U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team Opens Concacaf U-20 Championship Play With 9-0 Win Over Jamaica

CELAYA, Mexico (July 19, 2024) -- The U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team was dominant in a 9-0 win over Jamaica in its first Group A match at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship. Midfielder David Vazquez opened the scoring almost immediately with a first-minute goal, then notched a brace two minutes later. Teammate Pedro Soma also scored a brace, netting his two goals in the 16th and 20th minutes.

The USA finished the first night of the tournament at the top of Group A. The U.S. takes on Cuba on Monday, July 22 (10:06 p.m. ET; FS2, TUDN and ViX).

The U.S. wasted no time getting on the board. A failed pass back attempt by the Jamaica defense led to a loose ball in the attacking area. Midfielder Ruben Ramos Jr. sprinted to the ball and dribbled into the box before sending in a cross. The pass found David Vazquez, who smacked home the match’s first goal and gave the USA a 1-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, another Jamaica turnover lead to a USA chance. It was Vazquez who took advantage, dribbling the ball to the top of the half circle of the 18-yard box before firing a long-range shot past the diving keeper in the third minute to double the advantage.

In the 16th minute, Vazquez added his first assist of the night on USA’s first corner kick of the match. His ball into the box found a jumping Pedro Soma, who redirected the corner into the back of the net to make it 3-0 USA.

Four minutes later, Soma had a brace of his own. In the 20th minute, defender Luca Bombino booted a cross into the penalty area. Forward Marcos Zambrano headed the ball back toward the top of the box to a waiting Soma who calmly slotted a shot inside the far left post to increase the lead to four goals.

USA would net once more in the first half. In the 39th minute, Cruz Medina dribbled the ball down the right flank of the field. He sent a ball out wide to Vazquez, who took the ball into the box before cutting inside and finding Medina, who found the back of the net and put the United States up 5-0 entering the interval.

The U.S. took little time getting the scoring going in the second half. Halftime sub Zavier Gozo got in behind the Jamaican defense, fighting off his defender and nearly falling over before sliding a pass to his left for Zambrano, who easily scored to make it 6-0.

In the 67th minute, it was Gozo leading an attack into the box again, leaving a cheeky backheel for teammate Taha Habroune who tried finding Zambrano with a pass to the far-right post. The ball was headed up and toward the top of the box by the Jamaica defense, but it fell to Ruben Ramos Jr, who buried his opportunity for the USA’s seventh strike of the night.

Gozo earned his second assist of the evening in the 76th minute when he got in behind the defense again, forcing the defense to commit to his attack and leading forward Nimfasha Berchimas wide open to his left. After Gozo slide his pass over, Berchimas easily converted.

Midfielder Niko Tsakaris capped off the evening’s scoring in stoppage time. Berchimas dribbled the ball down the left flank and into the box before finding Tskaris with a simple cross into the middle of the box. The U-20 veteran, easily beat the keeper to put an exclamation point on the 9-0 win.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

USA – David Vazquez (Ruben Ramos Jr.), 1st minute: Midfielder Ruben Ramos took advantage of a poor Jamaica pass deep in the attacking area and dribbled the ball down the left flank and into the box before sending a cross into the middle of the area. The ball passed the diving keeper to reach midfielder David Vazquez, who smacked his shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. USA 1, JAM 0

USA – David Vazquez, 3rd minute: David Vazquez intercepted a poor Jamaica pass in the midfield and then stormed up the field unimpeded. The midfielder reached the top of the half circle of the 18-yard box and fired home a shot to beat the diving Taywane Lynch to notch a brace. USA 2, JAM 0

USA – Pedro Soma (David Vazquez), 16th minute: On USA’s first corner of the evening, midfielder David Vazquez curled an out-swinging corner into the box and found the foot of midfielder Pedro Soma, who redirected the pass into the back of the net. USA 3, JAM 0

USA – Pedro Soma (Marcos Zambrano), 20th minute: Defender Luca Bambino dribbled the ball down the left side of the pitch before sending a long cross into the middle of the box. Midfielder Marcos Zambrano chests the ball down toward Soma. Soma takes the ball, makes a cut to his left, then fires a shot inside the far left post. USA 4, JAM 0

USA – Cruz Medina (David Vazquez), 39th minute: Midfilder Brooklyn Raines forced a turnover and fond Cruz Medina in USA’s defensive half. Medina dribbled the ball down the pitch, sending the ball wide to the right just as he reached the top of the 18-yard box, finding David Vazquez. Vazquez faked a shot then kept dribbling past his defender before passing the ball back to Medina, who spun around and fired a shot past the keeper. USA 5, JAM 0

USA – Marcos Zambrano (Zavier Gozo), 54th minute: Midfielder Pedro Soma sent a long diagonal bad to Midfielder Zavier Gozo, who got in behind his defender to receive the pass and take off running into the box. After nearly falling over, Gozo drew two defenders as he got into the box and slid a pass to his right to the open Marcos Zambrano, who calmly beat the diving keeper. USA 6, JAM 0

USA – Ruben Ramos, Jr, 67th minute: Midfielder Ruben Ramos Jr. slipped a penetrating ball toward the box for Zavier Gozo, who gets in between defenders with the ball before back heeling it to Taha Habroune. Habroune looked for Marcos Zambrano at the far right post, but the pass was headed into the air. It landed right in front of a charging Ramos Jr., who fires it into the net on the half volley. USA 7, JAM 0

