THE UNITED STATES U-20 team is preparing for a busy November international window where they will hold a camp in Spain and face South Korea and France. It will mark the team’s second camp under head coach Marko Mitrovic, who took control of the team following a successful World Cup qualification tournament in Mexico this summer.

The U-20 team began the cycle under Michael Nsien while Mitrovic was coaching the U.S. Olympic team at the Paris Games this summer. Prior to taking the Olympic job, Mitrovic was the head coach of the U-19 team, which consisted of many of the players who now make up the U-20 team.

In the team’s first camp under Mitrovic in October, the team traveled to Chile for a pair of friendlies against Chile’s U-20 team in Santiago. The camp was designed with a mind towards giving the team the experience of playing in the host country of the 2025 U-20 World Cup. In that camp, the U.S. defeated Chile 3-0 in the first game and lost the second game 2-1.

ASN’s Brian Sciaretta spoke at length with Mitrovic on October 31 about the state of the U-20 team at this point in the cycle.

Brian Sciaretta for ASN: Congratulations on getting the U-20 coaching job. I know you were familiar with this age group as the U-19 head coach before you coached the Olympic team. But now you are back with the 2005-born players along with the 2006-born and younger group. What has the transition been like coming back after being away with the Olympic team?

Marko Mitrovic: It’s okay. Nothing major. There are two positives. One: working with the Federation and the alignment that we have between us, it's always much easier to coach no matter what age group. And then the second thing, because before with my U-18, U-19 coaching job, it was that generation of 2004 and 2005 [birth years]. And now we have all 2005 and youngers. But all those players that are all 2005's, I had a good amount of chemistry with them in the past. Also, with younger age groups, let's say 2006 or 2007, I am very familiar with them since they were with [U-17 head coach Gonzalo Segares] and watching all his games, and their U-17 World Cup, and then the few camps they had with Michael [Nsien] in Concacaf. I would say it's a good starting position.

ASN: How has the player pool for this age group shifted since you were last part of it with the U-19s before the Olympic cycle began? Is it mostly the same? Are there a lot of newcomers?

Mitrovic: There are players that are obviously new. Some of the guys that were there maybe 18 months ago, they're not there now - which is normal. They're in a development phase. When you're in that stage, you always have those players who maybe in one moment touch their ceilings and they're not there anymore while other players are getting there. It's good because it's not a bubble environment you create.

You then add the U-17 group too. It should be based on players’ evaluation and the players have to understand that they still have to perform and develop to stay with the national team. Also, for the other players when they get to the level of the national team - the doors are open. That's why we watch the games, scouting their performances and evaluate them - and then try to pick the best talent we have.

ASN: How did the coach in the Olympics help you transform you as a coach? What did you learn from it personally?

Mitrovic: I always have two perspectives. One, off the field. What kind of environment do we want to create? How must that process look? Not every job or every process has the same circumstances - limited time, limited amount of camps with a very, very new group of people. How we can set the proper environment that is successful? When you analyze, you always have things where you say this is good, these are things that we can do better, or these are the things that we have to change. I would say like our planning and amount of time that we spent with the Olympic team was actually great and helped us a lot. We were very detail oriented in everything and we had a very few obstacles down the road. The obstacles that happened down the road, we were ready for them.

On the field, I have some takeaways because I generally think that we were quite positive through the whole process. But what things we may want to change or do differently on the field to try to be even more successful? Then the player selection. It's a game of opinion. It's a very subjective game and sometimes if we are open minded certain mistakes that we make can help us to grow. I have to be honest, I spent a lot of time analyzing the whole process from these two perspective environments we created and then also performance on the field. Then how we can make an even more successful team?

If we speak about a single game, one game doesn't matter - you can compete with elite players, and play elite teams. But how we can sustain that through the whole tournament? What is needed? What I'm saying is you may have a great performance in a group stage or you might beat a great opponent in the last 16, but how you can sustain that through the whole tournament?

ASN: When you were coaching the U-19s and the U-23 team prior to the Olympics, Gregg Berhalter was in charge of the national team and he was active in working with the youth national team coaches. Now it's Mauricio Pochettino. It's early, but what do you expect the relationship he will have with the youth teams?

