No one expected a blowout, but that is what it became in the second half.
The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team used Josh Sargent’s record-tying 32nd minute strike and second half goals from Jeremy Ebobisse,Brooks Lennon, Justen Glad, Auston Trusty and Lagos Kunga to earn a resounding 6-0 win against New Zealand in the Round of 16 at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The first half was close with the U.S. holding a 1-0 halftime lead. The second half was a rout as the goals rolled in, five in all, for a 6-0 shutout.
The USA’s fifth all-time knockout round victory in the U-20 World Cup sees Tab Ramos‘ side advance to the Quarterfinals against Venezuela at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, Korea Republic on Sunday, June 4. The game can be seen live at 2 a.m. ET on FS2, FOX Sports Go and Telemundo En Vivo.
The U.S. was able to put their mark on the game early, with Sargent and midfielder Eryk Williamson challenging New Zealand goalkeeperMichael Woud with two headed attempts inside the first 13 minutes. The USA broke through in the 32nd minute, when Lennon’s low corner kick from the left fell for Glad whose attempt made its way through traffic before deflecting off Sargent and past Woud.
With his fourth goal of the tournament, Sargent tied Taylor Twellman (1999), Eddie Johnson (2003) and Jozy Altidore (2007) for most goals scored by a U.S. player at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The goal also puts Sargent back into a tie with Venezuela’s Sergio Cordova for the tournament’s Golden Boot lead.
The U.S. put the game out of reach in the second half with a two-goal outburst in just two minutes. In the 64th, Ebobisse took down a header from Sargent before blasting past Woud, while a minute later, Williamson’s feed down the right gave Lennon a clear path to goal to give the U.S. an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Glad would get his name on the scoresheet in the 76th minute when he rose to head home Lennon’s corner kick from the right. Two substitutes would put an exclamation point on the U.S. win as Trusty blasted home a Sebastian Saucedo – the USA’s third sub to etch his name on the scoresheet – corner kick in the 84th minute and Kunga capped the scoring in second-half stoppage time.
The 6-0 win also ties the USA’s record for largest margin of victory at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U-20 MNT also earned a 6-0 win against Turkey in its opening match of the 1993 edition in Australia.
In a unique doubleheader, the U.S. Under-20s will take on Venezuela just hours after the two nations’ senior national teams face off in a friendly at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Josh Sargent (Justen Glad), 32nd minute: The U.S. broke through after the half-hour mark when Lennon’s low corner kick made its way to Real Salt Lake teammate Glad. The U.S. defender took a touch forward before firing a low, right footed effort into traffic, which deflected off Sargent’s knee and past Michael Woud. USA 1, NZL 0
USA – Jeremy Ebobisse (Josh Sargent), 64th minute: The U.S. increased its lead after the hour mark. A free kick out of the back found Sargent, whose flicked-on header fell at the feet of Ebobisse. He collected and turned before blasting his left-footed effort from outside the box past Woud and just under the cross bar. USA 2, NZL 0
USA – Brooks Lennon (Eryk Williamson), 65th minute: As New Zealand was responding to the goal with an attacking-minded sub, the USA put the game out of reach. Catching the Junior All Whites in transition, Williamson played a clever ball for Lennon up the right wing, where the attacker sprinted past a New Zealand defender and into the box before slotting past Woud at the near post.USA 3, NZL 0
USA – Justen Glad (Brooks Lennon), 76th minute: After originally being awarded the opening goal, Glad would get his name in the goal column of the score sheet. Lennon’s corner kick from the right found the center back rising at the six-yard box, where his header was initially saved by Woud, only to see back spin take it over the line. USA 4, NZL 0
USA – Auston Trusty (Sebastian Saucedo), 84th minute: Just seconds after earning a U.S. corner kick with a dangerous run at goal, Trusty added his name to the festivities. Sebastian Saucedo took advantage of some defensive confusion, playing a low ball directly to Trusty at the top of the area where the Philadelphia Union defender blasted his effort past Woud into the far right side netting. USA 5, NZL 0
USA – Lagos Kunga (Luca de la Torre), 90+3 minute: In the dying moments of the match, Sargent played a quick pass for substitute Kunga, who danced at the top of the area before combining with Luca de la Torre to open up enough space for him to fire past Woud. USA 6, NZL 0 FINAL.
