A Way Too Deep U20 World Cup Preview: Part 1
It's probably not this serious
editors note: the two months since my last post have been filled with a lot of viz work. Keep an eye out as it’s dropping soon
additional editors note: Wikipedia let me down with squad lists, containing a lot of incorrect info. The article has been amended.
I love the U20 World Cup. The first time I really followed it was 2017. I was coaching a 6th grade soccer team in Dubai, and was trying to encourage players to watch more soccer. The tournament coincided with the season, and I created a little prediction competition in order to keep the kids engaged in the matches. I wanted them to see high level soccer that wasn’t necessarily the best in the world. In the end they enjoyed it but I enjoyed it way more.
Since then, I’ve followed it all closely, from the qualifying stages to the final tournament. Like most USYNT enthusiasts, my main focus is on the USA, but I also enjoy watching all the unique and individual teams that come through. The miniature “Golden Generations” are always fascinating, like the 2017 Zambia team that produced multiple premier league players, or the 2019 Ecuador side that placed more players in MLS than their American opponents did.
The best part is seeing some of the talent that is coming up in the sport being able to compete on a relatively even field. For most young players, no matter how good they are they don’t get to be the centerpieces of their team. The U20 World Cup puts them center stage, and offers a window into what their careers might become. For some players like a young Lionel Messi the tournament is a star turn. For others, it’s a sign of cracks in their game that could widen. In 2019, Chris Durkin and Konrad De La Fuente came into the tournament with a good deal of hype. Both struggled with the pace and physicality of play, and that has been reflected in their career trajectories since.
The newest edition kicks off on Friday. The USA enters as a good team with a favorable draw; they are in Group E with South Africa, France, and New Caledonia. New Caledonia is the Oceania 2nd place team, a sacrificial lamb that gives 3 points to each of its opponents. (Important, considering 3rd place teams can advance in this tournament)
TEAM USA
The youth development landscape in the USA has undergone major changes, and those are reflected in the way the team is made up. In 2015, a decade ago, there were a few seasoned pros - players like Matt Miazga and Kellyn Acosta. Still, only 18 U20 Americans had any MLS experience at all. The team was a few pros, and then European and MLS academy players and sometimes even college players.
Since that time, the number of professional players eligible for the U20 World Cup has taken off. So far, 2025 is a slight decrease from 2023, but the gates have been opened and there’s no slowing down now. The addition of MLS Next Pro, where young players can continue to sharpen in professional environments and experience an easier transition to the next level, means that even the U17s will broadly be professionalized in the future.
The next step, then, is for the USA to establish itself as a team capable of winning the entire tournament. The team’s best performance to date was in 1989, where the team placed fourth (Shoutout Kasey Keller and Chris Henderson, members of that team). In the last two runs, the team has been eliminated in the quarterfinals by a South American opponent. This year, it’s entirely possible to make a deep run and even the finals if everything comes together.
The Squad
Goalkeepers
Diego Kochen is probably the most highly touted goalkeeping prospect to play for the USA, edging out former wonderkid Gaga Slonina. He was listed in Goal.com’s top 50 wonderkids list in 2025 at #48, and in Guardians 2023 Next Gen List. Between the accolades and the call up history he’s almost certainly going to be the starter for this team. It’s unfortunate that I’m going to have to be a hater for a bit here.
Kochen’s on ball ability is absolutely notable for a goalkeeper. He’s unquestionably the most talented goalkeeper with the ball at his feet in USYNT history. Despite that, at every single level he’s been a negative shot stopper. Over his time in Barcelona, he’s at 1.15 G/xG, when good players are typically less than 1. That’s not good. The numbers don’t lie - shot stopping is by far the most valuable skill set for a goal keeper, and I don’t think that even Kochen’s prodigious skill on the ball makes up for it. I still think he’s a solid prospect, but his weakness doing the main job of a goalkeeper is always going to lower his ceil
At the same time, neither Adam Beaudry or Duran Ferree offer a significant improvement over Kochen as shot stoppers. If the USA finds itself under siege by an opponent, it’s unlikely that the goalkeeping is going to make the difference on the day.
Defenders
The main trait of the USA defenders is flexibility. Peyton Miller can play left back or be in the attack (most likely the latter). Reed Baker Whiting (Guardian Next Gen 2022) can play either fullback position and is exceptionally two footed. Nolan Norris and Ethan Kohler are comfortable as a fullback, midfielder, or center back. No matter what happens, the USA defense should be able to shift to accommodate what their opponents throw at them.
