Advertisement

U.S. falls to Venezuela, 2-1 in overtime, in Under-20 World Cup quarterfinal

US forward Jeremy Ebobisse (15) battles Venezuela's Nahuel Ferraresi and Ronald Hernandez for a header during their Under-20 World Cup quarterfinal on Sunday.
(Jung Yeon-Je / AFP / Getty Images)
Share

Just 52 seconds into the match, Jonathan Klinsmann dived to his left and used his fingertips to push Nahuel Ferraresi’s eight-yard header just outside a post. It was that type of day for the U.S. under-20 national team.

After having a first-half goal disallowed on video review because of an offside call and twice hitting the crossbar in the second half, Venezuela finally broke through in overtime.

Adalberto Penaranda scored in the 96th minute and Ferraresi in the 115th, giving Venezuela a 2-1 win over the United States on Sunday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, and a semifinal matchup against Uruguay at the Under-20 World Cup.

Advertisement

Jeremy Ebobisse, a French-born forward from Bethesda, Md., scored on a looping seven-yard header from Brooks Lennon’s free kick in the 117th minute, the first goal allowed by Venezuela in the tournament.

“It’s tough to swallow right now,” American captain Erik Palmer-Brown said.

In the stadium where the senior U.S. national team beat Mexico 2-0 in the second round of the 2002 World Cup, Venezuela outshot the Americans 26-7 and had a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. The U.S. did not mount many attacks until switching from a 4-5-1 formation to a 4-4-2 with about 10 minutes left in regulation. Klinsmann, the son of former U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, made six saves.

“Any time we put them under pressure, they seemed to always win that second ball, and it became very difficult for us to hold onto the ball,” U.S. coach Tab Ramos said. “And so they pretty much ran the game.”

The U.S. has not advanced past the quarterfinals since a fourth-place finish in 1989. Two years ago, Serbia beat the Americans on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals en route to the title.

“It’s an age group that has a lot of talent and a lot of players with tons of potential,” Ramos said. “We were I think for the first time at a World Cup competitive enough to think that we could win it.”

Advertisement
Advertisement