Soccer Buzz

We American soccer fans needed some good news after the loss to Paraguay in Copa America, and we got it when the U-20 squad beat Poland 6-1 in the U-20 World Cup Tuesday. After watching the United States Copa America squad squander chance after chance on Monday, it was incredibly satisfying to see the U-20s bury a half dozen.

It was a great result for the U-20 squad since barring a major disaster against Brazil, it clinches entry into the knockout stages. Also, it was a great rebound from the lackluster performance in their first game against Korea. The team seemed unprepared for the athletic, high pressure, high intensity game from South Korea. and they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw. Tuesday night, this team came to life after Poland scored in the fifth minute, the Americans came to life and dominated nearly every aspect of the match.

The biggest story was Freddy Adu’s hat trick as all three goals were top quality, especially his first goal. Adu has received attention worldwide as a bust. Yes, he received more than his fair share of hype since he was 13 years old, and he has yet to dominate the soccer world. He had mixed results at DC United, and he has been invisible at Real Salt Lake this season. Still, he just turned 18, and a performance like he had today shows that it is far too soon to write this kid off.

Danny Szetela is another young American that has yet to fully recognize his talents. Four years ago he appeared poised to become a dominant, marauding midfielder with his performances in the U-17 World Cup. We haven’t heard much from him since then. At the club level, he was forced to join Columbus when he entered MLS. He wanted to play for the Metrostars (who are now the New York Red Bulls) thanks to the convoluted MLS lottery system that is used to place young players that for one reason or another didn’t go through the draft (please don’t ask me how it works. I don’t think anybody knows). It seemed that he never wanted to be in Columbus, and he had the misfortune of having the incompetent Greg Andrulis as his manager for his first two years in the league. Still, he was expected to be a major contributor in the U-20 World Cup two years ago, but Benny Feilhaber took his spot in midfield.

On Tuesday, he had a terrific game, scoring two goals and playing very well with Michael Bradley in the center of midfield. He turned 20 last month, and like Adu, there is no reason to give up on him as he is still a very talented player.

U-20 World Cup, Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela