The U.S. Under-20 men's national team begins World Cup play today against Germany (10am, ESPN Classic) knowing that points are vital from this match in order to help qualifying out of a loaded group that includes Cameroon and South Korea.
The Americans will be looking to improve on a quarterfinal appearance for the 2007 U.S. Under-20 team, no small task with a European power like Germany as the first opponent. The Germans are without several key players who were unable to secure releases from their clubs to play in the tournament.
I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Commentary after the jump):
--------------------
FINAL- That's all for me today. Feel free to share your post-game thoughts in the comments section below.
--------------------
FINAL- Bright spots? Arguez coming in helped, and Tony Taylor drew some free kicks. Diskerud had some flashes while I thought Opara was probably the only defender who didn't look bad today. Jeffrey also had that nice shot off the crossbar, but not much else. Brek Shea was active throughout and has to stay in the lineup.
Changes? You would imagine we will see the likes of Peri Marosevic and Dilly Duka, with Arguez surely starting after his performance today.
--------------------
FINAL- The United States won't have much time to regroup. The next match is on Tuesday vs. Cameroon. Rongen should scrap this 4-3-3 fiasco and use the midfielders he has to try and control possession. Bryan Arguez did well as a sub and looks like he should stay in the lineup. Diskerud showed enough to deserve another shot.
--------------------
FINAL- Germany 3, USA 0. The Americans with a terrible game and the Germans with a disciplined and skillful effort. Not many bright spots for the USA and you have to wonder if a place in the second of this tournament is really a possibility.
--------------------
92nd minute- interesting to see the number of German players with foreign roots. The large Turkish population in Germany is well-represented.
--------------------
91st minute- The injury to Anthony Wallace befoe the tournament, and injury to Sheanon Williams before this match, and to Kyle Davies during the match didn't help matters today for the U.S. defense. Not why they lost, but winding up with Jorge Flores and Gerson Mayen as fullbacks probably wasn't in Rongen's plans.
--------------------
90th minute- The clock is ticking and there's little going on at this point. Three minutes of stoppage.
--------------------
88th minute- Shea tries one from distance, but it's well off.
--------------------
85th minute- If RSP could finish, this game would be even uglier (then again, if he could finish, maybe he wouldn't have been released by his club team).
--------------------
82nd minute- Agbossoumonde with a clumsy swipe of a challenge. The kid really doesn't look like a centerback sometimes.
--------------------
80th minute- Not sure why Diskerud came out of this match. Is it for fitness, or saving him for the second match? Considering the short turnaround time I suppose you can understand that, but there's still something disconcerting about Ownby still being on the field considering how bad he's looked today.
--------------------
79th minute- Mayen loses his mark, leading to another chance that goes wide. Mayen has struggled this half.
--------------------
78th minute- Dilly Duka is set to come in for Mikkel Diskerud. Let's see what the former Rutgers player can do.
Will Diskerud change his mind about playing for the USA after seeing this display (kidding).
--------------------
75th minute- That last goal began when Opara won a ball that went to Germany, and a quick sequence of passes led to a break. Agbossoumonde floated into no-man's land as he and Opara kept their attentions on RSP as Schaeffler raced in from the left flank. Mayen was also slow to get back on that break.
--------------------
73rd minute- Schaeffler streaks in from the opposite wing, beating Opara to the pass to make it 3-0.
--------------------
72nd minute- GOAl GERMANY!!! The counterattack strikes as Schaeffler scores on a German break. Germany 3, USA 0.
--------------------
71st minute- Flores with an over-cooked cross. Too many just bad crosses today for the Americans. Germany with a second sub.
--------------------
70th minute- Germany catches USA on the counter but can't put one on goal. USA got caught forward on a set piece. Lucky not to concede again.
--------------------
70th minute- Taylor draws another good free kick and it's wasted again by Jeffrey. Germans are on the back-foot right now as the U.S. team presses.
--------------------
68th minute- It needs to be said that the Kyle Davies injury was extremy unfortunate because it caused Rongen to use a sub on him that could have been used on another attacker. That said, I'm not sure why Rongen hasn't used his final sub yet.
--------------------
66th minute- Jeffrey OH SO CLOSE. Nice shot from distance, but misses off the bar.
--------------------
64th minute- Jeffrey sends it a few feet over the crossbar. Not a great chance on what was a great free kick position.
--------------------
63rd minute- USA free kick and Germany yellow. Taylor draws the free kick. Good chance here for the Americans.
--------------------
61st minute- Diskerud with a SHOT saved. Great sequence between Arquez and Diskerud, who gets into the area with a nice touch, but the German keepers gets out to block the shot.
--------------------
58th minute- Bad cross from Ownby. He just hasn't had a good game today and I'm pretty surprised to see him still on the field.
--------------------
56th minute- Brek Shea has been very active today, but can't make the final pass. A sub at forward might help the Americans today. Will we see Marosevic today?
--------------------
55th minute- Americans with some better spells, but they still can't string passes togeher.
--------------------
53rd minute- Corner doesn't lead to anything, Germans clear.
--------------------
53rd minute- Looks like Rongen has reminded his defenders to look to pass to midfield rather than booting it aimlessly forward. Arguez with plenty of looks early because of it.
Shea with a nice ball in to the area, forcing a corner.
--------------------
50th minute- Jungwirth is hurt after a tackle by Agbossoumonde, who came in with studs up. He did win the ball, but I'm not sure about that tackle under any circumstances, with both studs up.
--------------------
49th minute- Germans on the break but can't finish.
Arguez looks like he will be an impact sub, but can the defense hold up?
--------------------
48th minute- Arguez with a shot from distance that goes high. Nice look.
--------------------
46th minute- RSP forces a block from Gale.
