From form, fitness and skill sets to the unenviable task of convincing clubs around the world to voluntarily release their players to participate in the tournament, Mikey Varas and his staff had to juggle an armful of variables as they built the United States’ roster for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup which kicks off in Argentina later this month.
Varas delved into that complex process on a Tuesday call with reporters in the wake of the squad’s unveiling, emphasizing confidence in his group despite several regulars like Philadelphia Union homegrown product Paxten Aaronson, LA Galaxy defender Jalen Neal and Chicago Fire FC midfielder Brian Gutiérrez not being released.
“We had ongoing discussions with every single club; there was a lot of dialogue back and forth,” said Varas. “We're disappointed that some players weren't released, but at the same time, our number-one priority here is individual player development. So we're also proud of the fact that these players have become so important during the cycle that they're no longer viewed as releasable for this type of tournament.
“What I'm saying more than anything,” the former FC Dallas academy coach later added, “is we're really confident in the guys we have on the roster, that they're going to be able to come here, and if anybody doubts them at all, to embrace that underdog mentality.”
Just don’t ask him for too many specifics about who’ll play where or how he’ll deploy the substantial talent at his disposal.
“Unfortunately, all of that is top secret right now,” Varas said when asked about the team’s formation and likely options at the No. 9 spot occupied to good effect by Aaronson for much of the qualification process. “What I can promise you is we are going to do what is right for the team and for the individual players that we have, to make sure that we make all of you guys and every other American back home proud of the performances that we put in.”
Paredes, Pukstas join late
Thanks to compromise arrangements, the US will be boosted by two European-based talents whose availability was in question. Oklahoma-born midfielder Rokas Pukstas will join the team after his club Hajduk Split contest the Croatian Cup final vs. HNK Sibenik on May 24, while D.C. United product Kevin Paredes will arrive after completing the Bundesliga season with VfL Wolfsburg on May 27.
The US U-20s open their Group B slate vs. Ecuador on May 20, then face Fiji three days later before concluding the group stage vs. Slovakia on May 26. The knockout phases begin on May 30.
“They’ve both become important members there,” said Varas, “and so we were flexible in terms of making sure we had the best roster possible, and also giving them more opportunities.”
Yapi, Wolff earn their keep
Every player not released equates to a precious opportunity for one who was. And with more US-eligible youngsters turning pro and earning first-team minutes with every passing year, this roster shows the program’s rising tides of depth. Varas offered specific praise for two homegrowns who used the current MLS season to play their way off the bubble and onto the plane: Colorado Rapids striker Darren Yapi and Austin FC standout Owen Wolff.
“This is a guy that we had been monitoring for a long time. And I told him how proud I was because this is someone who never complained that he wasn't getting called in,” said Varas of Yapi.
“He just put his head down, went to work. His club gave him tremendous support in terms of individual player development, and they also did a great job of advocating for him, to make sure that we were still paying attention, which we always were, but they wanted to make sure that we knew. Then he fought his way into those first-team minutes with a big time preseason, and by that, that got him into our camp and then he fought his way into here.”
Wolff, the son of ATX head coach and USMNT great Josh Wolff, has battled his way past older teammates into a starting role at the heart of the Verde engine room. With assists on both of their goals, the 18-year-old was the protagonist in Austin’s comeback draw at Portland over the weekend, for example.
“What we love about Owen is Owen’s got a fighting spirit. Also, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he's not afraid of confrontation. And on top of that, he's very skillful and very smart,” said Varas, who this year has pulled double duty as an interim assistant to Anthony Hudson with the senior national team. “You see that in the MLS games and how he fought his way into that starting lineup from last year to this year.”
Edelman remains
Conversely, the coaching staff has also shown loyalty to many of those who’ve been part of their pool since the start of the cycle. That starts with New York Red Bulls homegrown Daniel Edelman, who Varas called “a pure example of what our team culture is” and will retain the U-20s’ captaincy at the World Cup.
“What separates this group is the culture, the people that we have in the room, who they are in terms of being good people, having growth mindsets, and loving to compete under pressure and having high standards – this is something that we're going to galvanize around,” said Varas, who vowed to prioritize team success in Argentina without losing sight of the primary task of preparing players for promotion to the USMNT.
“I would say the biggest challenge is clearly how the group handles the pressure of playing a World Cup. So when you play a World Cup, it's natural that there's going to be added pressure and added nerves, and how we handle that as a group collectively will be really important. But we will be ready.”
