Curse of the quarterfinals strikes again as USA crashes out of U-20 World Cup

The U.S. has been eliminated in the last eight for the fourth straight time

For a fourth straight time at the U-20 World Cup, the United States men have been eliminated at the quarterfinal stage.

The U.S. fell 2-0 to Uruguay in the last eight on Sunday, continuing the team’s last-eight curse at this competition.

This may have been the most frustrating of all four eliminations though, as this U.S. team entered Sunday’s match looking like one of, if not the favorite to win the whole tournament in Argentina.

Mikey Varas’s side went into the match in flawless form, having won all four of its World Cup matches while scoring 10 goals and conceding none.

But Sunday’s match in Santiago del Estero was a hugely frustrating affair for a team that was not dominated by any stretch, but which made crucial mistakes at both ends of the pitch to crash out in heartbreaking fashion.

The U.S. saw its tournament-long shutout streak end in the 21st minute after a defensive breakdown led to an easy tap-in for Anderson Duarte.

The U.S. pushed for an equalizer but couldn’t find a decisive moment in the final third. Then, on 56 minutes, disaster struck.

A fairly innocuous cross came in low from the left flank, but Josh Wynder’s attempted sliding clearance ricocheted backwards off his own leg and barely squirmed past Gabriel Slonina for a disastrous own goal.

That proved too much for the U-20s to recover from. When a sure goal from Cade Cowell was blocked off the line by his own teammate, it became apparent that it would not be the USA’s night.

Overall it was a positive World Cup for the USA, which controlled the vast majority of its five matches and played an eye-catching style that also proved rock solid at the back.

But once again, the U.S. will go home disappointed at the quarterfinal stage of a U-20 World Cup. The team can be pleased with its overall display in Argentina, but it’s hard to imagine the U.S. U-20s having a better shot to win a World Cup than it did in 2023.

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