The USA look to finally break through the proverbial brick wall of the quarterfinals as they take on Uruguay at the men’s 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
The U.S. has reached this stage in each of their last four appearances at this competition, but were unable to advance past the round in their three prior attempts.
Uruguay, meanwhile, have reached the semifinals in two of the last four Under-20 World Cup tournaments, finishing second in 2013 and fourth in 2017.
The United States dominated New Zealand in the Round of 16 to reach this stage, winning 4-0 in resounding fashion. It was much tougher for Uruguay, who needed a 65th-minute penalty to get past Gambia 1-0 with the entire second half played 10-vs-10.
The winner will move into the semifinals and a Thursday date with surprise team Israel, who ousted favorites Brazil in another quarterfinal.
MORE: Recap USA’s resounding 4-0 victory over New Zealand in the Round of 16
How to watch USA vs Uruguay in U20 World Cup
- Date: Sunday, June 4
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- TV channel: FS2 (English), Telemundo (Spanish)
- Streaming: Fubo, Fox Sports GO, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo
The match will be televised in the United States in both English and Spanish.
Fox has the FIFA broadcast rights for English-language, with this match shown on FS2. Meanwhile, it will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo.
Both broadcasts can be streamed on Fubo, which is available on a free trial for new users.
Each broadcaster’s streaming platform will also carry the broadcast for authenticated users (with verified cable, satellite, and telco packages).
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When Gaga Slonina joined the @ChicagoFire he focused on becoming the best version of himself, picking up @ChelseaFCβs attention. Now, heβs a leader in the back for the #U20MYNT πͺ pic.twitter.com/c7k2eppUgN
β U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) June 2, 2023
USA vs Uruguay lineups, team news
From here on out, it’s unlikely that USA head coach Mikey Varas will make too many tactical changes from game to game, only swapping players out when needed.
It’s likely that he will make one move for this game, however, as Kevin Paredes will likely enter the starting lineup in place of Owen Wolff now that the Wolfsburg man has joined the squad and integrated into the tournament.
Otherwise, the lineup should look similar to that against New Zealand, with no traditional No. 9 up front. Darren Yapi is available to play that role, but the U.S. attack has looked bright in the absence of a true target striker, with Diego Luna and Cade Cowell looking exceptionally dangerous working together up top.
Jack McGlynn, Josh Wynder, Niko Tsakiris, and Luna are all one yellow card away from a suspension and would be forced to sit out the semifinal should they be cautioned again. The good news is that the yellow card slate is wiped clean after the quarterfinal stage.
USA projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Slonina (GK) β Che, Craig, Wynder β Gomez, Edelman, Paredes, McGlynn, Wiley β Luna, Cowell.
There are just two players on the entire Uruguay U-20 roster playing for a club outside of their home country. Center-back Alan Matturro plays for Italian club Genoa, having made his Serie B debut this season, while fellow defender Facundo Gonzalez plays for the youth team of La Liga side Valencia.
Defensive midfielder Fabricio Diaz, who captains the team, is considered a top prospect. He was called up to the senior national team as a COVID-19 replacement for Matias Vecino in March of 2022 (although he did not see the field) and he was named to the country’s 55-man preliminary roster for the 2022 World Cup.
Luciano Rodriguez is the team’s main goal scoring threat, but he has not yet found the net in this tournament. Matias Abaldo and Franco Gonzalez each have two goals to lead the way for Uruguay in the competition.
Uruguay projected starting lineup (3-4-3): R. Rodriguez (GK) β Matturro, Fa. Gonzalez, Boselli β Ponte, Garcia, Diaz, Fr. Gonzalez β De los Santos, L. Rodriguez, Duarte.