Top 20 Under-20

With England's present not looking particularly bright, possibly missing Euro 2008 and the inevitable quarterfinal exit in World Cup 2010, I've made another one of my "Best Of" lists. The following are my Top 20 English players currently 20 years old or younger. These players are the stars of the future and England's hopes for success down the road, especially in Euro 2012 (Poland/Ukraine) and World Cup 2014 (most likely Brazil). I've taken into account both their present abilities and their future potential; players don't have to currently be playing in the Premiership to be eligible, and the club listed is the club they're playing for at this moment, whether it be on loan or permanently.

1. Micah Richards (Manchester City; 19)
2. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham; 20)
3. Theo Walcott (Arsenal; 18)
4. Joe Hart (Manchester City; 20)
5. Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham; 20)
6. Mark Noble (West Ham; 20)
7. Michael Johnson (Manchester City; 19)
8. Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham City; 19)
9. Nedum Onouha (Manchester City; 20)
10. Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City; 18)
11. Scott Sinclair (Chelsea; 18)
12. Nathan Porritt (Middlesbrough; 17)
13. Adam Hammill (Southampton; 19)
14. Paul Anderson (Swansea City; 19)
15. Ben Alnwick (Luton Town; 20)
16. Adam Johnson (Watford; 20)
17. Danny Haynes (Ipswich Town; 19)
18. Tristan Plummer (Bristol City; 17)
19. Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa; 16)
20. Stephen Darby (Liverpool; 19)

Editor's Note: I completely forgot about Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough; 19) and James Vaughan (Everton; 19) to be honest, but they definitely would've been on that list. Cattermole is going to be a solid Premiership midfielder in the future (though probably not for Middlesbrough) and while I'm still not completely sold on Vaughan, he would've made the list as well. Consider this an official editing of sorts; Cattermole slides in at 11th behind Sturridge and Vaughan 12th right behind him and ahead of Scott Sinclair. Unfortunately for Nathan Delfouneso, the youngest player on my original list, and Stephen Darby, they're bumped off my Top 20. As if they really care though, right?

US-Austria Preview

What possibly could be the most underhyped of the four quarterfinal games of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup (at least from a global view) features the US and Austria, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals to take on the winner of the Spain-Czech Republic game. The US is seen as the significant favorite over Austria, however they were seen in the same light before their game against Uruguay and that was a much closer game than many people thought it would be.


Austria's roster is comprised of all domestic-based players except for one, Martin Harnik, who plays for Werder Bremen in Germany. They're led offensively by Erwin--and this is not my own bad joke--"Jimmy" Hoffer, who's scored twice in four games for his side. Austria as a team has only scored four goals in this tournament; however they've only conceded two and if they can force their tempo on the US like Uruguay did, they could pull the upset and move on to the semi-finals. Three different goalies have played for Austria thus far; Michael Zaglmair has started twice and Andreas Lukse and Bartolomej Kuru have started once. Zaglmair was in net for Austria's 1-1 tie with Congo in the first group game and for the 2-1 win over Gambia in the quarterfinals. It seems as if a rotation is in place, and if that's the case, Andreas Lukse is in line to start against the US as his last appearance was in the second group game (a 1-0 victory over Canada). One thing is for certain though: Austria's defense is led by Sebastian Proedl, who plays his club soccer at SK Sturm Graz. Proedl has played every minute of every game at this U-20 World Cup, and at 6'2", 187, Proedl is a physically imposing player who could give the US fits all night.


I'd venture to say everyone reading this preview knows about the US by this point. Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore, Danny Szetela, and Sal Zizzo have carried the US to this stage in the tournament. However, Altidore's availability could be in question after he limped off with a knee injury in the 51st minute against Uruguay. The last thing the US needs is to play without Altidore against an already-referenced stout defense. The two goals scored in the Uruguay game were scrappy, hard-nosed goals that don't come around too often. Andre Akpan didn't show much of anything after he was subbed on for Altidore and if he has to start this game, the US could be in trouble offensively. Their goalkeeping situation also could be in doubt. Chris Seitz, the starter, got injured against Brazil and was obviously still too banged up to play against Uruguay was Brian Perk got the call. There's a huge gap between Seitz and Perk, in my opinion, and though it may not turn out to be much a factor against a team like Austria that struggles to score, I'd rather have Seitz in goal ten times out of ten. Perk looked shaky at best against Uruguay; not calling off defenders to claim the ball himself, punching balls he easily could've caught, in short, looking every bit of the 17 years of age that he is. Seitz is a steady, calming influence at the back and his presence alone would give the US a huge advantage.

