USA begins defense at CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship

U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team
2018 CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship
IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
Nov. 1-21, 2018

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BRADENTON, Fla. (Via U.S. Soccer) – For the first time, the U.S. U-20 MNT returns to the Concacaf U-20 Championship as defending champion, claiming its first confederation title in 2017 en route to another successful run at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The USA begins its defense of the trophy- and quest to advance to the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup – on Thursday, Nov. 1 when they take on Puerto Rico at IMG Academy Stadium in Bradenton, Fla.

The match is the first of five for the U.S. in Group A and will be broadcast on the Concacaf GO app, concacafgo.com and Univision Deportes. Fans can also follow along via U.S. Soccer’s officialFacebook, twitter (@ussoccer_ynt) and Instagram (@ussoccer_ynt) accounts.

USA ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (2): 12-David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.)*, 1-Brady Scott (FC Koln/GER; Petaluma, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (7): 16-Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompoc, Calif.), 3-Chris Gloster (Hannover 96/GER; South Orange, N.J.), 2-Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting KC; Charlotte, N.C.), 4-Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; Bear, Del.), 14-Manny Perez (N.C. State; Garner, N.C.), 5-Matthew Real (Philadelphia Union; Drexel Hill, Pa.), 19-Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 18-Isaac Angking (New England Revolution; Providence, R.I.), 15-Anthony Fontana (Philadelphia Union; Newark, Del.), 8-Alex Mendez (SC Freiburg/GER; Los Angeles, Calif.), 10-Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Tex.), 6-Brandon Servania (FC Dallas; Birmingham, Ala.), 7-Juan Pablo Torres (K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen/BEL; Lilburn, Ga.)

FORWARDS (5): 17-Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC/CAN; Detroit, Mich.), 20-Frankie Amaya (UCLA; Santa Ana, Calif.), 13-Griffin Dorsey (Indiana Univ.; Evergreen, Colo.), 11-Ulysses Llanez (Unattached; Lynwood, Calif.), 9-Justin Rennicks (Indiana Univ.; Hamilton, Mass.)

*Prior to the start of the tournament, the USA made one change from the initial 20-player team. Real Salt Lake goalkeeper David Ochoa has replaced CJ Dos Santos, who was recalled by his club, Benfica.

Teams that advance to the Qualification Stage of the tournament will be permitted to amend the 20-player roster and replace up to six players within 24 hours following completion of their final group stage match.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship marks the confederation’s largest U-20 World Cup qualifying tournament ever, with 34 participating member associations. The format features four groups of six teams and two groups of five teams.

Following round-robin group play, the top team in each of the six groups will advance to the qualification stage, where they will be divided into two groups of three. After a second edition of round-robin play, the two group winners plus the runners-up will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Additionally, the two group winners will advance to the tournament final on Nov. 21 to determine the regional champion.

THE DRAW
Based on the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Ranking, the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador enter as the tournament’s top six seeds and head each of the six groups. The draw was held in September and groups were drawn as follows:

Group A: USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, U.S. Virgin Islands
Group B: Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, Nicaragua, Grenada, Saint Martin
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Belize, Sint Maarten
Group D: Panama, Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique
Group E: Costa Rica, Haiti, Bermuda, St. Lucia, Barbados
Group F: El Salvador, Guatemala, Curacao, Guyana, Cayman Islands

USA GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE:

Group A
Nov. 1 – USA vs. Puerto Rico | 5 p.m. ET | IMG Academy Stadium
Nov. 3 – USA vs. U.S. Virgin Islands | 6 p.m. ET | IMG Academy Stadium
Nov. 5 – USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago | 7:45 p.m. ET | IMG Academy Stadium
Nov. 7 – USA vs. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8 p.m. ET | IMG Soccer Stadium
Nov. 9 – USA vs. Suriname | 5:30 p.m. ET | IMG Academy Stadium

Should the USA advance to the Qualification Stage, its next match would be Monday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET at IMG Academy Stadium. The final is set for Wed., Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. ET.

