The U.S. U-20 national team is now on to the knockout stage of the U-20 World Cup and for central defender Joshua Wynder, this is a huge opportunity.

One of the team’s leaders, he was on the 2023 U-20 World Cup team that advanced to the quarterfinals before being ousted by eventual champion Uruguay. 

At this year’s U-20 World Cup in Chile, the USA won its group thanks to two victories to open the tournament — 9-1 over New Caledonia and 3-0 over France. In the final group-stage game, however, the U.S. team rotated its squad heavily for its starting lineup and lost to South Africa 2-1.

In the past, some players have opted not to return to the U-20 team after playing one cycle, but Wynder felt he had unfinished business after the 2023 quarterfinal finish under Coach Mikey Varas.

Now Wynder and Co., are led by Coach Marko Mitrovic, who was previously Wynder’s coach with the U.S. U-19s.

“I had that bitter taste in my mouth from the last World Cup,” Wynder told Soccer America from Chile. “When Marko asked me to come, that was pretty much a no-brainer. I love this group of guys. I love Marko. He’s a great coach, so it’s just another great opportunity for me.”

The current U-20 cycle has been a good one for the U.S. team. Since Mitrovic took over, the team has posted two wins over France along with wins over Chile, South Korea, Mexico, Morocco and Colombia. But for this team to be remembered as one of the better U.S. U-20 teams, it must play well in the knockout stage. 

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