Varas ‘confident’ of his team

The 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off in Argentina later this month and United States Head Coach Mikey Varas has made the hard decisions – some by choice and some not – to put together a competitive squad that debuts May 20 against Ecuador in Group B.

It’s easy to forget what a gargantuan task it is to manage the USMNT and for the U-20 squad, that is doubly so. With one of the largest pools of talent in the globe, the U.S. presents the not-so-enviable task of having to whittle that down to a list of 21 players.

Adding to the difficulties? Convincing teams to release their young players for the tournament.

But Varas doubled down on his selection process speaking with reporters earlier this week, noting his confidence in the squad.

“We had ongoing discussions with every single club; there was a lot of dialogue back and forth,” said Varas. “We’re disappointed that some players weren’t released, but at the same time, our number one priority here is individual player development. So we’re also proud of the fact that these players have become so important during the cycle that they’re no longer viewed as releasable for this type of tournament.

“What I’m saying more than anything is we’re really confident in the guys we have on the roster, that they’re going to be able to come here, and if anybody doubts them at all, to embrace that underdog mentality.”

International Talent Comes Aboard

Varas and his staff will count on the talents of several Europe-based players, including keepers Gabriel Slonina (Chelsea) and Alexander Borto (Fulham), defenders Jonathan Gomez (Real Sociedad) and Justin Che (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), midfielder Rokas Pukštas (Hajduk Split), and forward Kevin Paredes (VfL Wolfsburg).

For the last two, Varas had to compromise with Pukštas joining after the Croatian Cup final on May 24 and Paredes after the Bundesliga season ends on the 27 – a vote of confidence on his reduced squad that they’ll make it past the group stage that concludes on the 26 with a match against Slovakia.

“They’ve both become important members there,” said Varas, “and so we were flexible in terms of making sure we had the best roster possible, and also giving them more opportunities.”

Club Decisions Open Doors

Going back to Varas’ understandable bout of frustration with clubs not…