Mitrovic: We always had a collaboration with Gregg and we always collaborated between all age groups, in all departments. At the end of the day, we're one entity. I would say it like this - Mauricio just got to the US. It's very new in Atlanta for him. I also believe that very, very soon we will have more meetings and more opportunities to talk and to develop our relationship. Not just me, but with the whole youth department.

ASN: Have you met with him yet?

Mitrovic: I didn't have the opportunity yet.

ASN: Walk us through your first U-20 camp in Santiago where you played Chile twice. The first was a convincing 3-0 win, the second was a close 2-1 loss. What is your take on where the team stands now?

Mitrovic: Two things - team performance and individual performance. For me, it was interesting to see where we are standing with the guys that have been with me with the U-19s before. It was interesting to see how much they remember certain things that we did. On the other side, I was curious and to learn where they're standing in their development because my last camp with them was March 2023. I was, to be honest, positively surprised. Because the first game was played with a lot of guys that's been in previous environments. I felt very good with how much they remember the things that that we do. If you compare it again with Olympic team, our first camp was the very first camp for everything. We're in a better spot with the U-20s in terms of style of playing. I had the majority of the staff that worked with me during the Olympic team cycle. So, our starting position was quite positive. I felt very good after this camp.

ASN: Discuss the handoff process from Michael Nsien to yourself with this group. He had the team for two camps and then World Cup qualifying. Did you have a role with this team before you took it over? What was the transition like?

Mitrovic: For the very beginning of the process, Michael had the two camps March and June and then the CONCACAF qualifiers. Because Michael used to work with the younger age groups, the 2007 and 2008-[born players], this group was quite new for him. We spent a lot of time, even during our Olympic preparation, talking about the players and where I see those guys. Obviously it was Michael's call on the roster and everything, but it was just my perspective on the players.

I watched all the games that they played - both games against Morocco and England and then their June camp. And then obviously I watched every game in CONCACAF. Michael and I had two meetings per week together and we are sitting next to each other in the office. We collaborate a lot. Obviously certain, maybe small tactics on the field [are different], we have freedom to do it on our way, but there is a general alignment with the way we want to play and how we want to control the dominate the game.

ASN: How pleased are you right now with the playing time this team is getting at the at the at the club level. It's harder and harder to break in with MLS right now as the teams are spending more money. Looking back at previous U-20 cycles, most of the players on a U-20 roster were playing first team minutes. That’s not necessarily the case with this player pool. What are your expected expectations with playing time with this group in general and are you pleased with that with where they are at right now?

Mitrovic: I would say I'm not pleased, but it's not something against the clubs - don't take me wrong. It's just like you said, it's not easy to break in. Because if you see the rosters, if we speak about senior level, very few guys are getting regular minutes there. If it's 2005-born guys, you're talking about 19-year-olds. They're still young, but I would love to see them playing more. Some of them are with the first team and get some playing time. Some of them are with the first team, but not getting playing time. Some of them are with MLS Next Pro or with the second teams in Europe. If you talk about age, like MLS Next Pro and second team, that's the age that is U-20s. But if we speak about elite players, elite players are playing with their first teams. Look at France where I see where those guys playing and what kind of minutes they have. That is something we would like our players to see as well. Hopefully they can cross that bridge.

To be honest, that is the biggest challenge for that age group. If you take, for example, the U-17s and you are a national team player, you usually have no issue with your club because you have your playing time. You are within the academy, and you are one of the most talented players. But this is the stage in careers where I would say we lose a lot of talent - a lot of players - because it's difficult for them in different circumstances to cross that bridge from youth to pro level. I would love to see our guys playing more because I believe this group doesn't have enough senior minutes, week after week.

ASN: You are the first U-20 head coach that is working with MLS Next Pro as a fully functional development league. What is your take on the league from a perspective of a U-20 national team coach? How well does it prepare players for the top levels of youth soccer - such as the U-20 World Cup?

