Preview: With Olympic Qualification Secured, U.S. U-20 MYNT Takes On Dominican Republic For Concacaf U-20 Championship Tonight
U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team
2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship Final
USA vs. Dominican Republic
Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano; San Pedro Sula, Honduras
July 3, 2022
8 p.m. ET (FS1, TUDN)
AFTER EARNING OLYMPIC BERTH, USA FACES DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR CONCACAF U-20 TITLE:
Following successful qualifications to the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and 2024 Olympics, the U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team will play for its third straight Concacaf U-20 Championship tonight vs. Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. ET (FS1, TUDN.) The USA clinched its Olympic berth with a dominant 3-0 win against host Honduras in front of a raucous near-capacity crowd at San Pedro Sula’s Estadio Morazan on Friday night. Now, the U.S. U-20s are aiming for their third confederation championship at this age level after first winning the title in 2017 and 2018.
The Dominican Republic has made a surprise run to the tournament final, qualifying for its first-ever FIFA world championship events when it punched its tickets to the U-20 World Cup and Olympics. Los Quisqueyanos advanced directly to the Round of 16 after topping a pre-qualifying group in November and rattled off three straight dramatic victories to reach the championship match.
Follow the U-20 MYNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
USA VS. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
- The USA and the Dominican Republic have met once at the Concacaf U-20 Championship, a 9-0 win for the U.S. in the second group stage of the 1976 tournament.
- The USA’s 9-0 margin of victory is its third-largest all-time at the competition behind a 13-0 win against U.S. Virgin Islands in the 2018 group stage and the tournament-opening 10-0 victory vs. St. Kitts and Nevis at this year’s CU20.
- This is Dominican Republic’s sixth appearance in 28 editions of the Concacaf U-20 Championship and first appearance in the knockout stage. Prior to the tourney field’s expansion in 2018, the DR hadn’t competed in the tournament since 1980.
- Dominican Republic qualified for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 1-0 victory against Jamaica in the tournament quarterfinals. It’s the DR’s first qualification to any FIFA world championship event and the Caribbean nation is the 12th country to represent Concacaf at the U-20 World Cup.
- Dominican Republic also clinched its first Men’s Olympic Football Tournament with a semifinal penalty-kick shootout win vs. Guatemala, becoming the 10th Concacaf nation to reach the tournament.
OLYMPIC DREAM COMES TRUE:
For the first time since 2008, the USA will return to the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament at Paris 2024 after an exhilarating 3-0 win against host Honduras on Friday night. Playing in front of a near-sellout crowd at Estadio Morazan, the U.S. took it to the home team from the start, seizing a 1-0 lead it would not relinquish in just the third minute on a goal from midfielder Paxten Aaronson. The USA never let off the gas, attacking in waves and scoring again in the 22nd minute with Alejandro Alvarado Jr.’s first goal of the tournament. Forward Quinn Sullivan tallied the third goal just before the break, and the U.S. defense held strong against Honduras in the second half to secure Olympic qualification as the first Team USA team sport to reach Paris 2024.
HISTORIC RUN FOR DR:
The Dominican Republic has rattled off three exciting knockout stage victories to reach the Concacaf U-20 Championship Final for the first time. Los Quisqueyanos’ road to the championship match started last November in pre-qualifying, when goals in the 88th and fourth minute of second-half stoppage time secured a 2-2 draw with Saint Lucia to clinch the top of Group B.
After winning its pre-qualifying group, the DR advanced directly to the Round of 16 to face El Salvador, who won Group G in the tournament proper. In a wild back-and-forth match, Dominican Republic emerged with a 5-4 win on a 78th-minute penalty from Inter Miami CF midfielder Edison Azcona. Los Quisqueyanos defeated Jamaica 1-0 in the quarterfinals to clinch their U-20 World Cup spot and then met Guatemala in the semis. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, DR scored two goals in two minutes in the second to force extra time and penalties, winning 4-2 to earn its first-ever Olympic berth.
