St. Kitts and Nevis goalie Xander Parke held on for a while. He dove to his left to stifle a shot, jumped to his right to deflect a strike. As the first half of the US U20 YNT’s Concacaf championship opener chugged along, though, the goalie eventually faltered. It was a penalty that broke the deadlock, a well-taken one from Cade Cowell.

The goals kept coming. The U-20s bagged six in 30 minutes, enough for a 6-0 half time advantage. And they didn’t let up, either. Four further goals handed the US a 10-0 win in its tournament opener — a perfect start to a long-awaited Concacaf championship defense.

After over three years without a competitive match, the US showed little signs of a side that lacked bite. Despite some difficulties in the first 15 minutes, a first half offensive outburst gave way to a composed second half. Senior nationals Cowell and Caden Clark were among the goals early, while Niko Tsakiris scored two in his debut and Paxten Aaronson bagged a brace off the bench.

By the final whistle, the US had tallied 32 shots, of which 15 were on target. It had enjoyed 82 percent position and completed 90 percent of its passes. Here was a dominant side fulfilling expectations and sending a message to open a major tournament.

But the US still had to work for its win. It was far from easy in the opening stages. Passing lanes were narrowed, shooting chances cut off. And when looks were offered, Parke equaled every stabbed shot.

But he could do little about the US’ opener. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot. Cowell’s shot was a smooth one, tucked cooly into the bottom left corner. The second also came from the spot, with another long review required to confirm a handball inside the box. This time Clark stepped up to convert — good for a 2-0 lead after 35 minutes.

Then, the cracks began to show. It started with a third for the USMNT, Tyler Wolff capitalizing off a miscommunication inside the box, and slotting home from close range. It continued with two further goals. Rokas Putskas provided the first, knocking in a clam header off a corner. Mauricio Cuevas was next, cutting onto his left foot from the right side and lashing a shot into the bottom corner.

A third penalty of the afternoon — this time from Tsakiris — made it 6-0 at half time, putting the game well beyond reach.

The second period brought even more offense. An own goal off a whipped Cowell corner within 45 seconds made it 7-0. And the attack only developed from there. After an hour, US coach Mikey Varas brought on the dangerous Aaronson — who made an impact immediately. The Union academy product scored twice off the bench, the first a driven shot with his left, the second a strike with his right. Tsakiris capped the day off, and added another on the stroke of the 80th minute to make it 10-0.

There were a few more chances. A free kick was lashed wide. A driven shot was deflected onto the post. A header was smothered. Still, the win was sealed, the job was done, a message sent.

Here was a game the US was expected to dominate. And it did just that.

Lineup: 

Juan Carrera, Mauricio Cuevas, Noha Allen, Marcus Ferkranus, Cade Cowell, Caden Clark, Jalen Neal, Tyler Wolff, Niko Tsakiris, Alejandro Alvarado Jr., Rokas Pukstas 

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