THE UNITED STATES U-20 national team has been performing very well lately under head coach Marko Mitrovic. Since the Serbian-born American took control of the team in October, it has posted wins over Chile, South Korea, France, Mexico, and a draw with Japan. Now it will shift focus to the next camp in June.

The team has been among the best performing U.S. youth national teams with quarterfinal runs in the last four U-20 World Cups. During that time, the team has served as a crucial springboard to the full national team for players such as Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Diego Luna, Zack Steffen, as well as several others.

Mitrovic believes this team has a lot of talent, but with FIFA changing the start of the tournament from June and moving it to September 27 through October 19 in Chile, it will present another set of challenges. 

ASN had the opportunity to speak at length with Mitrovic from Europe about how he sees the progress of his team and individual players with the World Cup five months away.

Brian Sciaretta for ASN: After the March camp with a win over Mexico and a draw with Japan, you've had a nice string of results since taking over this team. How do you like where the team's standing right now and are you happy with the progress you've had in these last three camps?

Marko Mitrovic: There is just one small reminder, that this is the group where I worked with a majority of the players before I started working with the Olympic team. I was working with this group for probably 18 months and we had five or six camps together. On one side I had very good knowledge of the players and when Michael Nsien was the head coach of that group we had the weekly meetings and talking about the selection process. I was still - I can't say overseeing- but I was very into the process with the player selection and tracking their progress with the clubs, their development.

On the other side, I was very, very surprised that our foundation or our starting point in everything - our culture, our style of playing, the group connection - was very, very good. Even though we hadn't been together for more than 18 months, everything stayed. Obviously, the guys were 18 months older and there was a lot more maturity. During my time with the Olympic team, the team just kept going. Obviously, there were players that were part of the U-17 World Cup which was great experience for them. For us, the major thing was to put this these two groups together into one. But they clicked right away together.

American Soccer Now: I guess the bottom line is that you like where the team is standing right now, and you must be happy five months out from the U-20 World Cup?

Marko Mitrovic: Yes, I am. I feel very good about this group, I feel very positive. This team has a lot of talent, we have a lot of character. I have a strong belief in this group, to be honest.

American Soccer Now: What did you take away from the last camp with the win against Mexico, the draw against Japan specifically? Did you learn anything new or is it just continuing to reinforce the same principles? Kristian Fletcher seemed to stand out between both games.

Marko Mitrovic: In the game against Mexico - while we were with the Olympic team they played in CONCACAF they lost that final against Mexico. I wanted to see where we are really standing against Mexico. Was that loss just a circumstance of that one day? I think we had a really good performance, even with a 3-0 win, I think we could have scored more goals. It was good progression from October to November camp and then this camp.

The game against Japan was a very, very interesting game. Japan is in this age group is very good. They beat France four days before our game 3-1 and we expected a very tough opponent. I think they were very motivated. And when it was after the last whistle in the game, you had six or seven players of Japan going on the ground right away because they were exhausted, and the game was such a high intensity. I felt it was like a knockout stage game in a World Cup – which, for us, is a great learning experience even that we dominated the game and we had, in my eyes, full control of the game. Small details like that to take away in the middle of the first half when they converted their transitional moment. They scored a goal that was a lesson for us.

Even though we have quality and we control the game against a very good team, we still have to avoid those small gaps in our games where we are not maybe fully focused or fully executing things on the field because we can get punished right away. I think we had two very good performances. I am looking forward to our June camp and see further development. That's going to be our last two games and last camp before we go to the World Cup.

American Soccer Now: Yeah, so what do you think of this team's strengths? It looks like your central defenders are all at a high level and the goalkeepers are playing well. Do you have any thoughts what's going to be the hallmark of this team or when the media is previewing the U-20 World Cup, what will they say are the strengths of this team?

Marko Mitrovic: If we have all the players, or majority of our guys, we are strong everywhere. In every line, we're strong. The team recognized all four moments of the game, including set pieces. If we have to defend, the team knows how to defend. I think we're very aggressive. We want to get the ball back as soon as possible. I think we are actually enjoying the game with the ball. It's not like enjoying the game to have fun, it's like enjoying the game with the ball in order to punish and score the goals.

