The US Under-20 men’s national team, via Friday morning’s draw, learned their opponents for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be staged from May 20-June 11 in Argentina.
Head coach Mikey Varas’ team will face Ecuador, Fiji and Slovakia in Group B. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
FIFA will release a complete tournament schedule with the order of group matches, venues and kickoff times in the near future.
USA opponents
The US will face Ecuador at a third straight FIFA U-20 World Cup, but have never faced Fiji or Slovakia at the tournament.
- Ecuador: Clinched South America’s final World Cup spot with a fourth-place finish in the final group stage at the 2023 Conmebol U-20 Championship.
- Fiji: Finished runner-up at the 2022 OFC U-19 Championship.
- Slovakia: Won a playoff match against Austria to secure UEFA’s fifth and final World Cup berth.
MLS influence
The US will likely call up an MLS-heavy roster in pursuit of silverware. Here's a spattering of active MLS players, sorted by position, who have been key participants in the group:
- GK: Antonio Carrera (Dallas), Chris Brady (Chicago)
- D: Brandan Craig (Philadelphia), Michael Halliday (Orlando), Jalen Neal (LA), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta)
- M: Daniel Edelman (New York), Brian Gutierrez (Chicago), Diego Luna (Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia), Obed Vargas (Seattle), Owen Wolff (Austin)
- F: Cade Cowell (San Jose), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia), Darren Yapi (Colorado)
There are also several MLS homegrown alums, who if they're released, will likely be key players:
- Chelsea goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, ex-Chicago Fire
- Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Paxten Aaronson, ex-Philadelphia
- VfL Wolfsburg winger Kevin Paredes, ex-D.C. United
- RB Leipzig midfielder Caden Clark, ex-Red Bulls
Longstanding history
The US are the only nation to reach the quarterfinals of the last three FIFA U-20 World Cups, plus they’re one of three countries to qualify for the last five U-20 World Cups alongside New Zealand and Uruguay.
The US qualified for the 2023 U-20 World Cup by taking home their third straight confederation crown at the Concacaf U-20 Championship last summer. That success in Honduras also booked a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reaching that summertime stage for the first time since 2008.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is a springboard event for the senior program. It's also fertile ground for MLS clubs scouting future signings, particularly via the U22 Initiative.
