nigeria in the semifinals after overtime.