Mitrovic: Our players are coming from many different leagues. MLS Next Pro has a purpose. However, if you talk about elite talents, they should be outside of MLS Next Pro at this moment in that age. But it's not easy because you might be an elite goalkeeper, but you have an elite goalkeeper that is playing for the senior team. It doesn't matter which position. Why would the first team coach take that player out to put you there to play? Sometimes it's not just about your talent. It's about the circumstances that you have around yourself. What I learned in my soccer life - that's probably the biggest challenge that players face in the whole careers is crossing that bridge between youth and soccer and senior level.

ASN: I thought Benja Cremaschi played very well last camp. You have worked with him a lot, dating back to the last U-19 team and then this past summer at the Olympics where he was the only player to play up an Olympic cycle. Now you are working with him at the U-20 level. Discuss his role within this team – especially after having played for the full national team, playing regularly with Messi, Suarez, and Alba, and also having just featured at the 2024 Olympics. Now he brings that to the U-20 level.

Mitrovic: It's interesting when you say again. I'm working with Benja consistently now for three years. We had a very good meeting in Chile. We spoke on the phone few times, but I wanted to talk to him in person because there are two things that we cannot forget. He was part of the Olympic team, and with Inter Miami, he is in the spotlight with everything that is going on with that. I know Benja, but for me, it was very important to learn like how he feels about everything because, he's very, very mature.

I actually was very, very pleased with his hunger to be with his peers, and to play with them. I can say I was impressed. It was interesting because when I spoke with Benja, he addressed that and I was like, okay, if you can transfer those to actions. He did it the right way. I don't think there is other way to succeed as a young player, to be hungry as he was in that camp. And that was very positive.

ASN: And when you talk about the difficulty players have making the transition from youth to senior team player, we're seeing one player in your player pool making huge strides with Cole Campbell. He's now a steady presence off the bench for Borussia Dortmund - which might put him on the path to the full national team. That must be very important for you to see that.

Mitrovic: I met Cole more than two years ago in person. I went to Dortmund and he was still playing with their U-17s. I met him and his family and he was back then still part of Iceland's national team. Obviously, I followed Cole very, very closely. And even with the Olympic team, he was in my mind, but he was too young. I would say at this moment he is making great steps with Borussia Dortmund. He is a core player for this group.

There was a circumstance why he wasn't with us in the October camp. We have high expectations for Cole not just with the U-20s. We believe he has a profile that very soon will play for our MNT. It's great to see he is consistently over the last couple of months with the first team. I think Cole is doing the right things and he is also a great professional, a great talent. I believe that he's very aware of the opportunity that he has right now, and I hope he'll grab it.

ASN: I want to talk about the timing of this U-20 World Cup. It's different than what it was originally scheduled, which was normally in the early summer. Recently FIFA announced now that it will take place late September to early October. This puts it in the last two months of the MLS season and during the early parts of the season in Europe. This is going to require a lot of club cooperation for players to be released and you could potentially face a ton of hurdles, more than the last U-20 World Cup team or the Olympic team you recently coached.

Mitrovic: Both set of dates, the initial end of May or early June and now end of September and October both are outside of FIFA windows. You don't have control of the players. But [in the late May/early June start] the players in Europe are done with the season and it's much easier to get them. From the MLS perspective, it's the beginning of the season and you will probably be challenged less than if you were near the playoffs. Something that I learned with the process of the Olympic team - how many challenges we can have and what's the best way to do better to prepare and guide clubs through the process. Then there is communication and collaboration with the clubs. The first thing that was very important was to meet with Federation and we did that to plan.

This was actually announced on October 3rd, just a few days before our camp in Chile. As soon as I came back from Chile, we planned how this calendar year will look. The next steps will be to start to communicate with the clubs and to learn what the clubs think. Maybe right now it's too early because for some of the players, we don't know where they're going to be in January, March and June. But definitely in the near future I'll start to talk to the clubs and to learn in general, how they see the players, what's the players development, what's their plan, but also their availability for the for the World Cup.

ASN: Did you discuss the possibility of keeping spots open on the roster for players to join the team later during the tournament. The second half of the tournament looks like it will fall in the October FIFA international window when you could perhaps get top players for that portion.

Mitrovic: That’s definitely something that we will think about. I don't know if that's the best solution, to be honest. There is a big preparation just before that. But that might be an option. It's something that we'll talk about.