Since Concacaf adopted its new 20-team youth World Cup qualifying format in spring 2019, the Dominican Republic is the first pre-qualifying team to advance directly to the Round of 16 and win a knockout stage match in five tournaments (2019 CU17, 2020 CWU20, 2022 CWU20, CWU17 and CU20).
TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
This year marks the 28th edition of the Concacaf U-20 Championship. The tournament began in 1962 as the Concacaf Youth Tournament, qualifying two teams to the FIFA U-20 World Cup from 1976-1994 and four teams from 1996 to now.
Following a myriad of different formats over the years, the 2022 competition introduces a new 20-team tournament akin to Concacaf’s most recent U-17 Men’s and U-20 and U-17 Women’s Championships. Sixteen countries are drawn into four groups of four, while four countries advance directly to the Round of 16 via a pre-qualifying tournament: Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.
The top three finishers in each group qualified to the Round of 16, where they were joined by the four teams from pre-qualifying. From there, it’s a knockout bracket to the tournament final. The four winners of the quarterfinal matches qualify to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, while the two winners of the semifinal matches qualify to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The U.S. has participated in 25 of 28 Concacaf U-20 Championships, including each tournament since 1974, and qualified for the U-20 World Cup in 17 of 23 attempts. After missing the 2011 U-20 World Cup, the U.S. is the only nation to qualify for the last five tournaments and the only team to reach the quarterfinals in the last three editions.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
2022 CONCACAF U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN; U-20 CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (2): Christopher Brady (Chicago Fire FC; Naperville, Ill.; 6/0), Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 1/0)
DEFENDERS (6): Noah Allen (Inter Miami CF; Miramar, Fla.; 4/0), Brandan Craig (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 5/0), Mauricio Cuevas (Club Brugge/BEL; Los Angeles, Calif.; 7/1), Marcus Ferkranus (LA Galaxy; Santa Clarita, Calif.; 5/0), Michael Halliday (Orlando City SC; Apopka, Fla.; 6/0), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; Lakewood, Calif.; 7/1)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Paxten Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; Medford, N.J.; 9/6), Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (FC Vizela/POR; Los Angeles, Calif.; 5/1), Caden Clark (New York Red Bulls; Wayzata, Minn.; 9/2), Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, N.J.; 7/0), Jackson Hopkins (D.C. United; Fredericksburg, Va.; 2/0), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Sunnyvale, Calif.; 9/2), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, N.Y.; 9/1), Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Sillwater, Okla.; 7/1), Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.; 4/2)
FORWARDS (3): Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.; 7/2), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.; 8/7), Tyler Wolff (Atlanta United FC; Braselton, Ga.; 7/1)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- Forward Cade Cowell will not be available for the final, serving the second of a three-game suspension after his involvement in the incident following the USA-Costa Rica quarterfinal match.
- Three of 16 teams have qualified to the 2024 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament: host France plus the U.S. and Dominican Republic.
- The USA will be participating in the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament for the 14th time, and first since 2008. Its other appearances came in 1924, 1928, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1972, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000.
- Ten of 24 teams have qualified to the 2023 U-20 World Cup: host Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and the USA from Concacaf plus England, France, Israel, Italy and Slovakia from Europe.
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady, defender Michael Halliday and forward Quinn Sullivan have started all three knockout stage matches.
- U.S. forward Quinn Sullivan’s six goals are tied for the tournament lead with Honduras’ Marco Aceituno.
- Twelve players have scored for the U.S. at the tournament: Quinn Sullivan (six goals), Paxten Aaronson (five), Cade Cowell, Niko Tsakiris (two each), Alvarado Jr., Caden Clark, Mauricio Cuevas, Luna, McGlynn, Neal, Pukstas and Tyler Wolff.
- Eight players have registered an assist for the USA: Luna and Clark (four assists), Sullivan (three), Aaronson, Alvarado Jr. and Cowell.
- Midfielder Jackson Hopkins replaced midfielder Obed Vargas on the U.S. roster and joined the team just before the Round of 16 and made his U-20 debut vs. Nicaragua.