Six days ago, we were in full-scale meltdown mode over the U.S. under-20 national team. A 1-0 defeat to 10-man Panama and an early deficit against Haiti put the Americans on a path for humiliation at the CONCACAF championship in Costa Rica and a conspicuous absence from the U-20 World Cup in South Korea.
Tab Ramos’s squad reversed course, however, scoring eight consecutive goals in trouncing Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis for a spot in the classification stage (which is being used instead of standard knockout rounds). Then on Monday, the Americans defeated Mexico, 1-0, on Erik Palmer-Brown’s first-half header to send them to the brink of a World Cup berth.