[FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL ESPOIRS] The U.S. under-20 men’s national team will face Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Korea and host France in the41st edition of the Festival International Espoirs in and around the city of Toulon May 28-June 8. The tournament will be preparation for the Under-20 World Cup that begins June 21 in Turkey.
The France-USA match on May 28 at Stade Léo-Lagrange in Toulon will be a warmup for their group match at the Under-20 World Cup. The USA will also face Spain and Ghana in Group A inTurkey.
U.S. U-20 coach Tab Ramos is fielding a 22-player roster for the U-21 event. His Toulon roster will be announced in the coming days.
“We’ll be playing against many competitive teams, most of which are going to the U-20 World Cup afterward,” Ramos said. “It’s a great opportunity to get some games under our belt, particularlyfor those who have not been playing as much. We will be giving all of the players a lot of time on the field against international competition.”
Group B includes Belgium, Brazil, Mexico,Nigeria and Portugal.
The group stage features four games, after which the group winners face each other in the championship match and the group runners-up meet in the third-place game.Both matches take place on June 8.
This USA last participated in the Toulon Tournament in 2008, sending its U-23 team to the event in the months preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games inBeijing.
USA Schedule (Group A)
May 28 France 1:30 p.m. Stade Léo-Lagrange, Toulon
June 1 DR Congo 9:30 a.m. Stade du Ray, Nice