HOW TO WATCH: Tournament matches will be streamed live on Concacaf GO, available atwww.concacafGO.com or the Concacaf GO app, available on iTunes and Google Play. A free trial of Concacaf GO is available through Dec. 1. Univision Deportes will broadcast the matches in Spanish.

A SHORT RUNWAY: The past few U-20 cycles has seen this tournament staged early in the same year as the U-20 World Cup. This time, Concacaf announced in June that the new, expanded competition would be held a few months earlier than in the past.

The U.S. U-20 MNT has played six international matches this year, splitting a pair versus France’s U-21s in March, splitting two again versus Honduras in May, and defeating Jamaica and Venezuela in September. They’ve also played a match against the U.S. U-19 MNT.

A total of 45 players have appeared in these matches, led by Frankie Amaya and Alex Mendez, who each logged minutes in six. Four players scored two goals each, including Justin Rennicks and Ayo Akinola.

CONCACAF U-20 RANKINGS: In August, Concacaf announced a new ranking system for men’s and women’s U-17 and U-20 national teams based on match results, with bonus points awarded to the performance of teams at FIFA World Cup tournaments.

The USA enters the tournament atop the list, with Mexico, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica rounding out the top five.

USA’S HISTORY AT CONCACAF CHAMPIONSHIP:

• The USA returns to the Concacaf U-20 Championship as the title-holder after capturing its first U-20 regional title in March 2017, defeating Honduras in penalty kicks in the final in Costa Rica.
• Prior to last year, the USA’s best finish was second place, accomplished six times (most recently in 2013).
• The USA is tied with Mexico for most appearances by a Concacaf nation at the U-20 World Cup with 15 each (out of 21 total), and the U.S. has qualified for 10 of the last 11 tournaments.
• After missing out in 2011, Tab Ramos was brought on as head coach and the MNT legend has led the U-20s to three consecutive World Cups.
• Before this year, the USA previously hosted the 1980 competition and was co-host in 2002 and 2005. Guatemala has been the most frequent host with six tournaments.
• The USA’s first participation was in 1964, and it has competed in every tournament since 1974 (did not participate in 1962, 1970, and 1973).

HISTORY OF THE TOURNAMENT:

• Known as the Concacaf Youth Tournament when it debuted in 1962 in Panama, the first six editions were simply regional championship events.
• In 1976 the tournament began to serve as qualification for the inaugural FIFA World Youth Championship in 1977 (now known as the FIFA U-20 World Cup), which has been held biannually ever since.
• Played under various formats throughout its 56-year history, the tourney determined two U-20 World Cup berths for Concacaf from 1976 to 1994. Since 1996, four nations have qualified from Concacaf.
• 2018 marks the 27th edition of the tournament, and a champion was determined in 21 of the first 26 competitions.
• No champion was crowned in the five tournaments held from 1998-2007, when the final round was split into two groups of four and played in two different countries.

TICKETS ALREADY PUNCHED:
A total of 24 teams will compete in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland next May. Aside from the hosts, the other 23 nations will qualify through confederation tournaments. To date, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, France and Norway will represent Europe, New Zealand and Tahiti booked their spots through Oceana, and Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have come through out of Asia.

England, winner of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, became the sixth consecutive champion to fail to qualify for the following U-20 World Cup.

