U-20 World Cup Player Reviews

While team success is definitely important at the youth level because it teaches the players how to win, the most important thing to look at is the individual performances and to get a sense of the player going forward. Winning the U-20 World Cup (or even advancing past the group stage) would have been awesome for US Soccer, no question about it. But it wouldn’t have been as critical as the experience that these teenagers carried away from their experience in Turkey. They got to showcase their skills on a bigger stage than they are used to, play against some of the most talented youngsters that the world has to offer, and learn what is required to succeed on an international level.

Having said that, here is my breakdown of the players performance:

Goalie:

Cody Cropper, GK: Let in some goals that he probably should have saved but also made some saves on shots that he probably shouldn’t have kept out. Positioning was on and off. Overall a solid but not special performance for the goalie.

Defense:

Juan Pablo Ocegueda, LB: Really struggled throughout the tournament. Looked completely overmatched against both Spain and France. Constantly lost track of his man while ball-watching and didn’t provide much going forward.

Caleb Stanko, CB: Only played in the Spain and Ghana games, and the US gave up 4 goals in both. Plays midfield for his club and it was very evident that he isn’t comfortable in a central defensive role yet. Was the most responsible defender on 2 of the Spanish goals and 3 of the Ghanaian's. Another defender who was caught ball-watching too often.

Javan Torre, CB: Only played against Spain and France. He was definitely the weak link in the defense against Spain, but was vastly improved against France, though he looked like he was playing at a completely lower speed than the attackers. Unlucky to be called for a penalty against France, as it was just out of the box, but bad positioning and his lack of speed led to a bad foul in a bad spot. Struggled to close down and was caught out of position often.

Shane O’Neill, CB: Easily the best of the three center backs that Ramos put out there. Missed the Spain game due to suspension and boy did the defense miss him. Played very solidly against France and did all he could to make up for Stanko’s mistakes against Ghana. While not mistake-free, he did very well for a player still learning his position after switching from midfield and will continue to get better and more comfortable. Scored the lone goal against Ghana on a very well taken header.

DeAndre Yedlin, RB: Got himself in some fantastic positions going forward and was a constant threat. Was the best US player on the field against France and dominated Lucas Digne, a starter for Lille of Ligue 1. Had some downs defensively with positioning and one-on-ones, but was such a threat offensively it more than made up for it. Could certainly take the opportunity to shoot more often and needs some work on his crosses, but overall a fantastic tournament from the Sounders right back. He is definitely one of the most exciting US prospects and with the lack of depth at RB on the senior team and constant injury problems for Cherundolo, Yedlin has the best chance of going to Brazil out of anyone from the U20 team.

Midfield:

Wil Trapp: Did a solid job in the holding midfield spot, which he played in every game. Good distribution and composure on ball, but was caught up field a few too many times (especially against Spain) leading to an inability to help with the weak central defense.

Benji Joya: Played in a role that he isn’t really suited for as he had too much responsibility defensively to be truly impactful on offense. He struggled with the defensive responsibilities, as he is typically more of an offensive-minded midfielder. A lot of that can be put on Ramos rather than Joya, but he still didn’t play up to his potential. Missed the game against Ghana due to yellow card accumulation.

Jose Villarreal: Played in a mostly forward/midfield combo role, and did it adequately enough. Created a couple chances and had a few attempts on goal but was mostly a nonfactor. Not too much to complain about but also not much to write home about either.

Luis Gil: Was easily the best American against Spain, and one of the most exciting players on the roster. Scored a beautiful goal in the first game and created numerous chances for teammates. He struggled a bit against France, but that was in large part due to the French defense giving him most of their attention. Missed a penalty but came back to create the chance that tied the game. Against Ghana he created chances but didn’t match his Spain performance. Very solid on the ball and has the technical ability to do things that most American players cannot. Should be a regular contributor to the senior national team during the 2018 world cup cycle.

Mario Rodriguez: Was at his best when he was playing out wide and taking defenders on. Created the penalty kick against France, which was his best game. Did well to get into dangerous positions but his finishing and final passes weren’t good enough. 

Oscar Sorto: Did very well in the limited time he saw. Had great chemistry with Yedlin in the France game and did wonderfully to let Yedlin be absolutely free in coming forward. Started against Ghana in the same position and was eventually switched to right back when Yedlin had to be taken off with a shoulder injury. Battled through an injury to finish the game and even collected an assist on the O’Neill goal with a beautiful cross, but didn’t look great in a solely defensive role.

Daniel Cuevas: Was a supersub and did it wonderfully. It seemed as if he created a spark the second he walked onto the field. Scored the tying goal against France and was dangerous many other times. Probably deserved a start in at least one of the games, but he preformed so well in his role that Ramos didn’t want to switch it up (or he was battling an injury).

Forwards:

Alonso Hernandez: Very disappointing. Only played the first half of the Spain and France games, while not touching the field against Ghana despite the deficit. Missed a golden opportunity for a goal against Spain and never really created anything for others.