THE UNITED STATES U-20 national team pulled off an impressive 3-0 win over France on Thursday at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U.S. team played well throughout the entire game but only pulled ahead with three late goals from Zavier Gozo in the 85^th minute, Brooklyn Raines in the 88^th minute, and Marcos Zambrano in the second minute of stoppage time.

It was a statement win for the U.S. team that sent a clear signal to other teams at the tournament that they are they to make a run for the title.

Head coach Marko Mitrovic only made two changes to his starting XI from the opening New Caledonia win. Gozo and Zambranos left while Peyton Miller and Taha Habroune came into the XI.

Here are some thoughts on the game and the big win.

In control

The U.S. team thoroughly deserved the win. Mitrovic’s team was in control from the open whistle and France’s best chances were not too threatening. It turned out to be a total team effort. Yes, the U.S. goals all came late, but the team suffocated their French counterparts over the full 90 minutes.

The U.S. team had defensive answers to all of France’s attacks. Then the offense was just relentless. Before the goals, Nolan Norris forces a glancing save off the goalkeeper’s shoulder in the first half. Then Benja Cremaschi had a great chance in the second half that forced an outstanding save.

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???? VICTORY FOR THE #U20MNT! pic.twitter.com/DaIzH1j9h4

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) October 2, 2025

The U.S. ended the game with a 13-2 advantage in shots (7-2 on target). Possession was even but the U.S. had 22 total touches in France’s box compared with France’s 10 touches in the U.S. box.

What a lot of this speaks to is the approach Mitrovic took towards building this team. It is different from previous U-20 cycles where the coach would call up large number of players before identifying his core. From there only the last few camps would be for building the team and having it gel.  

Mitrovic identified his core as soon as he took the job last October after the Olympics. From there, he kept the team mostly in-tact over all camps in the year leading to this World Cup. By now, this team is a well-oiled cohesive unit.

We are seeing a team that had a big edge in preparation.

Who stood out, who didn’t

From the starting XI, there were significant contributions.

Brooklyn Raines was one of the top performers over the entire game. From the early going, he helped in the possession battle and in helping the U.S. team hold the ball with a purpose. But Raines also had four successful tackles and won 5/8 of his ground duels. He scored the team’s second goal and the play began with Raines forcing a turnover before he made a run into the box to get onto a pass from Gozo. Raines was my MOTM.

Houston Dynamo’s Brooklyn Raines puts the U.S team up 2-0 on France late! pic.twitter.com/0Ek0x3x2kk

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 2, 2025

Frankie Westfield has also impressed in the first two games. The Philadelphia Union right back passed well out of the back against France, got forward effectively, and helped in winning the ball. He finished the game winning 7/9 of his ground duels, 4/4 of his aerials, and won five tackles. Like Raines, his stock is increasing in this tournament.

Nolan Norris came into this tournament without as much fanfare given his limited minutes at FC Dallas. Many figured Luca Bombino would be the team’s starting left back but Morris has justified his starting job an has been strong in getting forward.

Joshy Wynder has been a rock in central defense. It hasn’t been easy for him given that Noahkai Banks and Diego Kochen were not allowed to participate by their clubs. But Wynder was a big reason why the backline has been steady.

The substitutes were complete game changers against France. Specifically, Zavier Gozo, who scored the first goal, Luke Brennan who assisted on that goal. Then it was Gozo who assisted Raines for the second. Finally, it was Zambrano who put the nail in the coffin on the third goal. Matthew Corcoran was a big part of that build-up and finished with 11/11 passing.

That reflects well on the team chemistry as the subs can come into this game and things look fresh. Everyone knows their job and everyone is very familiar with each other.

The U.S. team doesn’t need much improvement, but it would help if Mitrovic can find a way to get Cole Campbell going. The speedy Borussia Dortmund winger appears to be forcing things too much and he is frustrated as a result. He has been one of the team’s best players this cycle but he needs to find a way to let the game come to him. Similarly, Adam Beaudry is also a little nervous after his mistake against New Caledonia. There were a few moments against France where he was shaky.

Assessing this accomplishment

It was true that France had a tough time assembling a team for this U-20 World Cup and that many French clubs did not want to release their players. FIFA must share some of the blame in having this tournament at a time when all leagues are in season.

But France always can field a team with talent, and the win was a nice one for the U.S. team.

Here is how the U.S U-20 team took the lead on France

Atalanta United’s Luke Brennan serves up RSL’s Zavier Gozo! pic.twitter.com/kuodieVobW

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 2, 2025

When looking at this win and the U.S. team’s performances, it proper to look at the cycle in its entirety. The U.S. team played games in October 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, and September 2025 during those FIFA windows against opponents who were able to field top strength teams. Even in those windows, the U.S. team was still winning games against good teams.

It would be one thing if the U.S. team was struggling during the cycle but was only now able to win. This U.S. U-20 team has been able to win throughout the cycle against teams such as France, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and South Korea. What we are seeing in Chile is just a continuation of that.

This is a good U.S. U-20 team and is playing like it.

Look ahead to South Africa and beyond

The job for Mitrovic is only now getting started. The U.S. team must now face a South African team that won the African U-20 championship. If the U.S. team wins the group, it would likely face Italy in the Round of 16.

The challenge for Mitrovic is to decide if and how to rotate his squad in order to keep the team fresh but at the same point, not having the team lose a step.

Some options we might see are having Luke Brennan come into the starting lineup in place of Cole Campbell. Pedro Soma has not been used much and he is a good option to play over Brooklyn Raines. The same with Matthew Corcoran who has only played off the bench in the first two games. Reed Baker-Whiting and Luca Bombino are also fullbacks who have fresh legs as Westfield and Norris have played a lot.

Mitrovic has options but a possible approach is to rotate the squad significantly for the start of the South Africa game, and he would have a strong bench if he needed upgrades. That would keep everything fresh for the Round of 16 – whoever that would be.