Additional Notes:
- Josh Sargent’s 32nd minute strike was his fourth goal of the tournament and now ties him with Taylor Twellman (1999), Eddie Johnson (2003) and Jozy Altidore (2007) for most goals scored by a U.S. player at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- Sargent is also tied with Venezuela’s Sergio Cordova for the tournament’s Golden Boot lead.
- Brooks Lennon now has two goals and two assists at the U-20 World Cup after recording one of each against New Zealand.
- Jeremy Ebobisse, Justen Glad and Auston Trusty all recorded their first goals of the tournament.
- U.S. defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Aaron Herrera as well as midfielder Derrick Jones all missed the match due to yellow card suspension. The trio will be eligible for Sunday’s Quarterfinal match against Venezuela.
- In their place, Ramos inserted Tommy Redding and Justen Glad on the back line and Eryk Williamson in central midfield.
- The 6-0 win ties the USA’s record for largest margin of victory at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U-20 MNT also earned a 6-0 win against Turkey in its opening match of the 1993 edition in Australia.
- The USA is now 5-8-1 all-time in Knockout Round games at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- The win pushes the USA into the FIFA U-20 World Cup Quarterfinals for the sixth time. In 1989 and 1993, the U.S. earned a place in the last eight by virtue of advancing from its group. Under the expanded tournament format, the USA earned Round of 16 wins to book a place in the Quarterfinals in 2003, 2007 and 2015.
- Ramos moves to 5-3-4 all-time at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- The USA will face Venezuela in the Quarterfinals on Sunday, June 4 at 2 a.m. ET on FS2, FOX Sports Go and Telemundo En Vivo. The game will be played at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, Korea Republic, the site of the USA’s 2-0 Round of 16 victory against Mexico during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
- The Quarterfinal match will occur just hours after the U.S. and Venezuela senior sides face off in a friendly match at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. That game can be see on Saturday, June 3 at 10 p.m. ET on FS1, FOX Sports Go and UniMas.
– U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team Match Report –
Match: U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team vs. New Zealand
Date: June 1, 2017
Competition: 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Round of 16
Venue: Incheon Stadium; Incheon, Korea Republic
Kickoff: 7 a.m. ET (8 p.m. local time)
Attendance: 5,667
Weather: 69 degrees; clear
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 5 6
NZL 0 0 0
USA – Josh Sargent (Justen Glad) 32th minute
USA – Jeremy Ebobisse (Josh Sargent) 64
USA – Brooks Lennon (Eryk Williamson) 65
USA – Justen Glad (Brooks Lennon) 76
USA – Auston Trusty (Sebastian Saucedo) 84
USA – Lagos Kunga (Luca de la Torre) 90+3
Lineups:
USA: 1-Jonathan Klinsmann; 3-Danny Acosta (2-Auston Trusty, 76), 5-Erik Palmer-Brown (capt.), 4-Tommy Redding, 6-Justen Glad; 20-Luca de la Torre, 8-Tyler Adams, 7-Eryk Williamson, 15-Jeremy Ebobisse (11-Sebastian Saucedo, 79); 19-Josh Sargent, 17-Brooks Lennon (13-Lagos Kunga, 79)
Subs not used: 9-Emmanuel Sabbi, 12-James Marcinkowski, 21-Brady Scott
Not available: 10-Gedion Zelalem, 14-Aaron Herrera, 16-Cameron Carter-Vickers, 18-Derrick Jones,
Head coach: Tab Ramos
NZL: 1-Michael Woud; 3-Sean Liddicoat, 5-Hunter Ashworth (18-Sapreet Singh, 65), 6-Joe Bell (16-Callum McCowatt, 82), 8-Moses Dyer (capt.), 9-Noah Billingsley (11-Henry Cameron, 53), 13-James McGarry, 14-Jack-Henry Sinclair, 15-Reese Cox, 17-Logan Rogerson, 19-Myer Bevan,
Subs not used: 2-Dane Ingham, 4-Luke Johnson, 7-Connor Probert, 12-Cameron Brown, 20-Lucas Imrie, 21-Conor Tracey
Not available: 10-Clayton Lewis
Head coach: Darren Bazeley
Stats Summary: USA / NZL
Shots: 19 / 6
Shots on Goal: 10 / 0
Saves: 0 / 4
Corner Kicks: 10 / 2
Fouls: 9 / 10
Offside: 0 / 3
Misconduct Summary:
NZL -Henry Cameron (caution) 80th minute
Officials:
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (QAT)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al Marri (QAT)
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh (QAT)
Fourth Official: Ryuji Sato (JPN)