If you have cable TV, satellite TV, a computer that doesn’t completely suck or indulgent friends with any of the above, you’ve got plenty of choices these days to fix your soccer-viewing jones.
A pitch (and a cheat sheet!) for the FIFA under-20 World Cup
But I’d like to make a little pitch for you to check out some of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which started on Friday and gains speed over the weekend.
The United States plays its opener on Saturday, facing a German team that should have been all that and a bag of chips, but one that’s been seriously weakened by a bunch of old guys who believe there can’t possibly be anything more important for an 18- or 19-year old than keeping a place on the bench for a Saturday domestic leaguer.
So, Thomas Rongen’s young Americans may have something to say in this tournament. Odds are long, but anything is possible.
Either way, the matches should have a good spirit. The under-20 brand isn’t as muted as we sometimes see in higher level tournaments. Players haven’t had caution beaten into their heads like so many soldiers about to go on leave in a port city. ("Remember, men, flies spread disease … so keep yours closed!")
So bold action is frequently preferred when the ball lands at young feet. Defenders and midfielders are willing to make that extra dash forward. Attackers aren’t as hesitant to improvise. Fear of failure won’t tamp down the enterprise.
Through much of the 1990s these were wildly wide open affairs, with goals per game averaging in the low 3s. The last one, held two years ago in Canada, wasn’t quite as wide open, averaging just 2.6 goals, which was down a little from 2.8 fours years back in the Netherlands (when the tournament was officially know as the FIFA World Youth Championships).
That’s still more than we saw in World Cup Germany 2006, where the final marker came in below 2.3 goals a match.
So, enjoy some attacking soccer. Click forth for a little cheat sheet to help along:
Where: Egypt
Teams involved: 24
Format: Just like a World Cup, group play is first, with six groups of four, then 16 teams moving into the knockout stage.
Saturday, vs.
ESPN Classic /ESPN360.com / Galavision tape delayed
Sept. 29 vs.
ESPN2 / Galavision tape delayed
Oct. 2 vs.
ESPN2 / Galavision tape delayed
Here is the U.S. roster, with names to watch in bold.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Central Florida;
DEFENDERS (5): Gale Agbossoumonde (
MIDFIELDERS (10): Bryan Arguez (Hertha Berlin, Miami), Danny Cruz (Houston Dynamo; Glendale, Ariz.), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek; Oslo, Norway), Dilly Duka (Rutgers; Montville, N.J.), Jorge Flores (Chivas USA; Anaheim, Calif.), Jared Jeffrey (Club Brugge; Richardson, Texas), Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA; Los Angeles), Brian Ownby (Virginia; Glen Allen, Va.), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas), Michael Stephens (UCLA; Naperville, Ill.)
FORWARDS (3): Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas;
Names you know who helped make their bones at the under-20 World Cup:
Diego Maradona, Dunga, Andreas Moller, Davor Suker, Rui Costa, Luis Figo, Dwight Yorke, Roberto Carlos, Thierry Henry, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Michael Owen, Petr Cech, Michael Essien, Lionel Messi.
10 more names to watch for at this year's event:
(Listed with country and club)
Lars Bender,
Richard Sukuta-Pasu,
James Holland,
Douglas Costa,
See More:
