At each of the last three Under-20 World Cups, the U.S. has reached the quarter-final stage. And, at each of the last three U20 World Cups, the U.S. has stumbled at that same hurdle.
The U.S. U20 men's national team will hope things will be different this time around as they head to Argentina for this year's tournament with a squad loaded with experience. Several players already have USMNT camps to their name, while several others have emerged as big contributors for clubs all over the world.
Still, Mikey Varas' squad is far from full strength. Key players like Paxten Aaronson and Jalen Neal saw their potential participation blocked by their clubs, while several other stars won't be available for the start of the tournament. In fact, the U.S. will only have 15 outfield players for their first match against Ecuador, giving Varas some difficult decisions to make for what might be his side's toughest group test.
With that in mind, GOAL breaks down how the U.S. should line up in the first game of the U20 World Cup:
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