2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship: USA vs. Costa Rica 11/16 7:30 ET

Araujo as a midfielder. Hmm.

 

Returns us to the 2-8-6-4 symmetry that we've come to know and love.

 

If we lose are we out?

 

Not necessarily. If we beat Honduras and get help with the other result and GD we might still get to the WC.

 

No. Only one team is eliminated from the WC. At the very least we will have the opportunity to beat Honduras in the last game and surpass their goal difference.

 

CR right winger is pretty good. They seem to play a little possession but not over powering. Honduras, kinda rough and street ball. Hope nobody gets hurt in either game.

 

Cross posting from the all teams thread.

 

Great result for the US.

 

Game day has finally arrived. The forecast is for clear skies and cool (for Bradenton) temperatures.

Don't mind me, while I analyze the 9 (or 6, really, disregarding order) possible outcomes:

WW -1st
WD - 1st
WL - 2nd (to the team that beats us - here Honduras)
DW - 1st
DD - depends (higher scoring draws are good, 0-0 draws are bad)
DL - 3rd
LW - 2nd (to the team that beats us - here Costa Rica)
LD - 3rd
LL - 3rd

Costa Rica (tonight) and Honduras (Monday) have narrowed their possible outcomes:

DW - 1st (or 2nd, if US loses to both)
DD - depends {primarily on the result of the other game} (higher scoring draws are good, 0-0 draws are bad)
DL - 3rd (or 2nd, if US beats both)

The US should obviously play to win tonight, as a draw is not that much more helpful than a loss - we'll still (likely) need to beat Honduras to advance. Curiously, a draw might be a decent result for Costa Rica, particularly a scoring draw, as they would advance if the US won, or Honduras won, or the final result was a lower-scoring draw. [We've already seen that - at this point - "Fair Play' points give Costa Rica a tie-breaking edge over Honduras.]

That's enough for now ...

 

Anyone figured out how to watch this. I found it on DirecTV but it's tape delayed for Monday.

 

CONCACAF GO (their website).

 

Lineup I’d use

Scott
Lindsey-McKenzie-Richards-Gloster
Servania
Pomykal-Mendez
Dest-Soto-Llanez

 

Fun fact, according to the official CONCACAF stats Gloster is the most accurate passer in the competition with 97% of passes completed.

 

-----------Soto---------
Llanez------------Rennicks
----Pomykol--Mendez----
Gloster---Servania----Dest
------McKenzie--Richards---
-------------Scott-----------------

 

Spoke to Sergino Dest for awhile. He admitted to struggling with the heat. Likes RB better than RW

In case you were interested

 

Please tell Sergino we special-ordered 60-degree weather for him this evening, but we still expect him to break a sweat.

 

Not what we were hoping to hear from a young U.S. right back who can play left back. Can he do it on a muggy night in Honduras? Next he's going to tell us he's afraid of flying.

 

I'd imagine it would be hard for anyone in a cold climate to immediately be acclimatized to heat and humidity. I know the first 80ish degree day with humidity in Dallas kills me every year. After a few days I'm fine.

 

Ajax is famous for changing positions of their wide players for a period to round out their abilities. They moved Dennis Bergkamp to RB for a time when he was on their youth team for example.

 

Check out @ussoccer_ynt’s Tweet:

Big game tonight! 👊

Meet your starting XI for 🇺🇸's clash vs. 🇨🇷 at #CU20 » https://t.co/pdW9AKYGy3 pic.twitter.com/q2IsiZyvln

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) November 16, 2018

 

Soto is the only addition that will be starting.

 

Real over Richards? How does that make sense?

 

Tab

We fly in two of our best prospects for a game that can qualify us for the World Cup...and then Tab keeps them on the bench and starts this cycles Javon Torre.

 

Change in the U-20 #USMNT lineup vs. 🇨🇷: Jaylin Lindsey will be replaced by Sergiño Dest due to an injury suffered during warmups. Kickoff in 15 minutes!

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) November 17, 2018