The Kids Are Alright
Turkish Delight?: U-20s Drawn into Group of Death
A stern test awaits Tab Ramos' charges at the World Cup in Turkey. The squad finds itself in a group with Spain, France, and an African team. Can the young side advance to the knockout stage?
The United States U-20s could be in trouble as the team was drawn into Group A, the likely “Group of Death,” alongside perennial powerhouse Spain, France, and a yet to be determined African team—Mali, Nigeria, Egypt, or Ghana.
The U.S. will open the tournament in Istanbul against Spain before taking on France three days later at the massive Ali Sami Yen Arena, home field of Turkish super club Galatasaray. They will then travel to the city of Kayseri to face their African opponent in the final group stage match.
The top two teams of each group will automatically advance, with the top four third-place group squads also moving to the next stage.
Since making a quarterfinal run in 2007, the U.S. failed to advance past the group stage in 2009 and failed to qualify in 2011. Going up against such seasoned and successful teams in this 2013 iteration, the Americans will undoubtedly serve as underdogs when the tournament kicks off in less than three months’ time.
In preparation, the Americans have scheduled a training camp to be held April 22-29 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. Observers shouldn’t expect too many new faces compared to the roster head coach Tab Ramos fielded at the recent CONCACAF Championships, where the U.S. fell to Mexico 3-1 in the finals. However, we do know that Ramos called up Seattle Sounders rookie right back DeAndre Yedlin, who has not seen time with the national team since January 2012.
The African teams will be drawn following the completion of the African U-20 Championship final on March 30th. The Oceania champion (New Zealand or Fiji) will be determined on March 29th.
The complete U-20 World Cup draw:
Group A: Spain, African team 1, United States, France
Group B: South Korea, African team 2, Cuba, Portugal
Group C: Colombia, Australia, El Salvador, Turkey
Group D: Mexico, African team 3, Paraguay, Greece
Group E: African champion, Iraq, Chile, England
Group F: Oceania Champion, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Croatia
Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter.