Josh Wynder and Noah Cobb are the main group at center back. Wynder is a champion with USLC side Lousiville City, but has primarily played with Benfica B since departing. He’s an extremely well rounded center back, being capable with the ball at his feet as well as defending in space and in crowded areas. He gets forward for set pieces well and has 4 goals for Benfica B. Cobb, meanwhile, is larger but without the same athleticism. He is a very good passer for his age, and will be an asset in possession. The backups are likely to be Norris and Kohler; though neither are center backs the majority of the time, they can be deputized in an emergency.
The fullback positions are also up in the air. Luca Bombino will likely start on the left, having had the strongest MLS season in the entire group. Miller and Norris will be backups, although Miller is likely to spend more time in the attack. On the right, it seems likely that Reed Baker Whiting will get the nod. He’s the most well rounded, and the most gifted offensively. Frankie Westfield has performed better as a defender in MLS, and against a tough opponent like France may be needed. He’s also accustomed to the transition heavy Philadelphia Union style. Kohler was a bit of a surprise callup, with no top level experience nor a particularly impressive youth national team resume.
Midfielders
Teams live and die at youth tournaments on the backs of their respective midfields. It’s an incredibly difficult piece of alchemy to get exactly the right blend of ball winning, confident circulation of possession, progressive play, and of course box arrival and scoring. It’s less about who the best players are and more about building a group without clear weak links, especially if a team wants to be the protagonists.
The two more defensive midfielders are Brooklyn Raines and Pedro Soma. They are fairly clear cut and occupy different niches in the midfield group. Raines is a ball winner who is limited in progression but rarely loses possession. Soma is a natural circulator who is comfortable handling 60-80 passes per game (he’s been passing 74 times per 96 minutes with San Diego) but doesn’t have the same athleticism or ability to cover ground. Both will see time, and it will be heavily opponent dependent. Matthew Corcoran can also play at the base of the midfield, but is also a possibility to pair with either of these players in a double pivot. He’s a more accomplished ball progressor than either, and can contribute more in the final third.
The advanced midfielders represent one of the real strengths of this team. Benjamin Cremaschi is one of the more well known players on this team (USMNT capped, #48 in the NXGN 2024 top 50). I think he’s overrated for what he is; a busy runner who contributes with his off ball movement and harassing the other team, but fairly limited in terms of his technicality and vision on the field. Still, he does some high value things like popping up in the box on late runs, and he has a great deal of top level experience.
Taha Habroune, on the other hand, is fairly underrated and for my money the most talented player in the midfield group. He’s putting up a remarkable +0.10 net G+ per 96 in MLS, which is outstanding for any player much less a brand new first team player. I think he’ll really break into the public consciousness with his play in the tournament.
Niko Tsakiris is the only returner from the 2023 edition of the tournament. He performed well then and looked poised to break out as an MLS player, but he hasn’t been able to find consistent play and has been frequently hampered by injuries. He’s in a rare healthy stretch, but this tournament can be a real test of fitness.
In the end there is a wide variety of talent available in this midfield, and it’s adaptable to a number of different conditions. It’s up to the coaching staff to get the combinations right.
Forwards
The forward group is very much slanted towards runners over playmakers, which is unusual for the USA. Cole Campbell, Zavier Gozo, and Luke Brennan offer pacy options who can stretch the wings. Gozo is a physical player who is comfortable as central options as well.
Campbell has the highest ceiling in the group. He’s one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga, and is willing to use his pace and take players on in the final third. The player that most comes to mind watching him is Mykhalo Mudryk, which sounds like an insult but really isn’t. Mudryk’s pace and physicality was a real asset until playing against the best players in the world. He was all lined up for a summer move away from Dortmund, who have been reticent to give him minutes, but that fell apart. For him, this U20 World Cup is a chance to raise his stock and make a team give Dortmund an offer they can’t refuse.
Gozo is the youngest of the attackers, but is in excellent form for Real Salt Lake - most recently demonstrated with a beautiful bicycle kick goal in a losing effort vs LAFC. He’s another pacey runner, putting up an amazing +0.04 G+ per 96 on progressive long balls alone. He’s peaking at the right time to be a difference maker on this squad.
Marcos Zambrano has been a mainstay with the team as a forward, but his career hasn’t taken off the way some of his peers’ have. Right now he’s in the middle of a competent if not stellar MLS Next Pro season, but compared to the others on the team he hasn’t faced the same quality opposition. He’s more of a facilitator than an out and out striker, and with the way the team is structured that might be beneficial. Since it’s unlikely that Zambrano will play every game, it is possible that Gozo will be his understudy at the central forward position.
GROUP E OPPONENTS
NEW CALEDONIA
The “other Oceania team” is making their debut in the U20 World Cup, and are in fact the only debutants in the 2025 tournament.. They advanced from their group in the OFC U19 Championship with 2-1 wins over Samoa and Papua New Guinea, while also losing 3-0 to New Zealand. In the knockout rounds they defeated Solomon Islands 3-2 a.e.t, advancing to the final where they lost again to NZ, this time 4-0.
