Four teams competed at the 2018 U.S. Soccer U-20 Men's Invitational over the past week, including the U.S. U-20s, U.S. U-19s and U-20 squads from both Jamaica and Venezuela. The competition was held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Despite being the youngest team in the tournament, the U.S. U-19s rose to the top after finishing with an undefeated 2-0-1 record and +4 goal-differential. The squad tied Venezuela 2-2 in the competition-opener before back-to-back victories over the elder Americans (1-0) and Jamaica (4-1).
Quakes Academy product Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus served as a team captain for the U-19s, starting and playing 90 minutes in each of the three round-robin matches. Foe Nuphaus currently competes for Cal and has emerged as a regular starter for the Golden Bears despite being a true freshman.
The U-19s would have won all three contests if not for a 93rd-minute equalizing penalty kick by Venezuela. Other top prospects on the squad include Atlanta United FC midfielder Chris Goslin and LA Galaxy Academy forward Ulysses Llanez, who scored a team-high two goals.
