Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 Menās National Team finished atop Group F of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Daejeon, Korea Republic.
Brooks Lennon fired the U.S. ahead in the 40th minute before Saudi Arabia drew level in the 74th minute, producing a result that vaulted both teams into the knockout stages of the competition.
Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20 MNT will now turn their attention to Thursdayās Round of 16 clash against New Zealand at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, set for 6 a.m. CT on FS1 and Telemundo.
Sporting the captainās armband for the third straight match, Palmer-Brown anchored a backline that defended a man down for the entire second half after fellow center back Cameron Carter-Vickers was ejected for his second yellow card in the 45th minute. The red card came five minutes after Lennon tapped home a rebound from Luca de la Torreās blocked effort to give the Americans a 1-0 advantage.
Saudi Arabia equalized on 74 minutes behind Abdulelah Al-Amriās header off a corner kick, ensuring a draw that catapulted the Green Falcons into the Round of 16 alongside the U.S. and Senegal in Group F.
2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup - Final Group F Table
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>Pts</strong> |
<strong>W</strong> |
<strong>L</strong> |
<strong>T</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
United States |
5 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
+1 |
Senegal |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
+1 |
Saudi Arabia |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
-1 |
Ecuador |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
-1 |
The U.S. will now enter the knockout rounds with hopes of eclipsing their 2015 quarterfinal finish, when they lost to eventual champions Serbia in a penalty kick shootout following a scoreless draw.
Thursdayās opponent New Zealand progressed to the Round of 16 with four points in Group E, drawing Vietnam 0-0 and defeating Honduras 3-1 before taking a 2-0 loss to group winners France on Sunday. The U.S. notably defeated the Kiwis by a 4-0 scoreline in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup group stage. The victor will then advance to face the winner of Venezuela-Japan next Sunday, June 4, in the South Korean city of Jeonju.
Palmer-Brown has played every minute of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup thus far and figures to start again against the Kiwis, quite possibly alongside Real Salt Lake center back Justen Glad, who entered Sundayās game at the start of the second half after Carter-Vickers received his marching orders and a subsequent one-game suspension.