Toronto, Ontario is the host city for tomorrow's game, which is scheduled for a 2:15 PM Eastern Time kickoff on ESPN U. Check back here for a full match recap, one which hopefully will be celebrating a US win.

US U-20's Rally, Advance to Quarterfinals

Michael Bradley put the finishing touch on a left-footed shot by Julian Valentin in the 107th minute and the US U-20 national team held on to beat the Uruguayan U-20's 2-1. Luis Suarez put Uruguay ahead on 73 minutes after slamming home a rebound that couldn't be controlled by US fill-in keeper Brian Perk, but an own goal 14 minutes later sent what was a brutal-to-watch, no rhythm game to extra time.

The match started off slow and just got slower throughout the first half. A combined 22 fouls (some of which were nitpicky and could've been no-calls by the Uzbek referee, Ravshan Irmatov) really sucked the flow out of the first 45 minutes of play. The US wasn't able to play the up-and-down, high-paced style of soccer they'd exhibited in the group stage of the tournament as they fell in to the slow tempo that Uruguay wanted to maintain. Neither side had any exceptional scoring chances, though Luis Suarez sent a curling free kick just over the crossbar and Josmer Altidore had a free header which was saved by the Uruguayan backup goalkeeper, Yonatan Irrazabal.

The US suffered a huge blow in the 51st minute when Josmer Altidore suffered a knee injury that could prove problematic to the US down the line. Uruguay's defenders had been very physical with Altidore all game long and their repeated challenges seemed to take their toll on the New York Red Bull striker. He was substituted for Andre Akpan, and at this point, things seemed bleak for the US as they'd generated little offense to that point and with their best striker out of the game, not much more attack could be expected.

The situation became even drearier when Uruguay drew first blood in the 73rd minute. Luis Suarez beat Brian Perk to a rebound from an Edinson Cavani header and hammered it home to put the South Americans up 1-0. The two European-based players were the best players on the field for Uruguay all night long, and when Suarez was substituted out in the in the 83rd minute, it was a move that had me second, third, and fourth-guessing Uruguay coach Ferrin Gustavo.


Sure enough, the US scored just 4 minutes later courtesy of a Mathias Cardaccio own goal. Danny Szetela kept a Freddy Adu corner kick alive, dribbled towards the end-line, and slammed a low left-footed drive from 9 yards out that skipped under Irrazabal's diving frame. Andre Akpan looked certain to finish it, but a sliding lunge from Mathias Cardaccio was actually the touch that directed the ball into the net.

Uruguay nearly won the game in regulation but an awkward-looking header from Manuel Diaz came squarely off the right post. It had Brian Perk frozen; just an inch or so to the left and Uruguay would've won but as it was, the US benefited from a stroke of luck and the game went into extra time.

The first 15 minutes of extra time went by without any drama, though a yellow card was handed out to defender Anthony Wallace. The second 15 minutes produced 5 more yellow cards, but most importantly, what turned out to be the game-winning goal by US midfielder Michael Bradley. In truth, Bradley had not played very well, to say the least, all game long but he was in the right place at the right time to redirect a Julian Valentin shot into the net to give the US a 2-1 advantage. Bradley has often times looked out of his depth during this FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is surprising after his impressive performance (though it was against lesser CONCACAF teams) during the Gold Cup. However, his goal gave the US the lead and it was a lead they held onto for the last 13 minutes of extra time.

Men of the Match:
USA: No one jumped out at me whatsoever, and I refuse to name Michael Bradley man of the match simply because he scored the game-winning goal because he didn't play well at all during the game. Insert your choice here, but I'll go with Freddy Adu.
Uruguay: Edinson Cavani

The US advance to the quarterfinals to take on Austria, a 2-1 winner over Gambia. That game will be played this Saturday, July 14, also in Toronto. Kickoff is set for 2:15 PM Eastern Time, and ESPN U will have the live broadcast from BMO Field.

A full preview of that game can be found here either tomorrow night or early Saturday morning. Keep checking the site for the latest coverage of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

US U-20's to Meet Uruguay in Round of 16

The Round of 16 was finalized yesterday as group play finished off in Groups A and C. The US, as the winner of Group D, earned the right to play a third place team in the Round of 16, and their opponent will be South American side Uruguay.

Uruguay ended group play (Group B) with 4 points from 3 games and a -1 goal differential, which cost them second place as Zambia also had 4 points but a +1 goal differential. Uruguay was led by two goals from Palermo striker Edison Cavani and a goal and an assist from FC Gronigen midfielder Luis Suarez. Worth noting, however, is the fact that Uruguay will enter the match with the US without their starting goalkeeper, Mauro Goicoechea, who received a red card just 19 minutes into his country's final group match against Zambia (a 2-0 loss). This surely will be a huge advantage for the US, whose dynamic offense gives starting goalkeepers fits, much less their backups.

The US heads into the knockout stages as the winner of Group D with 7 points. A comfortable goal differential of +6, buoyed by 3 goals apiece from Danny Szetela, Freddy Adu, and Josmer Altidore. Sal Zizzo contributed 3 assists as well, and the US led all countries in goals scored during the group stage with 9.

The match will be played in Toronto on Wednesday, July 11. It's tentatively scheduled to be televised on ESPN U, though interest across the country forced ESPN executives to move the match against Brazil to ESPN and the same may be done again. The winner of this match will play the winner of the Austria-Gambia game in Toronto on July 14.

Check back here for a full recap of this match and if results go the US' way, a preview of their quarterfinal game.

For the complete knockout bracket, see: http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/index.html

US U-20's Roll On, Upset Brazil 2-1

New York Red Bull striker Josmer Altidore scored twice and Freddy Adu had his coming out party as the two led the US U-20's past Brazil's U-20's by a score of 2-1. Adu had the assist on Altidore's second goal after his shot (which, if finished, would've looked exactly like his first goal against Poland) was deflected by a Brazilian defender and finished on one bounce into a wide-open net by Altidore.

The game was a hotly contested, up-and-down affair with chances aplenty for both sides. The US came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and they set the tone for the rest of the match, proving to Brazil that they wouldn't be intimidated and that they were a team to be reckoned with. Robbie Rogers looked dangerous early as he had a good shot parried away by Cassio and then served a cross in to Josmer Altidore, who just got a foot on it as Cassio came up with another good save. Altidore received the ball won by Adu from a Brazilian player in the 25th minute, controlled it between two defenders, and unleashed a wicked shot that stayed on the ground and went past the diving Cassio to give the US a 1-0 lead. The shot would've went in on any surface but it was ironic that this game was played on turf, which the Brazilians and the other South American teams had complained about. The shot definitely looked to be turf-aided in the fact that it didn't slow down at all; grass would've sucked some of the velocity right out of the shot.

Brazil absolutely deserved an equalizer and got it, scrappy though it was, from Leandro Lima in the 64th minute. Michael Bradley's poor clearing header (and it was awful, no power at all behind it) was controlled for a second, then popped up, and when the ball came down, Renato Augusto's incredible side volley was saved by US keeper Chris Seitz. Seitz couldn't hang on to the rebound and a hard-charging Leandro Lima did enough when he and a US defender crashed into Seitz to poke the ball under the keeper. The ball rolled slowly into the net and the Brazilians were back in the game, 1-1.

