United States Run Rampant in Concacaf Opener

The U.S. U-20 National Team launched their campaign with a stunning performance, showcasing the rapid rise of young talent. Peyton Miller, a standout, quickly made an impact on the first team, signaling a bright future. This momentum is echoed by a growing number of 2009-born players breaking into the professional scene through MLS NEXT Pro, underscoring a promising new era for American soccer.

Author

Lucas Aguirre
July 22, 2024

The United States Run Rampant in Their Concacaf Opener

The U.S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team dominated Jamaica with a 9-0 victory in their first Group A match at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

David Vazquez opened the scoring in the first minute and added a second goal two minutes later. Pedro Soma also scored twice, netting in the 16th and 20th minutes. Vazquez's first goal came from a cross by Ruben Ramos Jr., and his second followed a Jamaica turnover. Soma's goals were assisted by Vazquez on a corner kick and a header by Marcos Zambrano.

Cruz Medina scored the fifth goal before halftime, assisted by Vazquez. In the second half, Zavier Gozo assisted Zambrano for the sixth goal. Ramos Jr. scored the seventh after a defensive error by Jamaica. Gozo then set up Nimfasha Berchimas for the eighth goal, and Niko Tsakaris capped the scoring in stoppage time with a goal assisted by Berchimas.

Tonight, the U.S U-20 youth national team will face Cuba in the second matchday of Group A. Cuba managed to draw 1-1 in its first game against Costa Rica.

Peyton Miller Shines in his First MLS Start

“I thought I performed well,” Miller said after the game, seemingly unfazed by the gravity of his first start. “It was great to represent my family, friends, and my town, and the crest especially.”

The Connecticut native shared that he had known for a few days that Saturday’s game would be his first start, but said that he didn’t let himself take it for granted.

“I found out I was starting on Wednesday,” Miller said. “I mean, I was excited, but I knew that I had to do my job and that the team would need me.”

Peyton Miller had big plays on both sides of the ball Saturday night. He will rightly be remembered for providing the pinpoint cross for his team’s second-half goal, but about 10 minutes before the break there was a moment when he put on a full sprint just to win a ball in midfield near the touchline.

“I think when I play it’s more of, like, a life-and-death situation, where I have to get the ball, and if I don’t get the ball then they’re going to counter-attack. But I really get that braver that’s just how I grew up playing.”

His performance also stood out to head coach Caleb Porter, who made it clear he would have had Miller on the field much sooner had it been possible.

“I thought he was unbelievable,” Porter said. “Showed his quickness. Like I’ve been telling you guys, in preseason I told you, this kid is something else. Had him at the two and then he was injured all year. He’d probably have 10 games or more if he wasn’t injured … I think you could see he’s got a bright, bright future.”

Porter went on to explain how it wasn’t any one aspect of Miller’s game that made him so impressive, but how he had a command of so many different skillsets at his young age that stood out to him the most.

“He’s not just quick, but he’s a very good crosser,” Porter said. “You look at some of the crosses that he feathers in, it’s very educated. A lot of quality. And he’s brave. At one point he came over to me and he’s like, ‘These guys need to keep getting me the ball.’ That’s the mentality you want out of a kid. He’s brave and aggressive; he wants the ball and wants to win. Got in a lot of tackles, too, going against a very good player in [Paul] Arriola.”

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A 2009 Flying Under the Radar

The forward born in 2009, Mattheo Dimareli continues in brilliant form. This past Sunday, Dimareli managed to score his first professional goal in a 4-0 victory over North Texas SC. Mattheo Dimareli made his sixth consecutive start and had managed to give 2 assists this season so his numbers continue to grow.

The forward has been a fundamental piece of the United States U-15 national team playing 6 games and giving 2 assists against Croatia and Morocco. In turn, Dimareli is eligible to represent Mexico, Greece and Albania. With the latter, he participated last year in identification camps in the United States.

On the other hand, in the Houston Dynamo 2 vs North Texas SC game, the midfielder born in 2009, Christopher Cook, as well as the defender born in 2008, Zach Molomo, debuted. Both were with the team for the first time and managed to get their first minutes as professionals.