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U-20 World Cup

U.S. U-20 team looks to France after 9-1 romp over New Caledonia

ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about the U.S. U-20 team as it looks ahead to Thursday's game against France after winning the opener easily over New Caledonia 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 30, 2025
8:00 AM

THE UNITED STATES U-20 national team opened its 2025 U-20 World Cup campaign with a 9-1 win over New Caledonia on Monday night in Rancagua, Chile. Given the talent gap between the two teams, not much can be learned about the U.S. team other than a few broad observations, but the team met its post important objectives for the game.

 Most important, the U.S. team earned its three points, picked up a big goal differential boost, and avoided any injuries or red cards. That alone makes it a good night.

The only blemish was when goalkeeper Adam Beaudry made a pass directly to New Caledonia’s Antoine Simane in his own box to concede a goal. It was a bad mistake but it is likely to be harmless. Yes, goal differential matters in two ways – within your own group and ranking the third-place teams for advancement and seeding – but a +8 is still good. The U.S. team did not play down to the level of its opponent.

What was most important is that the U.S. team put this game out of reach early. Mismatches can be frustrating for the favorite if the underdog hangs around closely. That’s when players start forcing plays and losing focus.

But the U.S. team had three goals in the first seventh minute via Benja Cremaschi in the second and fourth minutes while Niko Tsakiris has one in the seventh. From there, New Caledonia became demoralized and no longer had any hope of a result. 

Cremaschi finished with three goals and two assists. Tsakiris and Frankie Westfield each had a goal and an assist. Nolan Norris had two goals while Taha Habroune and Cole Cambell had one a piece. Zavier Gozo had two assists while Brooklyn Raines, Matthew Corcoran both had one.

Here are some thoughts

 

Why it matters

 

When it comes to ranking Group E, France and South Africa will also beat New Caledonia. You never know how much but getting better than +8 will be possible, but hard. It’s tough to keep up that level of intensity the whole game and it typically takes a strong start. Should the U.S. team finish even on points with either France or South Africa, this result will likely help.

The real benefit of this result is that it reduces some of the stress over advancing. With four of the six third place teams advancing, goal differential is extremely likely to be the deciding factor. Typically, some third-place teams have four points but most have three points or fewer. When comparing the goal differential of third place teams, having a positive goal differential is typically good enough. None of the other groups have a team as easy to roll over as New Caledonia.  

Bottom line is that it is now very hard to see a situation where the U.S. team doesn’t advance out of the group stage.

 

Captain Cremaschi leads the way

 

Before the World Cup got underway, head coach Marko Mitrovic said that he didn’t want to announce his captain ahead of the tournament and instead it would be revealed when the lineup came out for the first game. But there were two options that were ahead of the pack – Benja Cremaschi and Josh Wynder. In the end, it was Cremaschi.

This tournament will be a big time for Cremaschi to step out from being the young kid on a team (whether it be Inter Miami, the Olympic team, or Parma) and now be a leader. From the early returns, it looks like he is ready.

Cremaschi scored the first two goals to put the game away early. He also looks like a player popular with his teammates and one which the team respects. He finished with a hat trick and two assists. Yes, the opponent wasn’t great but Cremaschi helped lead in other ways too, such as helping the team remain cool when the game got chippy, and keeping the team focused.

He looks like a player who can use this tournament to make big strides in his career. He also has a great chance of being the U.S. Olympic team captain in 2028.

 

Who else stood out

 

Aside from Cremaschi, there were other good performers.

Niko Tsakiris was smooth with his dribble and was always looking to connect with his teammates.

Zavier Gozo is one of the youngest players on the team, but he came into this tournament playing well for Real Salt Lake. He also looked sharp early when assisting on the first two goals and did not look nervous on this stage.

Frankie Westfield has also been one of the best U-20 players in MLS with the Philadelphia Union and he was impressive at right back – scoring and assisting. But he will be important as the tournament gets more difficult.

 

Beaudry’s error

 

New Caledonia’s goal came from an ugly error from U.S. goalkeeper Adam Beaudry, who became the starter when Diego Kochen was recalled by Barcelona on Saturday. If there was a time for him to make a mental mistake, this was it.

The question for Beadury will be how he responds. If the mistake doesn’t rattle him, it will be for the better. Maybe now he will be more careful in his own box. With the way the modern game is played, there are teams taking more chances with possessing the ball in their own box. It is risky.

But that means defenders and goalkeepers need to quickly get over mistakes, such as this. We will see what happens with Beaudry. A good model for him to follow would be Matt Freese who made a mistake like that with the USMNT at the Gold Cup and in the next game he was the hero in a shootout win.

 

France on deck

 

The U.S. U-20 team will take on France in the second game and the French team is coming off a 2-1 win over South Africa. Even if they didn’t get many top players released, France will be very difficult for the U.S. team. The teams played last November in Spain and the U.S. team won 2-1 with goals from Cole Campbell and Taha Habroune.

Mitrovic will likely start many of his same players. There could be some changes but expect Campbell, Cremaschi, Westfield, and Wynder to be back in the XI.

A few questions will be:

Who starts alongside Wynder in central defense? Mitrovic will likely have a more traditional lineup and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Noah Cobb play with Wynder.

Will Campbell get more in synch? In the first game, Cole Campbell was frustrated until he scored the team’s final goal. But he was forcing the issue for most of the game against New Caledonia. Campbell is one of the team’s best players, and he needs to be in form for the U.S. to be close to their best.

What is the midfield trio? Pedro Soma is another important player to watch in the more difficult games as he is the best defensive midfielder in the group. Soma played in the second half against New Caledonia, but he wasn’t needed. He will be needed against France and he should be rested.

After Soma, Cremaschi will also start as he is the captain, leader, and one of the top players. But then will Mitrovic go with a true No. 10 in Niko Tsakiris or will he opt for a more possession-based player in Brooklyn Raines? There are different ways he can approach this game.

The good news is that while New Caledonia did not serve as preparation for the tougher games ahead, it was still a positive result that helps alleviate some of the pressure on the U.S. team. It’s easier for a team to play tougher games once they know they’ve advanced.

France will be a huge test for the U.S. team, but the U.S. team can make things very difficult for France.

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