USA – Nimfasha Berchimas (Zavier Gozo) 76th minute: Midfielder Taha Habroune made a hard charge toward the attacking area before sliding a pass to his right for Zavier Gozo who races toward the ball undefended. Before the Jamaican goalkeeper could come up to challenge Gozo, he slid a pass across the box to a wide open Nimfasha Berchimas, who scored easily on an empty net. USA 8, JAM 0

USA – Niko Tsakaris (Zavier Gozo) 90th+1 minute: Midfielder Ruben Ramos Jr. found Nimfasha Berchimas on a long pass across midfield. Berchimas dribbled the ball nearly 30 yards without a defender around him until he got into the box. At the last moment, he slid a centering pass to Nike Tsakaris, who easily converted his opportunity. USA 9, JAM 0

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• The USA is now 6-0-2 against Jamaica at the Concacaf U-20 Championship.
• The 9-0 win is USA’s largest margin of victory against Jamaica in the Concacaf U-20 Championship.
• USA has won a match 9-0 just one other time in its U-20 Concacaf Championship history, a 9-0 win over the Dominican Republic on September 26, 1976.
• David Vazquez and Pedro Soma became the first pair of USA teammates to each tally a brace in the same match since Alex Mendez and Ayo Akinola each scored a brace against Suriname on November 9, 2018.
• Niko Tsakaris tallied his fifth goal with the U20MYNT.
• Four different players tallied at least one goal and one assist: Ruben Ramos, Jr., David Vazquez, Marcos Zambrano, and Nimfasha Berchimas.
• Seven different players had a goal contribution in the match: Pedro Soma, Cruz Medina, Ruben Ramos, Jr., David Vazquez, Marcos Zambrano, Zavier Gozo, and Nimfasha Berchimas.

-U.S. UNDER-20 MEN’S YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team vs. Jamaica

Date: July 19, 2024

Competition: Concacaf U-20 Championship – Group Stage Match 1

Venue: Estadio Miguel Alemán Valdes; Celaya, Mexico

Attendance:

Kickoff: 8:06 p.m. local (10:06 p.m. ET)

Weather: 82 degrees, rainy

USA – David Vazquez (Ruben Ramos Jr.)1st minute

USA – David Vazquez 3rd minute

USA – Pedro Soma (David Vazquez)16th minute

USA – Pedro Soma (Marcos Zambrano)20st minute

USA – Cruz Medina (David Vazquez)39th minute

USA – Marcos Zambrano (Zavier Gozo)54th minute

USA – Ruben Ramos Jr. 67th minute

USA – Nimfasha Berchimas (Zavier Gozo)76th minute

USA – Niko Tsakiris (Nimfasha Berchimas)90th+1 minute

Lineups:

USA: 12-Adam Beaudry; 15-Luca Bombino, 3-Nolan Norris, 4-Noah Cobb, 2-Aiden Harangi; 8-Brooklyn Raines (63’, 14-Taha Habroune), 6-Pedro Soma (63’, 19-Sergio Oregel, Jr.), 13-Cruz Medina (63’, 10-Niko Tsakiris); 20-Ruben Ramos, Jr., 11-David Vasquez (45’, 18-Zavier Gozo), 9-Marcos Zambrano (72’, 7-Nimfasha Berchimas).

Substitutes Not Used: 1-Julian Eystone, 21-Duran Ferree, 5-Stuart Hawkins, 16-Ethan Kohler, 17-Keyrol Figueroa

Head Coach: Michael Nsien

JAM:13-Taywane Lynch; 2-Javin Williams, 3-Nahshon Bolt, 4-Romain Blake (55’, 17-Alexander Bicknell), 5-Adrian Reid (c); 6-Rashaun Small (27’, 10-Orane Watson), 8-Makai Bond Welch, 12-Shadeko Wizzard (38’, 19-Christopher Ainsworth); 14-Ashton Gordon (45’, 11-Nashordo Gibbs), 16-Brian Burkett (27’, 9-Fabian Reynolds), 20-Nyle Waugh

Substitutes Not Used: 1-Joshua Grant, 21-Alex James, 7-Dunsling Cohen, 15-Jloyd Smith, 18-Avery George,

Head Coach: Jerome Waite

Stats Summary: USA / JAM

Shots: 17 / 4

Shots on Goal: 10 / 3

Saves: 3 / 1

Corner Kicks: 3 / 0

Fouls: 13 / 8

Offside: 0 / 0

Misconduct Summary:

JAM – Nashorn Belt (caution)30th minute

JAM – Chris Ainsworth (caution)50thminute

JAM –Adain Reid (caution)53rd minute

USA – Cruz Medina (caution)62nd minute

JAM – Alexander Bicknell (caution)64th minute

Officials:

Referee: Adonis Carrasco (DOM)

Assistant Referee 1: Jonathan Gomez (MEX)

Assistant Referee 2: Roney Salinas (HON)

Fourth Official: Jefferson Escobar (HON)

VAR: Oscar Macias (MEX)

AVAR1: Steven Madrigal (CRC)