On Saturday, the US Under-20 national team will face El Salvador in a game that will determine who will head to New Zealand for the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this year.
The Under-20 World Cup was first held back in 1977 when the tournament kicked off in Tunisia. Since then the top U-20 teams around the world have faced off every two years.
In the 19 tournaments that have taken place, the US have qualified for the World Cup 13 times, as shown here:
| US Under-20 World Cup record | |
| Year | World Cup Finish |
| 1977 | Did not qualify |
| 1979 | Did not qualify |
| 1981 | Group Stage (15th of 16) |
| 1983 | Group Stage (11th of 16) |
| 1985 | Did not qualify |
| 1987 | Group Stage (10th of 16) |
| 1989 | Semifinals (4th of 16) |
| 1991 | Did not qualify |
| 1993 | Quarterfinals (8th of 16) |
| 1995 | Did not qualify |
| 1997 | Round of 16 (15th of 24) |
| 1999 | Round of 16 (11th of 24) |
| 2001 | Round of 16 (13th of 24) |
| 2003 | Quarterfinals (5th of 24) |
| 2005 | Round of 16 (11th of 24) |
| 2007 | Quarterfinals (7th of 24) |
| 2009 | Group Stage (18th of 24) |
| 2011 | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | Group Stage (22nd of 24) |
The 1989 team had the US's best-ever finish. That squad included future USMNT regulars Kasey Keller, Mike Burns and Chris Henderson, and future MLS coach Curt Onalfo. The star of the team was Steve Snow, who MLSsoccer.com profiled last year.
In later years, some other notable USMNT players passed through the U-20 team including Tim Howard (1999), Landon Donovan (2001), Clint Dempsey (2003), Jozy Altidore (2007), and Michael Bradley (2007).
The US have qualified for eight of the last nine tournaments; the 2011 team featured USMNTers Joe Gyau, Greg Garza and Bobby Wood along with MLS standouts Perry Kitchen, Dillon Powers, Zac MacMath, and Amobi Okugo.
So where will this team end up? Be sure to tune in on Saturday (5 pm ET, Fox Soccer Plus).