ROSTER NOTES

• The USA roster consists of 14 players representing pro clubs from four different countries: Belgium, Canada, Germany and the USA.
• Four players are collegiate athletes: Griffin Dorsey and Justin Rennicks (Indiana), Manny Perez (N.C. State), and Frankie Amaya (UCLA).
• Eleven players represent eight MLS clubs: Philadelphia Union (3), FC Dallas (2), LA Galaxy (1), New England Revolution (1), Real Salt Lake (1), Seattle Sounders (1), Sporting KC (1), and Toronto FC (1).
• Ten players are 19 years old, eight are 18, and two are 17 (Araujo and Llanez). The two 17-year-olds are age-eligible for the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
• Goalkeeper Brady Scott is the only returning player from the USA’s 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup team after serving as the team’s third ‘keeper in Korea Republic.
• Three players were part of the USA’s 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup team that fell to eventual champion England in the quarterfinals in India: defenders Chris Gloster and Jaylin Lindsey and forward Ayo Akinola.
• Lindsey was named to the 2017 Concacaf U-17 Championship Best XI after helping the USA to a second-place finish and a World Cup berth.
• Nineteen of 20 players have spent time playing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
• In addition to ten players from U.S.-based MLS teams that came up through their respective academies, the remaining 10 players last played for the following DA sides: Amaya (Pateadores), Dorsey (Colorado Rush), Gloster (New York Red Bulls), Llanez (LA Galaxy), Mendez (LA Galaxy), Perez (Capital Area Railhawks Academy), Rennicks (New England Revolution), Scott (De Anza Force), Torres (Georgia United).
• Ulysses Llanez was named 2018 U-16/17 Development Academy West Conference Player of the Year.
• Griffin Dorsey won the 2015/16 U15/16 Central Conference Player of the Year and Manny Perez was that year’s East Conference Player of the Year.
• Paxton Pomykal and Brandon Servania were part of the FC Dallas U-15/16 team that won the 2016 Development Academy Championship. Pomykal was also part of the club’s U17/18 team that also won the championship that year.

USA OPPONENT NOTES:

• Click here for 20-player roster for all 34 countries competing.

Puerto Rico:

• The USA has squared off with Puerto Rico twice previously in this competition, though this meeting marks the first in 36 years.
• The teams first met in the seventh edition of the tournament on Nov. 028, 1978 in Tegulcigalpa, Honduras, with the USA defeating Puerto Rico 2-0, in its first group match.
• Their last meeting came at the Concacaf Youth Tournament, claiming a 5-0 victory on Aug. 28, 1982 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The USA’s last goal was scored by none other than current head coach Tab Ramos, who scored the first of his four goals over two U-20 regional tournaments.
• Two players on the USA roster have ties to Puerto Rico: Brandon Servania’s younger brother Jaden is on the Puerto Rico squad and Isaac Angking’s father is from the island.
• Puerto Rico is coached by former MLS MVP Amado Guevara. The former Honduran international was named head coach of Puerto Rico’s senior and U-20 teams in June.
• Puerto Rico’s roster with club / colleges can be found here.

U.S. Virgin Islands:

• The USA and the U.S. Virgin Islands have never met at the U-20 or the senior level.
• The team is led by former U.S. U-17 MNT assistant coach Marcelo Serrano, who also coaches the Dashing Eagles’ senior team.
• The Brazilian Serrano was also named head coach of the newly announced Austin Bold FC team that will begin play in the USL in 2019.
• The team includes five players born in 2002, two in 2001, six in 2000 and seven in 1999. The youngest player is midfielder Jimson St. Louis, who turns 16 on Dec. 2.

Trinidad & Tobago:

• The USA has faced Trinidad & Tobago a tournament-high 14 times, posting a 10-2-2 record all-time with a 37-6 goal advantage in the competition.
  • All-Time Results: 1974 (1-1, 4-5 PKs), 1978 (W 4-0, W 3-0), 1984 (W1-0), 1986 (L 0-1), 1988 (W 4-0), 1990 (L 0-1), 1992 (W 2-0), 1994 (W 4-0), 1998 (W 6-1), 2001 (W 5-1), 2005 (W 6-1), 2009 (0-0, 4-3 PKs), 2015 (W 1-0).
• Trinidad & Tobago has twice qualified for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup: as runner-up in 1990 and as the fourth-place team in the 2009 tournament.
• The team is led by head coach Russell Latapy.
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
• The USA has never faced Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the Concacaf U-20 Championship. The nations have met twice at the senior level, with the USA claiming World Cup qualifying wins in 2015 (6-1) and 2016 (6-0).
• The team is led by coach Wayde Jackson, who has also coached the senior side and U-23 teams for the last several years.

