The USA, which finished second in Group A after falling 3-0 to Ukraine, will face Colombia in the round of 16 of the U-20 World Cup on June 10 (3:30 am ET) in Wellington, New Zealand.
TheAmericans opened with wins over Myanmar (2-1) and New Zealand (4-0) before missing an opportunity to top their group with a tie or win over Ukraine. Group A winner Ukraine faces Senegal, whichfinished behind Portugal and Colombia in Group D.
U.S. coach Tab Ramos said the second-place finish does not put the USA at a disadvantage.
“No, notreally,” he said. “Look, you want to come in first place because it takesyour team’s good momentum into the second round. But at this point, any team we play is going to be a good team, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Colombia finished second inGroup C after a 3-1 loss to undefeated Portugal on Saturday. Los Cafeteros opened with a 1-0 win over Qatar and tied Senegal, 1-1.