With a 1-0 victory over Uruguay, the U.S. Under-19 Men’s Youth National Team concluded their South American camp. The clean sheet was earned by goalkeepers Julian Eyestone and Adam Beaudry, who combined for five saves. The Uruguayan defense gave up a long pass deep in the attacking zone, setting up the USA for the game’s lone goal in the 63rd minute.
Taking advantage of the situation, midfielder Niko Tsakiris dribbled down the left side of the box, dribbling past two defenders, and then dangerously centering passed to striker Keyrol Figueroa. Nicolás Ramos, a defender for Uruguay, tried to clear the pass but instead put it in his own goal.
In stoppage time, the USA had to repel a late Uruguayan attack. To close out the game, the hosts were awarded three consecutive corner kicks. An attempted header on the first went past the crossbar after deflecting off a U.S. defender.
Nicolás Burgio of Uruguay received a pinged ball near the right corner of the six-yard box on the second corner, but a diving Eyestone blocked his attemplt to go on frame. Paolo Calione of Uruguay headed the ball toward the ground on the third corner, but Eyestone stopped the shot to end the game.
In the first half, Beaudry made the finest save of the match. Renzo Machado of Uruguay got free from his man in the eighth minute, raced to the box, and crossed the ball to teammate Agustín Albarracín. To prevent the Uruguayan’s first attempt, Beaudry moved across his line and put himself in front of it.
The 42nd minute saw a near-golfing opportunity for the USA. With the ball near the top of the box, Marcos Zambrano spun, shot on frame, and forced the goalie to concede a rebound. Cruz Medina reached the ball and attempted a shot of his own, but it went just wide right.
This was the USA’s last training camp before the Concacaf Under-20 Championship in Guanajuato, Mexico, this summer. The tournament will qualify the team for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in 2025.
