The United States have booked one of the region’s four spots at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, courtesy of a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in Tuesday night’s quarterfinal matchup at the Concacaf U-20 Championship.
The result was powered by a brace from Philadelphia Union homegrown attacker Paxten Aaronson, one of 17 MLS players on the 20-man roster, giving him four goals and one assist during the tournament. Aaronson scored early in each half, banging home left-footed shots in the 5th and 49th minutes.
The US have now qualified for five straight U-20 World Cups and will face Honduras, the tournament’s host, on July 1 (9 pm ET | FS1, TUDN) in the semifinals for a berth in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The region's two finalists at the Concacaf U-20 Championship reach the quadrennial games.
Before defeating Los Ticos, the US topped Group E and defeated Nicaragua 5-0 in the Round of 16. Their roster is paced by four Union homegrown players, including Aaronson and leading scorer Quinn Sullivan (five goals, three assists).
Aaronson, 18, is the younger brother of US men's national team attacker Brenden Aaronson, who completed a transfer from Austria's Red Bull Salzburg to English Premier League side Leeds United in late May. A highly-rated prospect in his own right, Paxten has three goals in 23 regular-season appearances (776 minutes) for Philadelphia.
The US entered this year’s Concacaf U-20 Championship as back-to-back winners. They’re the only nation to reach the quarterfinals of the last three FIFA U-20 World Cups.