So, for example, you mentioned Kristian Fletcher in this camp. If you go to November camp, we had other players that were the highlight of the camp. October camp, it was some other players. We have quality that every game any player can make the difference. It's going to be similar to the Olympics - it depends on the roster that we are going to have. But this team has a lot of potential.

American Soccer Now: U.S. youth teams haven't pushed as many central defenders into high professional levels in recent cycles and maybe that is why you had to use two overage spots on centerbacks last year at the Olympics. This team is making important progress to buck that trend. Noahkai Banks has played for Augsburg. Josh Wynder made his Benfica debut. Matai Akinmboni has made the bench for Bournemouth. Noah Cobb has been playing for Atlanta. It seems like this is a strength of your team that is also relevant to program's big picture to add centerbacks to the full national team pool.

Marko Mitrovic: Exactly as you said, all those guys - we have Josh Wynder just made his debut with the first team of Benfica, Noahkai Banks is playing or on the bench with the first team in the Bundesliga. You have Matai who was on the bench with Bournemouth for several games. Noah Cobb is getting minutes with Atlanta. You have other players - Ethan Kohler and Grayson Dettoni who is at Grasshoppers in Switzerland. You cannot be on that level if you don't have potential or quality. This group is very strong. They are also supported with a very good pool of the goalkeepers. So yeah, centerbacks and goalkeepers - those positions we feel very comfortable with the level that we have there.

American Soccer Now: When I interviewed you in October, you said you weren't particularly happy with the playing time players were getting. You didn't blame the clubs because the clubs have to play who they feel gives them the best chance to win. But the minutes weren't there. Now, there have been some positives to start the 2025 MLS season. Frankie Westfield has started most of Philadelphia's games. Sergio Oregel has started all of Chicago's games. Benja Cremaschi continues to play for Miami. Noah Cobb and Serge Ngoma are featuring regularly. Even Jonathan Shore, a 2007-born, is starting a lot for New York. Are you seeing the same level of improvement where you feel a little more positive about things?

Marko Mitrovic: In general, I am positive. I feel they're getting minutes, but I would still say they're still breaking that wall. Sometimes it's circumstance. Some players are playing because some players in their positions are injured, or it's just how the structure of the teams are. It's maybe not the highest competition in their position, so they're getting playing time, but I would love to see that with the quality and all players healthy, they're still getting playing time -and when they are on the field, no matter what the circumstance, they are using their time in a very good, very positive way.

That's the most important step in their lives right now, in their careers. If we speak about future MNT players, first of all, they have to establish themselves as regular players in their clubs. I see a positive trend, and I hope it goes up. Obviously, it's a tricky part because the more you are involved with the first team, then it's sometimes more difficult to get those players for the Olympics or World Cups. However, if we speak purely about their development, I'm very happy that I can see progress with their playing time.

American Soccer Now: Frankie Westfield is a player who seemed to push his way into the team. He got into a fall camp as an injury replacement, now he's starting every game for Philadelphia. Is he an example of someone who has seen his stock rise by virtue of earning first team club minutes and performing well? It seemed as if he was more of an outsider in 2024 but has a much better chance in 2025.

Marko Mitrovic: Listening If we speak about Frankie, Frankie was October camp with us, he missed only the November camp. Even when he was with the second team last year, he was still someone that we were looking very closely. He made the good steps in the October camp, he made good steps now in the March camp and it's good that we have actually quite decent pool in every position and then Frankie is another player that makes that competition stronger.

I think also it's important because those guys are pushing each other. With Frankie, we have several players that maybe someone else didn't expect they were going to be there. But we're happy with what we see from them and with their performances when they are with us.

American Soccer Now: You've had a couple of guys who push up from younger age groups eligible for the next U-20 team. Peyton Miller was with you last year. I know he had an injury in March. Ruben Ramos has been a regular. I mentioned Jonathan Shore before at New York City who is getting a lot of minutes. From your experience with the 2007 birth year players, do some of those guys seem like they're ready to play up a cycle for you?

