Sporting Kansas City defender Jaylin Lindsey and the United States U-20 Menās National Team completed their rampant sweep in Group A of the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship with a 7-0 win over Suriname on Friday at IMG Academy Stadium in Bradenton, Florida. Lindsey played the full 90 minutes as the USA finished atop Group A with 15 points from five games, outscoring opponents 39-2 in the process.
Led by head coach Tab Ramos, the U.S. U-20s will now advance to the Qualification Stage of the tournament, facing Group E winner Costa Rica and Group C winner Honduras on Nov. 16 and 19, respectively. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, with the first-place finisher advancing to the Concacaf U-20 Championship final on Nov. 21 in Bradenton.
Lindsey helped anchor a USA backline that allowed just three shots against Group A runners-up Suriname, none of which tested goalkeeper Brady Scott. On the attacking end, Alex Mendez, Mark McKenzie and Ayo Akinolaās brace gave the Americans a 4-0 halftime lead. Juan Pablo Torres, Justin Rennicks and Mendez found the back of the net over the final half-hour to round out the 7-0 victory in style.
With a perfect group stage in the books, the USA will meet Costa Rica next Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT and Honduras on Monday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. CT. Both matches at IMG Academy Stadium will stream live on Concacaf GO and be televised live in Spanish on Univision Deportes Network.
After starting in a 7-1 victory against Puerto Rico to open the tournament on Nov. 1, Lindsey returned to Sporting KC and was an unused substitute in last Sunday's 1-1 conference semifinal draw at Real Salt Lake. The 18-year-old Academy product then returned to the U.S. U-20s and logged 90 minutes in Wednesday's 6-0 win versus Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, having missed group stage wins over U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov 3 and Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 5.
