After a satisfying (and admittedly unexpected) demolition of Paraguay in the Round of 16, the United States under-17 national team is head to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. This is the sixth time in the program’s history that they’ve reached this stage of the competition. Only once (1999) has the team progressed past the final eight.
This stage has been a brick wall for the U.S. at both major youth World Cups. Since that 1999 appearance in the semifinals, the U-17’s and U-20’s have combined for six appearances in the quarterfinals, all of which have ended in elimination.