Suriname:

• The two countries have met twice at the competition, with each team winning once.
• The first meeting came on Aug. 25, 1986 in Trinidad with Suriname edging the USA 1-0 in the final match of the first round.
• The teams’ last encounter was on March 29, 2011, with the USA claiming a 4-0 win off goals by Bobby Wood, Joey Gyau, Conor Doyle and Kelyn Rowe.
• Though 16 players are born in 1999 or 2000, the team also features three 16-year-olds in Ferando Hoepel, Damelcio Fer and Zerguinho Deira.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

The Concacaf Under-20 Championship tournament determines the regional champion for North America, Central America and the Caribbean at this age group. It also serves as the confederation’s qualifying tournament for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, with four teams qualifying. Click here for the complete tournament regulations:

• Players born on or after Jan. 1, 1999 are eligible for this tournament.
• The 20 players on each roster are required to utilize jersey numbers from 1-20.
• Teams qualifying for the Qualification Stage of the tournament will be permitted to amend the 20-player roster and replace up to six players.
• New players may only use jersey numbers from 21-26.
• Single yellow cards will be eliminated at the end of the Group Stage
• Two (2) cautions received in different games during the tournament shall result in automatic suspension for the next game.
• Red card (direct or indirect) suspensions shall be served regardless of the stage.
• Should teams be tied on points at the end of the round-robin group stage, the tiebreakers to determine the group winner are as follows:
  • Greatest number of points obtained in all matches
  • Goal difference in all group matches
  • Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
• If two or more teams are tied on those counts, the tiebreakers are as follows:
  • Greater number of points scored in matches between the tied teams
  • Greater goal difference in matches between the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
  • Greater number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
  • The lowest number of points based on the number of yellow and red cards in all group matches is considered according to the following additions:
    • first yellow card: plus 1 point
    • second yellow card/indirect red card: plus 3 points
    • direct red card: plus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: plus 5 points;
  • Drawing of lots by Concacaf
• The six group winners advance to the Qualification Stage, which consists of two groups of three teams.
• After another round-robin stage, the top four teams will qualify for the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Poland, and the two group winners will face in for the Concacaf Championship final.
  • The same tie-breakers apply as for the group stage

HEAD COACH TAB RAMOS: U.S. Men’s National Team legend Tab Ramos has served as U.S. U-20 MNT head coach since Oct. 2011 and as U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director since Nov. 2013.

• Ramos became U-20 MNT coach after the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2011 U-20 World Cup, and has proceeded to lead the last three U-20 teams to the World Cup, finishing second, third and first respectively in the last three Concacaf Championships.
• In 2017, the U-20 MNT captured its first Concacaf U-20 Championship when they defeated Honduras on penalty kicks in the final.
• Under Ramos’ guidance, the USA has advanced to the quarterfinals of the last two FIFA Under-20 World Cups. In 2015 the team fell to eventual champion Serbia on penalty kicks, and in 2017 the USA bowed out in extra time to eventual runner-up Venezuela.
• The U-20 MNT is 12-3-2 at the Concacaf Championship under Ramos’ helm, outscoring opponents 35-12.
• Ramos spent thirteen years as a member of the Men’s National Team from 1988 to 2000.
• He has represented the U.S. in nine World Cups, more than anyone in U.S. Soccer history:
  • As a player in the 1983 U-20 World Cup, 1989 FIFA Futsal World Cup, 1990, 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups
  • As a coach in the 2013, 2015 and 2017 U-20 World Cups and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
• Ramos is the only player in U.S. Soccer history to score in World Cup qualifying in three different decades.
• He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as a player in 2005.
• His assistant coaches for the 2018 Concacaf Championship are Curt Onalfo, Brian Bliss, Dave van den Bergh, Marcelo Neveleff and Mike McGinty.