TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (June 22, 2022) – The U.S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team beat Cuba 3-0 to clinch the top spot in Group E at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship. A hat trick from forward Quinn Sullivan led the USA’s dominant attacking performance as a fast start set the U.S. up for a convincing victory.
After clinching its spot in the Round of 16 with a draw against Canada, the USA will now face Nicaragua on Saturday, June 25 (8:30 p.m. ET; ViX and Concacaf App, Facebook & YouTube) to kick off the knockout stage. Nicaragua earned a berth directly to the knockout stage through a pre-qualifying tournament.
|
|
W |
L |
D |
GD |
Pts. |
|
USA* |
2 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
7 |
|
Cuba* |
2 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
|
Canada* |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
St. Kitts and Nevis |
0 |
3 |
0 |
-20 |
0 |
*Advanced to Round of 16
The USA wasted no time as it opened the scoring just two minutes into the match. Winger Caden Clark found the end of a through ball on the left flank and whipped a driven cross into the box, which Sullivan finished on his first touch to net his first goal of the tournament.
Just six minutes later, a brilliant run of passing play ended with midfielder Alejandro Alvarado Jr. laying off a one-touch pass into the box for Sullivan, who buried a powerful strike to double the lead. The Philadelphia Union forward rounded out his hat trick in the 43rd after Paxten Aaronson found him on the run with a long ball over the back line. Sullivan brought it down, dribbled up to the box and finished with a precise low shot to beat the goalkeeper.
Despite not finding the back of the net in the second half, the USA put on a stellar attacking performance as the team’s build-up play continued to create quality chances. The USA outshot Cuba 9-6 on the night, posting five shots on target while limiting the opposition to two. The U.S. controlled the overall tempo of the game, h olding 73 percent of possession while spending much of the night in Cuban territory.
Match: United States Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team vs. Cuba
Date: June 22, 2022
Competition: 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship
Venue: Estadio Nacional; Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Attendance: 160
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. local
Weather: 70 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 3 0 3
CUB 0 0 0
USA - Quinn Sullivan (Caden Clark) 2nd minute
USA - Quinn Sullivan (Alejandro Alvarado Jr.) 8
USA - Quinn Sullivan (Paxten Aaronson) 43
Lineups:
USA: 1-Chris Brady; 2-Mauricio Cuevas (Capt.), 14-Jalen Neal, 5-Brandan Craig, 3-Noah Allen; 20-Rokas Pukstas, 17-Niko Tsakiris, 19-Alejandro Alvarado Jr.; 7-Quinn Sullivan, 10-Paxten Aaronson, 11-Caden Clark
Substitutes Not Used: 12-Antonio Carrera, 4-Marcus Ferkranus, 6-Daniel Edelman
Head Coach: Mikey Varas
CUB: 1-Ismel Morgado (12-Alejandro Fernandez, 63), 3-Roberto Valdez, 4-Mario Peñalver, 6-Yorlan Duboy (2-Greibel Palma, 46), 8-Luis Ciudad (7-Jose Paradela, 46), 9-Kevin Quiñones, 13-Ronald Sanchez, 14-Ronaldo Noda, 15-Rey Angel (16-Kevin Fernandez, 46), 18-Aldair Alvares, 20-Romario Torrez (Capt.) (19-Osniel Trutiet, 67)
Substitutes Not Used: 5-Eduardo Hernandez , 10-Dairon Reyes , 11-Alejandro Delgado , 17-Kevin Martin
Head Coach: Yuneilys Castillo
Stats Summary: USA / CUB
Shots: 9 / 6
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 2 / 2
Fouls: 17 / 6
Offside: 3 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
CUB - Roberto Valdez (Caution) 13th minute
USA - Jack McGlynn (Caution) 75
USA - Tyler Wolff (Caution) 81
USA - Cade Cowell (Caution) 84
Officials:
Referee: Selvin Brown (HON)
First Assistant Referee: Shirley Perello (HON)
Second Assistant Referee: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)
VAR: Katia Garcia (MEX)
Assistant VAR: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)