Squad is mostly local, aside from three players. Key attacking piece Louis Brunet (maybe?) recently signed for Caen out of Magenta in New Caledonia. He was crucial in their qualifying efforts and may be the player they look to in order to spark any attacking success. Nolann Alebate is in Bastia’s reserves, and Noah Bouchet-Muller plays for Cavigal-Nice, a French youth-only side. Leading qualifying scorer Paul Qaeze did, for whatever reason, not make the trip.
There’s not much to go on for the style of play of the team, but it won’t matter; the USA U20s will be expected to dominate every facet of the game. New Caledonia will not have the technical ability to play out of pressure, and likely has never experienced the kind of sustained high press that the USA will bring to bear on them.
FRANCE
On the totally opposite spectrum is France, one of the nations that reigns supreme in the development of soccer talent. They are deep, and the worst player in the squad would be comfortably among the best on most of the other teams in the tournament.
Steve Ngoura is the captain, a 3 million man who recently signed for Brugge. As a striker he hasn’t quite found his form yet for his club, but has 12 goals in 14 appearances for the U20s. Dehmaine Tabibou from FC Nantes is the key playmaker for the team. He’s outstanding with the ball at his feet and a fluid and graceful athlete. He is capable of setting up teammates or finding the goal himself. Anchoring the midfield is Rabby Nzingoula; he’s a dynamic defensive midfielder with over 1800 Ligue 1 minutes already. He will be key to France’s efforts as he wins the ball and recycles possession. In the back Les Bleus have the pairing of Elyaz Zidane, son of the world famous Zinedine Zidane, and Aboubaka Soumahoro. Soumahoro just completed a $2 million move from Paris FC to Hamburg SV this summer.
France has not brought a single “cycled up” player in its entire history in the competition, but this year they have three. The two 2007s on the roster are PSG’s Quentin Ndjantou and Noham Kamara. Neither have been with the U20s prior to this tournament, and Ndjantou has the one U19 appearance between them. Ndjantou did, though, manage a hat trick against Atalanta in their UEFA Youth League matchup last week. The selection of two young players with little youth national team experience may indicate that France was hard done by getting callups for their usual group.
Even younger is Djylian N'Guessan from Saint Etienne. The 2008 born striker has 23 goals across 26 games in the U17 and U16 age ranks, and is still eligible for the FIFA U17 World Cup later this year. In fact, in the qualifying tournament for the U17 World Cup he scored 4 of those goals.
France were eliminated in the group stage in 2023, and in 2019 famously fell against the USA in a massive upset. This will be a chance to prove themselves again on the biggest youth stage. They’re a terrifying team who can beat opponents in a variety of ways, and the best part of drawing them in the group is the possibility to avoid them in the knockouts until the final.
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa were the champions of the AFCON U20s. They did not allow more than a single goal in a game in the entire run, but also scored more than one only once. They will have to find goals against a disciplined and professional group in the USA and France, which may be a significant challenge.
In order to do that, the team has brought in a primarily domestic roster with just two players from outside of South Africa. Siyabonga Mabena of Mamelodi Sundowns is the best attacking talent, but playing a cycle up. He was not part of the AFCON U20 team, so this could possibly represent an upgrade to the group that underwhelmed in qualifying.
Teams that can play physical, disciplined defense often outperform expectations in the U20 World Cup, where the attacking players have yet to fully come into their own. Staying disciplined and compact while hitting on the counter will be South Africa’s path to the knockouts, and if the USA wants to be a protagonist throughout the tournament this match will likely indicate if that’s even a possibility.
Barring any upsets, each team will come in with 3 points. That means that this game will in all likelihood be decisive. Although goal difference will likely mean advancement even in third, even on just 3 points, there’s no reason to leave anything for chance.
Expectations for the USA:
While anything is possible, there’s a broad range of outcomes that are acceptable, a few that are a rousing success, and one that is a disaster. For the USA not to escape its group would be a catastrophic failure. It would mean losing to both France and South Africa in the group stage, and failing to secure enough goals against New Caledonia to advance out of a third place position.
Of course, third place would generally be a bad outcome as that could put the USA in the same side of the bracket as France. Beating South Africa or having a better goal difference is going to make a huge difference in whether or not this tournament is a success. Of course, beating France and winning the group would be huge.
After the group stage, the minimum expectation should be the Quarterfinals. Winning in the Quarters would be good, and anything past that is excellent. Of course it’s not just wins and losses, but how the team plays; in each of the last three editions, the USA has gotten controlled and dismissed by a technically and tactically superior South American side. Getting a win by controlling play against a team like that will be a huge step forward for the team.
PART 2 COMING SOON: What to watch in the other groups
Great overview. Thanks!