Bryan Arguez is in for Dillon Powers. The only halftime sub.
--------------------
46th minute- And we're back.
--------------------
HALFTIME- Bright spots for the USA? Diskerud has looked good in flashes when he's on the ball, Opara has been tough, but is dealing with a handful in Sukuta-Pasu. He made a few plays where the call went against him that probably shouldn't have.
Can't say I've been a fan of the referee's decisions. The penalty was a penalty, but some other calls have been suspect. The ref isn't why Germany is winning, but I can't say he's had a good game.
--------------------
HALFTIME- The Germans have been the better side even without the goals, but the plays on the two goals were as much the USA's fault (poor tackle in the area and bad defending on a corner kick) as Germany's skill.
Can the Americans rebound? It will be tough to break down the Germans, but the USA needs to make some changes to find more of the ball for playmakers Diskerud and Shea.
--------------------
HALFTIME- Not sure why Dilly Duka didn't get the start today, but he could certainly be used in midfield. Peri Marosevic is another player who should be considered at halftime.
--------------------
HALFTIME- Germany 2, USA 0. A really bad first half for the Americans, who looked disorganized and lost. Germans were organized, efficient and converted a good second goal after a bad challenge gave them a penalty for the first.
Rongen needs to bring in some central midfield support ASAP.
--------------------
45th minute- Ownby with a bad pass. Awful half for him really.
Rongen needs to use his last two subs at halftime. No question really.
--------------------
44th minute- I can't say the Germans have impressed today as much as the Americans have looked completely disorganized.
Germans are now knocking it around as they sit on the lead and try to force the USA to do something.
--------------------
42nd minute- Diskerud looks like a good player, but this isn't a game he's going to be able to make much of an impact on. He needs a partner in central midfield who can win the ball.
--------------------
40th minute- Great tackle from Ike Opara to stop a German attack.
And Diskerud with a nice moment of possession on the ball. He looks good on the ball, but nobody is around him to pass to.
--------------------
39th minute- Sukuta-Pasu isn't winning many track meets. Looks a bit heavy, but definitely has good skill on the ball.
And yes, seriously, Mikkel Diskerud is on the field. It's not a rumor. I'll prove it (eventually).
--------------------
38th minute- The scary part is Germany doesn't even have its best players here. Yes, I know, USA doesn't have the likes of Altidore and Adu, but it's fair to say that a fully-loaded German U-20 team would be heavily favored vs. the USA.
--------------------
37th minute- Germany sends a shot high. The Americans look like a hot mess right now. Thomas Rongen's decision to go with a 4-3-3 is looking pretty awful right now.
--------------------
35th minute- It goes from bad to worse for the Americans, with Kyle Davies needing to come out of this match. Jorge Flores will be coming into the match.
--------------------
32nd minute- GOAL GERMANY!!!!! And it's an easy chance and a 2-0 lead for the Germans. Florian Jungwirth with the finish from 12 yards out.
--------------------
30th minute- GOAL GERMANY. Samy Aydelik converts it. Germany 1, USA 0.
The penalty looked like a dive (it's a penalty, but the attacker certainly went down easily), but Ownby's challenge was a terrible slide tackle in the area and you can't let the ref make the decision by making that challenge. Suppose it's a tackle you'd expect from a forward.
--------------------
29th minute- PENALTY!!! Brian Ownby with the penalty. Terrible challenge.
--------------------
28th minute- That looked like a clean tackle by Opara. RSP is getting the calls in this game.
--------------------
26th minute- Referee awards a WEAK dangerous free kick against Opara for Germany. Kick is left of the area. Germans send the kick in but the shot is wide and caught.
--------------------
26th minute- Still waiting to see Diskerud get involved.
--------------------
25th minute- Opara does well to head a long ball away. Germans regroup. And here comes the USA.
Americans have a sequence but Shea is ruled offside. Not sure about that call.
--------------------
22nd minute- We've got a long delay for a German player injury. The goalkeeper is hurt.
--------------------
20th minute- Taylor breaks in on goal but his cross rolls across the goal-mouth and finds nobody. Brek Shea with the nice pass for Taylor. Shea's been everywhere early on. Looks good.
--------------------
19th minute- USA starting to find more of the ball. Too many long balls from them early though.
--------------------
18th minute- How about Chivas USA defender Gerson Mayen going from not on the roster to starting? He's been tested early and holding up well.
--------------------
16th minute- USA finally strings some passes together but Brek Shea loses it out of bounds.
For those wondering, RSP is a Bayer Leverkusen player.
--------------------
14th minute- We might have to see a swap of something like Dilly Duka in for Ownby to swap into a 4-4-2 because if we don't Germany just might control this whole match.
--------------------
13th minute- Let's just call Sukuta-Pasu RSP.
This 4-3-3 for the USA has been dominated early on by Germany's 4-5-1. Too much in midfield for Germany.
--------------------
12th minute- Richard Sukuta-Pasu is German's lone forward and is proving to be a handful for Opara and Agboussomonde.
--------------------
8th minute- Okay, we've sorted out the USA lineup/roster.
Germany close again with Sukuta-Pasu as the US defense finds itself lucky early on.
--------------------
4th minute- Germany misses a chance by inches after some shaking USA defending.
--------------------
PRE-GAME- Here is the USA lineup (still need to confirm the formation):
-----------Dillon Powers-------Brek Shea--------Tony Taylor-----------------
-----Brian Ownby-------------Jared Jeffrey----------------Mikkel Diskerud
Kyle Davies------------Ike Opara----Agboussomonde----------Gerson Mayen
--------------------------Brian Perk---------------------------
--------------------
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer writer/columnist for FoxSoccer.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
Have a tip, story idea or suggestion? Send it to:
