The US Under-20 national team is in rarified air after their dramatic 1-0 win over Colombia on Wednesday, advancing to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Since the US first qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1981, this group is only the fifth team of 14 to reach the quarterfinals and only the fourth to win a knockout-round match (the 1993 team lost in the quarterfinals in their first elimination match).
Tab Ramos' team also tied the US record with three wins in the tournament; the 2003 team went 3-2-0, including their quarterfinal loss to Argentina, while the 2007 squad went 3-1-1, falling in extra time to Austria in the quarterfinals.
Here's a look at other US U-20 national teams to reach the quarterfinals, how they fared and who their most notable players were:
1989 - Fourth Place
Group C: 1-1-1 record
Quarterfinals: Beat Iraq 2-1
Semifinals: Lost to Nigeria 2-1 in extra time
3rd Place: Lost to Brazil 2-0
Final record: 2-3-1 (7 goals for, 9 goals against)
Coach: Bob Gansler
Prominent players: Kasey Keller, Mike Burns, Curt Onalfo, Steve Snow, Gerard Lagos, Troy Dayak, Chris Henderson
1993 - Quarterfinals
Group C: 1-1-1 record
Quarterfinals: Lost to Brazil 3-0
Final record: 1-1-2 (8 goals for, 6 goals against)
Coach: Bobby Howe
Prominent players: Matt McKeon, Gregg Berhalter, Kerry Zavagnin, Miles Joseph, Jeff Cassar
2003 - Quarterfinals
Group F: 2-1-0 record
Rd. of 16: Beat Ivory Coast 2-0
Quarterfinals: Lost to Argentina 2-1 in extra time
Final record: 3-2-0 (9 goals for, 6 goals against)
Coach: Thomas Rongen
Prominent players: Justin Mapp, Chad Marshall, Eddie Johnson, Ricardo Clark, Freddy Adu, Mike Magee, Clint Dempsey
2007 - Quarterfinals
Group D: 2-0-1 record
Rd. of 16: Beat Uruguay 2-1 in extra time
Quarterfinals: Lost to Austria 2-1 in extra time
Final record: 3-1-1 (12 goals for, 6 goals against)
Coach: Thomas Rongen
Prominent players: Chris Seitz, Michael Bradley, Robbie Rogers, Dax McCarty, Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Sal Zizzo, Tony Beltran
2015 - TBD
Group A: 2-1-0 record
Rd. of 16: Beat Colombia 1-0
Quarterfinals: TBD - June 14 vs. Serbia
Current record: 3-1-0 (7 goals for, 4 goals against)
Coach: Tab Ramos
