The United States U20 side will begin its knockout stage journey at the 2023 U20 FIFA World Cup against New Zealand on Tuesday in the Round of 16.
After finishing atop Group B with a perfect nine points from its three matches, the U.S. put themselves in a strong position for the knockout round.
Head coach Mikey Varas led the team to wins over Ecuador, Fiji, and Slovakia, and now draw New Zealand, a third-place finisher in Group A. The Kiwis picked up four points in games against Guatemala and Uzbekistan, but were blasted by hosts Argentina in the finale, seeing them only qualify via the third-place table.
From this point on, no matter the strength of the opponent, it’s win or go home for all involved. For this match, the victor will advance to face the winner of either Uruguay or Gambia in the quarterfinal, with a potential game against Brazil possibly looming in the semifinals.
LIVE BLOG: Follow along with live updates & highlights as the U.S. faces New Zealand in the Round of 16
How to watch USA vs New Zealand at U20 World Cup
- Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2023
- Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: FS2
- Streaming: Fubo, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo, Fox Sports app
This match between the United States and New Zealand in the Round of 16 at the 2023 U20 FIFA World Cup will take place on Tuesday in Argentina.
Kickoff from the 42,000 seat arena Estadio Malvinas Argentinas will be at 2:30 p.m. local time in Mendoza, which translates to 1:30 p.m. ET in the United States, or 10:30 a.m. PT.
The tournament is televised in English in the U.S. by Fox Sports, with this Round of 16 game on FS2. That channel is available to stream on Fubo, with the game also available in Spanish on Telemundo Deportes en Vivo.
MORE: Recap the 2-0 victory over Slovakia to send the U.S. to the top of Group B
USA U20 vs New Zealand projected lineups & team news
For the first time all tournament, the United States will have its full compliment of players available as they begin knockout stage play. Kevin Paredes and Rokas Puktas are joining the squad, able to link up after being released by their club sides for the knockout stage.
No players earned yellow card suspensions in the final group stage game, but Jack McGlynn, Diego Luna, and Josh Wynder will all be forced to sit out a potential future match if they are booked from here on out.
Paxten Aaronson and Jalen Neal were not released by their clubs for this tournament and do not appear on the roster.
USA U20 projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Slonina (GK) — Wiley, Craig, Wynder, Gomez — McGlynn, Edelman, Vargas — Cowell, Yapi, Paredes.
An 80th minute winner by Norman Garbett in their opener against Guatemala gave New Zealand three of their four group stage points, and went a long way towards helping them secure a knockout stage spot. The son of Canada men’s senior head coach John Herdman, Jay Herdman, is on the squad, and scored a Goal of the Tournament candidate in the 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan in the second match.
Interestingly, two players on the roster, including starting goalkeeper Kees Sims, play for Swedish third tier side Ljungskile SK, which all feels a bit random, as they are two of just five total players on the roster playing their club ball in Europe.
New Zealand U-20 projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Sims (GK) — Raj, Surman, Linder — Jarvie, Conchie, Manuel, Karunaratne, Supyk — Garbett, Colloty.