Marko Mitrovic: We had Zavier Gozo this camp with us and Ruben Ramos. October and in November we had Ruben and Peyton Miller with us. Obviously, Jonathan Shore is doing really well and getting great playing time with New York City FC. We just want to be sure that with those guys when we move them, it's a challenge where they can still succeed. I think it's good for them to learn what the standards are with this group and even if they go to the World Cup or they are part of the next U-20 World Cup, I think this is going to be a great learning experience and great for their development.

American Soccer Now: The last time we spoke, you were still processing the new timeline for this World Cup which will now be in the fall as opposed to its traditional early summer start. How has this timeline changed your plans and the June camp seems like it will be the last time together before U-20 World Cup preparations in Chile?

Marko Mitrovic: We don't have September camp. The beginning of September is a FIFA window, but timing between that window and a pre-camp for the World Cup is very short. Most likely we're not going to use that September FIFA window. And we're just going to go to World Cup preparations. The June FIFA window is going to be the last one we are going to use, most likely. We're still making decision on that. With this September start, think it's going to be a very new experience for everyone, for the players and for the clubs. I don't know at this point or be very confident saying I think clubs will have this approach or that approach.

American Soccer Now: Have you started meeting with clubs?

Marko Mitrovic: Yes. I had meetings while I was here in Europe. I have had meetings with several European clubs. Obviously, I couldn't meet all of them, but I actually was very positive about the meetings that I had. With the clubs in Europe, they are very positive. They are aware of what the World Cup means for the players and for their development. I was positively surprised with the collaboration from the clubs - but I still have some experiences from the Olympic Games that I want to see because the circumstances change in clubs. How are we going to stand two or three weeks before the World Cup? It's very early to speak about that.

American Soccer Now: You also don't even know exactly where the players are going to be. Some of them, maybe even many of them, will be moving to new clubs this summer. But does having the World Cup straddle the October window help a little bit because they'd have to let those players go anyway for that time.

Marko Mitrovic: But if you'd see the timeline, depending on the schedule that covers two, maybe three games - it could be like two last two group stage games and then maybe one of the last 16. It's something that we're still building our strategy. It's very difficult to bring a player who's not going to be in a pre-camp, not going to play the first game, and then you use those nine days of FIFA window [for a complete roster]. But the World Cup is actually one month. We had that experience from our last U-20s where some players joined very, very late. We're still thinking how we're going to approach that situation.

American Soccer Now: Do you think that, if releases don't go your way, this could be a situation that leaves you having to go to players that maybe haven't been in a camp before or maybe have only had limited involvement with?

Marko Mitrovic: So far, we had 30 plus players in those three camps. However, there are also guys that I worked before and I know of them on top of those 30 plus players. We really know this group very well. If we compare with the Olympic team, the Olympic team had such a big gap because they didn't play in a U-20 World Cup [due to COVID], so we didn't have any process with those guys. But with this group, we talked about the 2005's that I worked with 18 months ago. Then our 2006's and 2007's, they had the U-17 World Cup. So, some of those guys have been around our youth national teams for a long time. And I If we get in that situation that the World Cup is the first camp for some of the guys, I don't think it will be their first camp with U.S. Soccer. They should be familiar with who we are.

American Soccer Now: Mauricio Pochettino has now been with U.S. Soccer for seven months. Now that he has had time to settle, have you had a chance working with him to talk about your players and your team?

Marko Mitrovic: I had meetings with Mauricio and his coaching staff - several meetings with Jesus Perez, his assistant. I have very good collaboration and communication with them. They are very positive about our group, they are positive about our experience, our schedule, our agenda. They are there to support us. Obviously, we talk about the players because not just U-20s. I had a lot of those guys with me with the Olympic team, before they were with the USMNT. It's a big pool of guys that are with the USMNT. I worked with them and we had that collaboration. Obviously now they have much more experience and knowledge about our players, but I appreciate the way they see our U-20s group, the importance that they give to that group. I really appreciate that.