USA beats Guatemala 3-1 in quarterfinals of Concacaf U-20 Championship

PUEBLA, Mexico – The U.S. Under-19 Men’s National Team responded to their first goal conceded of the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Men’s Championship with a resilient and crucial 3-1 victory in their quarterfinal match against Guatemala at Estadio Universitario BUAP. (HIGHLIGHTS)

With the win, the USA advances to the tournament semifinals and secures berths to the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan and the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

The U.S. weathered early pressure from gritty Guatemalan side that was able to breakthrough in the 36th minute. After a quick restart in the midfield, the Guatemalan attack played through the right side with forward Marvin Avila, who drove into the penalty box and blasted his shot hit off crossbar. The ball bounced perfectly to forward Oscar De Leon, who was able to head the ball into the goal.

After conceding its first goal of the tournament and playing through a frustrating first half, the USA equalized in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time. U.S. defender Brandon Dayes challenged a ball at midfield, fought a Guatemalan defender to the end line and eventually won a corner kick.

Midfielder Xanty Oyharçabal sent in the service for the final play of the first half and found defender Christopher Cupps, who was able to head the ball down in front of the goal. The ball found the feet of Dayes, who quickly hit a right-footed shot past the goalkeeper to make it 1-1 heading into halftime.

The goal helped turn the tide and the U.S. played the second half with urgency, generating a lot of pressure with shots on goal that hit the post and multiple other attempts that went just wide.

The go-ahead goal came in the 68th minute when forward Jaidyn Contreras was able to shake off his defender and toed the end line before sending an assist to forward Din Klapija for a perfectly placed right-footed shot and gave the Americans a 2-1 lead. Klapija is now tied with Ruben Ramos for most U.S. goals in the tournament with three.

The U.S. controlled the game for most of the second half and created a third goal in the 75th minute. Forward Ruben Ramos was able to thread a pass to Joshua Torquato as he ran up the left side and hit a perfectly timed left-footed shot to complete the comeback and give the U.S. the final 3-1 result.

The 2026 Concacaf Under-20 Championship serves as the qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2027 Pan American Games and the 2028 Summer Olympics. All four semifinalists will earn berths to the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup and Pan American Games, while the tournament champion will qualify for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Should the U.S. win the tournament, the Olympic berth will be awarded to the runner-up as the U.S. has already qualified as a host nation.

The U.S. will take on Costa Rica on August 7 at 5 p.m. ET at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Estadio Azteca is an historic venue and one the biggest stages for international soccer. The stadium has hosted matches in three Word Cups, including five matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Follow the team’s performance and watch broadcast in English on FOX Broadcast networks with select matches on the Concacaf YouTube channel.

-U.S. Under-19 Men’s National Team Match Report-

Match: United States U-19 Men’s National Team vs. Guatemala U-20 Men’s National Team
Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Competition: 2026 CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Championship – Group A
Venue: Estadio Universitario BUAP; Puebla, México
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Weather: 73 degrees, cloudy

Lineups:

USA: 1-Kayne Rizvanovich; 3-Joshua Torquato, 4-Chris Applewhite, 20-Christopher Cupps, 2-Brandon Dayes (14-Javaun Mussenden, 62); 6-Colin Guske, 18-Xantiago Oyharçabal (8-Alexander Shaw, 79); 7-Jaidyn Contreras, 15-Cooper Sanchez, 9-Din Klapija (16-Dylan Vanney, 85); 17-Rubén Ramos

Subs not used: 12-William Lodmell, 21-Lucas McPartlin, 5- Braden Dunham, 10-Santiago Morales, 13-Tristan Brown 19-Colton Swan

Head Coach: Gonzalo Segares

GUA: 1-Alvaro Medrano; 3-Brayan Guerra, 2-Jorge González, 16-Jeffrey Interiano, 14-Ricardo Márquez (4-Gary Perez, 66); 9-Oscar de León (11-Mayron Gonzalez, 71); 18-Julio Ramos (20-Patrick Arana, 85); 8-Omar Bolaños (15-Pablo Arias, 67); 13-Selvin Sagastume, 7-Yordi Aguilar (19-Justin Pacay, 85); 10-Marvin Ávila

Subs not used: 12-Rogelio Barrera, 21-Allan Fernandez, 5-Paolo Arreaga, 6-Steven Rivas

Head Coach: Sebastian Bini

Stats Summary: USA / GUA
Shots: 17 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3
Saves: 2/ 1
Corner Kicks: 4 / 0
Fouls: 13 / 14
Offside: 6 / 0

Officials:
Referee: Shavin Greene (GUY)
Assistant Referee 1: Brandon Cyrus (GUY)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Ojeda (NCA)
Fourth Official: Eric De La Cruz (CUB)