TORONTO (July 8, 2007) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will face Uruguay in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday, July 11 in Toronto. The match-up was determined Sunday evening after Congo defeated Canada, 2-0, in the final match of group play. The USA-Uruguay Round of 16 match will be televised live on ESPNU and Galavision on Wednesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, and fans follow the match via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
Uruguay, the third-place team from Group B, advanced to the knockout phase with a 1-1-1 record in group play. They were the only team to get a point from Spain as they tied the European champions, 2-2, in their opening match and then earned a 1-0 victory against Jordan in Burnaby. Uruguay lost their final match to Zambia, 2-0, but their four points was enough to solidify one of the four third-place spots in the second round
The U.S. advanced the second round by winning Group D with an undefeated 2-0-1 record that featured a win over Brazil on Friday, broadcast live on ESPN. Thomas Rongen’s squad opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw with South Korea before following it up with a 6-1 drubbing of Poland.
“We’re confident, and not intimidated, but they did show up against Spain and maybe that is a wake up call for our team to stay focused and sharp going into this game," said head coach Thomas Rongen. "They obviously present a strong challenge for us, but we’re going to do everything we can to prepare.”
The U.S. and Uruguay have met three times before at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, twice in group play and once in the Round of 16. Uruguay was the USA’s first-ever opponent in a U-20 World Cup as the two countries met in the opening match of Group A in the 1981 tournament in Brisbane, Australia, defeating the U.S. 3-0. Their second meeting was two years later in Guadalajara, Mexico, also in the opening match of group play, with Uruguay once again with the three points in a 3-2 victory. The two teams also met in 1997 in the Round of 16, with Uruguay moving on with a 3-0 victory.
The U.S. leads all teams in the tournament in scoring, with nine goals during group play, which is the most ever for the U.S. in group stages of the World Cup. Three players, Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore and Danny Szetela lead the team in scoring with three goals each.
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