HERRIMAN, Utah (Monday, May 22, 2023) - The United States U-20 Men’s Youth National Team is set to face Fiji in the second match of Group B on Tuesday, May 23 at 12:00 p.m. MT in San Juan, Argentina.
The United States opened the tournament this past Saturday, May 20 defeating Ecuador 1-0 with a game-winning goal courtesy of Jonathan Gómez in stoppage time, taking all three points in the first match of the group stage. Real Salt Lake’s **Diego Luna** got the nod to start for Head Coach Mikey Varas and played all 90 minutes of regulation before being substituted in the final minute.
The midfielder had an impressive performance against Ecuador, playing mainly on the left wing where he displayed his dribbling abilities and helped lead the Red, White and Blue’s attack. Luna made an acrobatic one-touch pass to free up teammate Caleb Wiley in front of the net in the 55th minute before the opportunity was shut down by the goalkeeper. In the 59th Luna had a chance on goal himself, beating both the ‘keeper and defender to a bouncing ball outside the 18-yard-box, but his shot rolled a mere inches wide of the far post.
The match marked Luna’s 17th all-time appearance for the United States U-20 Men’s Youth National Team, matching Orlando City’s Jack McGlynn for the most by any player on the roster.
Fiji is coming off a 4-0 defeat to Slovakia on Saturday. After one match, the U.S. sits second in the group standings behind Slovakia, tied with three points but trailing in goal differential.
The game will be available on FS2, Universo, and Telemundo (see USSoccer.com for more details).
The group stage will consist of three matches played in round-robin fashion, with every team playing each other once. With six groups in the 24-team competition, the top two teams from each group in addition to the four best third-place teams will advance to the Round of 16. During the group stage, a win will be rewarded with three points, a draw worth one point, and no points will be given following a loss. After the group stage, the tournament will be played in a single-elimination format, starting with the Round of 16 until the Final.
The Round of 16 will take place from May 30-June 1 with the Quarterfinals on June 3-4, the Semifinals on June 8 and the Final on June 11 at La Plata Stadium. The United States entered the tournament as favorites to get out of the group stage, having fallen in the quarterfinals in the last three U-20 World Cups. The U-20 U.S. MYNT won the 2022 CONCACAF Championship en route to qualification, defeating the Dominican Republic 6-0 in the final.
