Preview- US U20's vs Uruguay U20's

Well, we've moved into the knock-out rounds of the FIFA U20 World Cup. After an outstanding group stage performance, in which the US came out as the group winners in what was widely considered the group of death (while also outscoring everyone else in the competition with 9 goals), the US will now have the tricky test of facing Uruguay.

Uruguay advanced by being one of the 4 best third placed sides. They started off the tournament well gaining a 2-2 draw against one of the pre-tournament favorites, Spain. They then disposed of U20 World Cup newbies, Jordan, before unexpectedly falling to Zambia 2-0 in their final group game.

I only managed to watch their final group game against Zambia (along with several of my ecstatic Zambian teammates). The game left a lot to be desired (in fact I believe I fell asleep before the final whistle had blown), and obviously left Uruguay stunned. However, the US should hardly underestimate the South Americans. This tournament sounds eerily familiar to the 2005 World Cup, where the US, once again, advanced as group winners out of the group of death (Argentina, Germany, and Egypt) before falling to an Italian squad that had underperformed in the group stage.

The US cannot afford to make the same mistake twice, and I'm sure holdovers from that World Cup- Freddy Adu, Nate Sturgis, and Danny Szetela- have already warned their side against complacency. While in the match I saw, Uruguay should certainly not pose too much of a threat, they do have a few players that could turn the tide. Most notably is forward Edinson Cavani who plies his trade in the Serie A with Palermo. Cavani has scored twice in these championships, and the US will need to pay close attention to him.

Let us not also forget that the Uruguayans did manage to tie Spain 2-2, showing that they are no slouches when playing to their potential.

However, if Freddy Adu and Co. show up to play as they did against Poland and Brazil, I have to feel confident. The US must immediately be considered one of the heavy favorites to go all the way in this tournament after their impressive group display. They have played some sublime football, and with their high powered offense, and the beast that is known as Chris Seitz in the net, they may have what it takes to go all the way.

Prediction- 3-1 US