At this point, doubts sprang into my mind. The pace of the game was too high for the US team and they visibly looked to be exhausted. There's no shame in not being able to keep up with the Brazilians and it seemed that for all the world that it would be the Brazilians, if anyone, who would get another goal, especially because the Brazilians came into the game far more desperate than the Americans, needing points to secure advancement into the knockout round. However, it was not Brazil who scored the the next goal, but it was the US. An incredible showcase of dribbling got Freddy Adu free in the box, parallel to the end-line, and when his shot was deflected by a Brazilian defender in the 81st minute, Josmer Altidore was there to pick up the pieces and side-foot the ball into a wide-open net to make it 2-1.

This would be all the US needed and though it was a frantic last 10+ minutes, Chris Seitz came up huge like he had done all game long. He deserves a lot of credit for the victory as Brazil had good chances to score all game long, led by CSKA Moscow striker Jo, new Real Madrid left back Marcelo, and Renato Augusto. The supremely talented Alexandre Pato seemed to disappear far too often for Brazil yesterday, and aside from a failed chip shot that would've been a breathtaking goal, Pato was not a factor in the match at all.

It was a great crowd last night in Ottawa, far better than what the US got when playing in Montreal. The stadium (Frank Clair Stadium) was filled to capacity and both teams had their own rooting section. The US seemed to be the choice of the neutral fans, however, as I think they got an added boost from a crowd which was cheering for the underdogs and the team close to home.

With the victory, the US finishes on top of Group D and go into the Round of 16 on a high note. By winning the group, they stayed away from Argentina (Poland, Group D's runner-up, drew the South American side in the next round) and assured themselves of a chance to play a third place team. That's huge for this country as a successful showing here would help erase the negatives that were generated by the awful results achieved by the senior team sent to Copa America. That team went 3 losses and out, like the World Cup 1998 side that brought soccer in America down until we reached the quarterfinals in 2002.

Look for another post when the US know who their Round of 16 opponent is and a full preview of that match, which will be played on July 11 in Toronto.

Men of the Match
Brazil: Jo
USA: Freddy Adu/Josmer Altidore

For full highlights of this match, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsBEIxvLAMU

US U-20's Victorious, Rout Poland 6-1

After a shaky start that saw them go down a goal just 4 minutes into the game, the US U-20's picked up their play and went on to beat Poland's U-20 team 6-1, led by a hat trick from Freddy Adu and two goals from Danny Szetela, the talented Columbus Crew youngster with Polish heritage.

In all honesty, the outcome could've been even more one-sided. The US looked threatening all game long, visibly outclassing Poland at every position on the field. Southampton's Bartosz Bialkowski came up with some outstanding saves to hold the US to 6 goals and without him in net, Poland may just have conceded a total in the double digits as the US was firing shots from all over the field.

The Polish defense, headlined by Bolton defender Jaroslaw Fojut, their captain, will be hard-pressed to forget Adu and Szetela, but I think it was Sal Zizzo who came up with the best performance of the night. Zizzo looked like Cristiano Ronaldo with his play on the right side, constantly running at the Polish defenders and breaking them down. He had two assists on the night and it was only his unselfishness that didn't see his name onto the scoresheet as he was the most menacing player on the field.

One brief sidenote about the match, which was played at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. If the stadium isn't good enough to keep the professional baseball team that played there recently, the Montreal Expos, is it really fit to be a site at the FIFA U-20 World Cup? It's a 65,000+ seat stadium but only half of it, at best, was filled for the US-Poland game. There's nothing worse than playing in front of a reserved, lackluster crowd and at the biggest stage of them all in youth international soccer, the sight of a game in Olympic Stadium was a disgrace. The stadium is closed for four months every winter as the fire marshal in Montreal has concerns about the roof not being able to support snow loads for goodness' sake!

The US will square off against perennial power Brazil in Ottawa on July 6. They sit on top of Group D after 2 games and with a +5 goal differential, one would think a tie would be enough for the US to advance to the knockout stages of this tournament. A loss may not even eliminate the US as long as the scoreline is kept close. Right now, the US is in the driver's seat and if they can hold on and win the group, they would play a third-place team in the next round, improving their chances of moving further in the tournament.

Group D Standings (after 2 matches):
1. USA (4 pts, +5 GD)
2. Brazil (3 pts, 0 GD)
3. Poland (3 pts, -4 GD)
4. South Korea (1 pt, -1 GD)