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U-20 MNT
U.S. Clinches Berth to the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup with
2-0 Victory Against El Salvador
U.S. Wins Group A, Will Play Second-Place Team from Group B
in CONCACAF Semifinals on Friday, March 13
U.S. Sets CONCACAF Record with 12th Qualification to FIFA
U-20 World Cup and Advances for the Seventh Straight Time
Perk Leads Defense to Third Straight Shutout, Finishes Group
Play Without Conceding a Goal
Related Articles
Post Game Quote Sheet: USA vs. El Salvador
BACOLET, Tobago (March 10, 2009) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s
National
Team secured a place at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a
2-0 win
against El Salvador on Tuesday evening in their final Group
A match of
the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Bacolet, Tobago. The 2009
FIFA U-20
World Cup will be held from Sept. 24-Oct.16 in Egypt.
The trip to Egypt marks the CONCACAF-record 12th appearance
for the
U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the seventh straight.
First-half goals from Brek Shea and Tony Taylor combined
with Brian
Perk’s third shutout in as many games provided the U.S. with
a 2-0-1
record in group play and the top spot in Group A. The U.S.
advances to
the semifinals where they will face the second-place
finisher from
Group B, which rounds out play on Wednesday night in
Trinidad. The
kickoff time for the semifinal will be determined after the
conclusion
of the Group B matches.
Honduras, who defeated Jamaica 4-0 in the other Group A game
of the
night, clinched second place in the group and also advanced
to the
World Cup. The other two CONCACAF berths will come from the
top two
finishers in Group B.
The U.S. finished the game with only nine players after Shea
received
his second yellow card in the 60th minute. Shea's first
yellow came in
the 26th minute after a foul on Diego Jose Chavarria. In the
60th
minute he was shown a second yellow when the referee judged
him to have
tripped up a Salvadorian player on a 50-50 ball. With only
nine players
against El Salvador’s full squad, the U.S. was able to hold
on for the
shutout victory. Jorge Flores was sent off in the 84th
minute on a
straight red card for a foul that occurred away from the
ball.
It was the first time that the U.S. defeated El Salvador in
the U-20
qualifying tournament outside of the United States. The U.S.
evened
their record against the Central American side all-time in
qualifying
at 3-3-1.
“Even though we only needed a tie tonight, we wanted to be
aggressive,”
said U.S.
Under-20 head coach Thomas Rongen. “We did a very good job
in
the first half of playing together and scoring the two
goals. We played
three tough games and put ourselves in a position to get to
Egypt,
which we did. We were able to determine our own fate in this
game and I
couldn’t be happier with this team as they showed a lot of
character
through some adversity tonight.”
The game started out at a high pace, with the teams
exchanging
possession in the early stages. El Salvador got the first
good chance
of the night in the 12th minute when Fabricio Alfaro
unleashed a
well-struck shot from long range that looked destined for
goal, but
Perk responded in time to make the lunging save.
From that point on, the U.S. took control of the game,
forcing several
corner kicks and winning dangerous free kicks in El
Salvador’s final
third, but it was a nice build-up in the run of play in the
30th minute
that gave them the lead. Brian Ownby, who provided tireless
effort down
the right wing all night, received a lofted pass from Dilly
Duka, cut
around his defender and struck a driven cross into the
penalty area.
Jared Jeffrey dummied the ball to force El Salvador
goalkeeper Diego
Cuellar to over-commit and leave his net wide open for Shea
to easily
place the pass inside the far post.
Taylor entered the game in the 20th minute, marking his
first
international appearance, an
d immediately created one of the numerous
dangerous chances he would have on the night, flicking a
header just
off target. Five minutes before halftime, Taylor had another
opportunity and this time he didn’t disappoint to give the
U.S. a 2-0
lead. Brian Ownby slipped a through ball behind El
Salvador’s back line
and into the box, providing the speedy Taylor time to take a
touch and
look up before slotting the ball inside the far post.
Ownby, who was named ussoccer.com Man of the Match,
continued his
spectacular play into the second half, creating two
opportunities early
on. In the 47th minute, Ownby pounced on a deflected ball
and ripped a
first-time shot that went just high of Cuellar’s net, and
three minutes
later smacked a hard shot that deflected off a defender and
nearly
snuck into the goal.
The two teams combined for 44 fouls during the game, but
after the U.S.
went down to 10 men in the 60th minute they were content to
possess the
ball and maintain the lead. With rough play continuing, the
U.S. went
down to nine men in the 84th minute and therefore played
with four
defenders, four midfielders and no forwards to close out the
game.
With 12 FIFA U-20 World Cup appearances, the U.S. has
qualified more
than any other CONCACAF nation, but has never won the
regional crown.
In 2005 and 2007, when CONCACAF qualifying was held as two
groups at
two separate venues, the U.S.
has won their group. In the previous
three editions in 1999, 2001 and 2003, the U.S. qualified
for the World
Cup as the second-place finisher in their respective group.
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