Matt Miazga and the United States U-20 national team took on Guatemala in the opening match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championships. Miazaga started at center back for Tab Ramos' squad and did well in the teams first match of tournament. He had an early ball control issue, but managed to regain the ball by using his size advantage. Midway through the first half, Miazaga suffered a cut above his eye after an inadvertent elbow. He would return a few minutes later with an awesome looking band-aid, not the usual head wrap. He was pretty quiet the rest of the game, exactly what you would expect from a defender.
The US as a whole played a good game, until very late. The US dominated the game in terms of pressure applied, they couldn't manage to score more than one goal on a Guatemala side that was willing to absorb the pressure. Late in the game, Guatemala had a corner kick, and while the defense was able to clear the ball, it wasn't very far as the second chance was nailed in from outside the box.
Next up for the US in the U-20 Championships is Panama on Sunday, January 11th. The match is at 5:30 pm.
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