The United States made a deep run into the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, but that came to a halt in the quarterfinals – their fifth tournament in a row reaching that round – as Morocco won 3-1 on Sunday. Despite Cole Campbell’s first-half equalizer, Morocco advanced to the semifinals with a second-half own goal from Joshua Wynder and a late counterattack strike.
Morocco opened the scoring at the match in Rancagua, Chile through Fouad Zahouani, who found the net to give the North African side an advantage after a tense opening 30 minutes. The U.S. responded just before the halftime when Campbell equalized from the spot.
That came after a lengthy review for a foul, and Ali Maamar was yellow-carded. Campbell’s timely goal briefly shifted momentum toward the American side after weathering Morocco’s early pressure.
The decisive moment came after halftime when Yassir Zabiri’s shot ricocheted off American defender Wynder into his own net, 20 minutes into the second half. The deflection restored Morocco’s lead and forced the U.S. to chase in the second half.
The own goal proved difficult to overcome, even as the U.S. proceeded to dominate proceedings. They threw wave after wave against the Moroccan defense. The U.S. did have their chances, with their best opportunity falling to Luke Brennan, although he pushed his effort well wide.
As the U.S. committed numbers forward in search of the equalizer, Morocco exploited the space behind the defense. In the 87th minute, Gessime Yassine delivered the final blow on a counterattack, scoring Morocco’s third goal.
The late goal came as the U.S. had pushed additional players into attacking positions, leaving them vulnerable to Morocco’s quick transition play and a quick long-ball down field.
With the victory, Morocco moves on to the semifinal round, while the United States exits at the quarterfinal stage for the fifth tournament in a row. The African side play in the semifinals on Wednesday.
