[DALLAS CUP] Rubio Rubin scored his second goal of the game on a rebound of his missed penalty kick in the second overtimeto give the U.S. U-20 national team a 3-2 win over Fluminense of Brazil and a berth in Sunday’s final of the Gordon Jago Super Group at the 35th annual Dr Pepper Dallas Cup. The game against RiverPlate at the Cotton Bowl will be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel at 7 p.m. ET.
The USA took a 2-0 lead with goals four minutes apart by Rubin (assisted by
Shortly after the intermission, 16-year-old Erik Palmer-Brown, who playsSporting Kansas City, was sent off for picking up his second yellow card. Forced to play the rest of the game with 10 men, the USA conceded the equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time.
The USA got a break, however, as Flu had a player of its own ejected for picking his second caution early in overtime. And after Real Salt Lake’s JordanAllen hit the post, the USA went back ahead on Rubin’s fourth goal of the tournament and second straight game-winner. A late stop by New York Red Bulls keeper Santiago Castano preserved the win.
If the U.S. U-20s beat River Plate, which they beat 3-2 in group play, they’ll become only the second American team in the 25 years ofthe Super Group to be crowned champion.
The USA was without its two most experienced pros for the semifinal match against Flu: Kellyn Acosta, who started for FC DallasSaturday night, and Paul Arriola, who flew to Cancun for Tijuana’s key Liga MX match against Atlante on Sunday.
U.S. U-20 starting XI — Castano; Moore, Miazga, Amick, Requejo, Palmer-Brown, Gooch, Gall, Rubin, Spencer, Pfeffer.
SUPER 17s. In thenew Super 17s, the final will be an all-Mexican affair after Monterrey and Club America beat Aalborg of Denmark and FC Golden State, respectively. In the U-17 final, two FC Dallas clubs willmeet: FC Dallas Premier vs. FC Dallas Youth Gold.
Fluminense was missing an entire U19 team. USA faced the U18 “B” team and I am wondering where are the game’s highlights.
The selection of the U-20 team leaves a lot to be desired, as surely these can’t be the “best” players available.
Paul Kennedy should have disclosed the info which Luis Kifutsal provided us with; we shouldn’t be ashamed to beat a Brazilian U-18 “B” team which decided to play in the Super U-20 group.
Ben Spencer would just be graduating from HS and was born in 1986- same for Rubio Rubin who came from WSM in Oregon-Many of the U-20 USA players are not 20 years old.