Brian Sciaretta writes about American soccer for American Soccer Now and Soccer America. You may also recognize him from the radio, or for his reliably sound takes on the youths of American soccerdom.
With two games under their built (USA 1- Ecuador 0; USA 3 - Fiji 0) and one final group stage match…. happening imminently this Friday afternoon (vs Slovakia, 2 PM ET), Brian joins me to discuss the tournament and how it fits into the national team/American soccer landscape:
* Why watch the U20 World Cup?
* Playing to be recruited
* What US players are playing their way into a big transfer, key loan, or more playing time?
* Gaga Slonina (assessing Chelsea move, predicting 2026)
* The dual-nationals, how will this tournament affect them?
* Is it possible to draw broader, soccer-cultural conclusions from the talent in the pool?
* USA vs Ecuador
* Diego Luna is a menace
* JoGo on the right, what a curveball
* USA vs Fiji
* Finishing discourse
* Slovakia will be desperate, the US hasn't faced a desperate team yet
* “you have to crush hope"
* The importance of placing first in Group B
* It’s the U20 World Cup, anything can happen!
* Key players Brian is watching today and into the knockouts
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