Jackson Yueill will face his biggest challenge yet with the U.S. Men’s National Team as they take on Costa Rica this Saturday in preparation to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Last year, Earthquakes head coach Matias Almeyda revitalized faith among the first team’s younger players, including UCLA draft pick Jackson Yueill. After playing nearly every Quakes game of the 2019 season, Yueill quickly became an essential piece of the roster. His technical abilities, ball control and strong adaptation to a difficult man-marking system did not only earn praise from Almeyda, but it also opened doors for him with the U.S. Men’s National Team under head coach Gregg Berhalter.
With six national team caps in 2019, the 22-year old Minnesotan has quickly become a mainstay in the U.S. MNT under Berhalter. Along with other young domestic prospects like Reggie Cannon and Miles Robinson, Berhalter continues to amplify a youth development project that will not only help Team USA qualify for major tournaments like the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but also strengthen that pipeline for the next generation of U.S. professional soccer.
"Players who have been mainstays for the U.S. National Team like Jackson Yueill and Reggie Cannon, we're going to want them to go through that qualifying process and help the team qualify”, Berhalter said during an interview with Sirius XM FC.
As the team prepares for Olympic qualifying, the Quakes midfielder looks to continue to support the team by controlling and leading in the midfield. Yueill continues to grow in stature and show promise during this new U.S. MNT generation.
“We want to qualify [for the Olympics]”, Yueill said in an interview with ussoccer.com. “I think each youth tournament and first team tournament is very important for the whole country. Being a part of the youth teams growing up was special, and I think putting our best foot forward and trying to qualify as best as we can is very important.”
USA vs. Costa Rica is scheduled to take place at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA this Saturday, Feb. 1, at 12:55 pm PT. The match will be televised on ESPNews, UniMás and TUDN.
