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USYNT analysis

Takeaways: U.S. qualifies for U-20 World Cup with 4-0 win over Costa Rica

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down the U.S. team's 3-1 win over Guatemala to qualify for the 2027 U-20 World Cup
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 05, 2026
9:30 AM

THE UNITED STATES qualified for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup on Tuesday night with a 3-1 win over Guatemala at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in Puebla, Mexico. The U.S. team struggled immensely for the first 40 minutes but regained composure in the final minutes of the first half and was strong the rest of the way to earn the victory.

In addition, the U.S. team qualified for the 2027 Pan-Am games in Lima, Peru which will run from July 23 through August 8.

Head coach Gonzalo Segares began with a starting lineup that consisted of most of the team’s top performers in the group stages including fullbacks Joshua Torquato on the left side, Brandon Dayes on the right side, central midfielder Colin Gauske, playmaker Xantiago Oyharçabal, wingers Jaidyn Contreras and Jaidyn Contreras, along with forward Din Klapija who has had an increased role due to the injury to Nimfa Berchimas. Goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich continued to start after not conceding a goal in the tournament.

The U.S. had a poor first half and was very disjointed. The team might have been nervous with a lot at stake in the game.

In the 36th minute, Guatemala took a 1-0 lead and became the first team at this tournament to score on the United States. On the play, winger Marvin Avila hit a powerful shot from the right side of the box hit off crossbar. The ball bounced off the crossbar to forward Oscar De Leon for a close-range header.

Staring at a failure to qualify and a premature end to the U-20 World Cp cycle, the U.S. team responded very well. Guatemala had been outplaying the U.S. team, but after scoring the opening goal, the U.S. team put Guatemala on the backfoot for the remainder of the game.

Just before halftime, the U.S. team equalized. Xanty Oyharçabal delivered a corner kick which found the head of Christopher Cupps. The Chicago Fire defender headed the ball down to the feet of Brandon Days who scored from close range.  

The second half was all the U.S. team, which was pressed effectively, forced turnovers, and drastically limited Guatemala’s ability to have meaningful possession.

In the 68th minute, the U.S. team moved ahead for good when 68th minute when Jaidyn Contreras beat his defender on the right wing near the end line and sent a pass to an open Din Klapija in front of the goal. The New York native was then able to hit a powerful right footed shot into the top of the goal for a 2-1 lead.

Finally, in the U.S. team put the game out of reach when winger Ruben Ramos played left back Joshua Torquato into the box on the left side. The FC Dallas defender hit a well-placed shot into the back of the net for a 3-1 win. 

 

The United States has now qualified for 14 out of the last 15 U-20 World Cups (dating back to when it was called the FIFA World Youth Championships).

The tournament now shifts to Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for the semifinals and finals. Next up for the U.S. team will be Costa Rica on Thursday, August 7th at 5pm EST. The Ticos qualified for the U-20 World Cup with a shootout win over Haiti before the U.S. game.

Here are some thoughts on it.

 

U.S. team responded well

 

The U.S. team deserves a lot of credit for responding very well following a very bad start to the game. With elimination staring the U.S. team in the face, Segares and his team did not crumble in the face of adversity but instead used the Guatemala goal to raise its level and overwhelm the opposition. For a youth team playing on the road, that is not an easy thing to do and it indicates impressive maturity.

Obviously, the bad start is not ideal, but there were bound to be moments in a tournament where the U.S. team did not play well. What’s key is not letting a game get away when playing poorly.

 

Shortly after falling behind 1-0, the U.S. hit its low point when Guatemala had two point blank chances to score and goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich came up with saves. After that, the U.S. team flipped a switch and played at a higher level.

A loss would have been a disaster that would have had rippling effects throughout the U.S. youth system for at least a year. The U-20 team would have no meaningful games to play and would struggle to get top players to participate in friendlies. That would hurt in building continuity for the U-23 Olympic team, which will see some current U-20 team push for spots. Also, the U-19 team would also lose purpose without the U-20 World Cup.

Fortunately, the U.S. does not have to deal with such a scenario. The U.S. was better that Guatemala and found a way to win.

 

Effective from wide positions

 

Throughout this U-20 tournament, the U.S. team has found most of its success from wide positions. In each of the last two games, the U.S. team has seen goals from both its right back and left back. There has also been very important combinations from wingers, Ruben Ramos and Jaidyn Contreras.  

 

Many of these wide players have been able to cut centrally to create overloads for the opposing defenses. This was evident on the final goal when Ramos was able to spot Torquato who was wide open making a diagonal run into the box. Guatemala was just not able to pick up the move into the middle.

 

Costa Rica next

 

The U.S. team will next face Costa Rica in the semifinal in a matchup that means far more to the other three teams than it does for the U.S. team. If Costa Rica wins, it will advance to the CONCACAF final and have a chance to play for an Olympic berth. If the United States wins, the other semifinal game will serve as the game that decides and Olympic spot.

Will the lack of pressure hurt or help the U.S. team? That remains to be seen.

 

Costa Rica struggled against Haiti but managed to prevail in a shootout after falling behind. The U.S. team easily defeated Haiti in its opening game, but Haiti outshot Costa Rica 22-14 over 120 minutes.

One problem for the U.S. team is that defender Christopher Cupps is returning to the Chicago Fire before the next game (U.S. Soccer told ASN that Cupps is the only player leaving the team early).

On a side note, this game will allow U.S. head coach Gonzalo Segares to coach against his home country. A native of San Jose, Costa Rica, Segares made 19 appearances for the country’s national team.

 

Competition for World Cup roster spots  

 

As has been written about extensively, Segares was denied the release for nearly all of his team’s top players and even key bench players. It is very likely that the U-20 World Cup roster will look drastically different from this roster for qualifying. Clubs will likely be more inclined to release players for the World Cup than qualifying, and by next year MLS will be in the process of switching to a Fall-Spring calendar season.

For players on this qualifying team, this is the best opportunity many will have to be on the World Cup roster next year. If the team is able to advance to the final or perhaps even win, Segares may want to bring many of these players to continue with the chemistry and reward their success.

 

On this roster several players are likely to be part of the World Cup team. Cupps has done a good job in the backline and showing progress from last fall’s U-17 World Cup. Torquato struggled defensively against Guatemala in the first half, but the left back has been very effective offensively. Klapija and Oyharcabal contributed offensively while wingers Ramos and, especially, Contreras have been the team’s best attackers. Goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich is likely the most secure lock to make the U-20 World Cup team.

There is a lot of time in the year ahead to make a case to be part of the U-20 World Cup team and with young players, things can change very quickly. But for many of the players on this team, this will be their best chance.

 

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