U.S. dominates New Zealand in U-20 World Cup round of 16

The U.S. won 4-0 in a match that was really never in doubt

For the fourth straight time, the U.S. has reached the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup.

Now, the trick will be advancing past the last eight.

The U.S. overwhelmed New Zealand 4-0 in the round of 16 on Tuesday, dominating their opposition for most of the match while also keeping a clean sheet for the fourth straight game.

Mikey Varas’s side, who are the only team left at the World Cup yet to concede a goal, will now face either Gambia or Uruguay on Sunday in the quarterfinal in Santiago, Argentina.

The U.S. opened the scoring in strange fashion. Owen Wolff’s 14th-minute effort didn’t look like it had the power to beat New Zealand goalkeeper Kees Sims, who nevertheless mistakenly thought it was going wide and let it go — only to watch the ball nestle into the far corner.

Despite the fluky nature of the goal, it was no less than the USA deserved. There would be plenty more chances to add a killer second goal, which finally arrived in the 61st minute through Cade Cowell.

It was Cowell’s third of the tournament and there was more to come for the USA, who saw Justin Che clean up a rebound off a counterattack to make it 3-0. Rokas Pukštas then headed home a free kick just minutes after making his tournament debut.

The U.S. has been outstanding at the World Cup so far, winning four straight games by an aggregate score of 10-0 while playing an eye-catching brand of soccer.

Though the U.S. has reached the quarterfinal for a fourth straight U-20 World Cup, it has lost all three of its previous last-eight matches. Varas and co. will be hoping that this year, the fourth time is the charm.

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