The U.S. U-20 men’s national team heads into Sunday’s clash with Morocco carrying a mix of confidence and pressure. The 3-0 win over Italy in the Round of 16 reinforced the strong run Marko Mitrovic’s squad is on, but it also brought back an old obstacle that’s become all too familiar. This is the fifth straight time the U.S. has reached this stage of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the previous four, they’ve never made it past.
United States in top form but facing a nagging barrier
Benjamin Cremaschi has stepped into the spotlight naturally. He scored twice against Italy, bringing his tournament total to five goals and taking the lead in the Golden Boot race. In the process, he surpassed some notable names from U.S. youth history and became the country’s top scorer in a single U-20 World Cup.
The attack has real depth, too. Sixteen goals in four matches, a record for the team, with ten different scorers. Nolan Norris and Niko Tsakris have two goals each, while seven other players have one. This team isn’t built around one player. That kind of balance is a big advantage in short, high-stakes tournaments.
But the shadow of the quarterfinals still looms large. Since 2015, the USMNT has exited at this exact stage, including a penalty shootout loss to Serbia, when Mitrovic, now head coach, was on the opposite sideline as an assistant. This time, he’s the one trying to rewrite the story that’s haunted the program for nearly a decade.
Morocco on the rise and playing with growing confidence
Morocco arrives in the quarters on an upward trajectory. The North African side beat Spain and Brazil in the group stage and looked solid again in the Round of 16, defeating South Korea 2-1. The team is organized, disciplined defensively, and dangerous in transition. Yasser Zabiri stands out, but what really makes the difference is the collective balance. This isn’t a squad relying on individual flashes. It’s smart, composed, and comfortable in big games.
Moroccan youth soccer has been steadily growing in recent years. The country has reached the decisive rounds of major tournaments more frequently, a reflection of investment in development centers and a stronger long-term project. The U-23 team won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, earning a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the U-17 side reached the quarterfinals at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia.
Their approach at this World Cup fits that trajectory perfectly: composed, confident, and unafraid to face more traditional powers head-on.