At the 24-minute mark, Poland was sitting pretty at 8-5 with an extra man on the floor... then they hit a rough patch with two quick penalties, allowing Sweden to flip the script and take a 9-11 lead...
By halftime, it was 11-10 in favor of the Swedes—I really think the Americans missed their best window to pull away during that first half...
The Canadians hold a slim one-point lead at the half—16 to 15... It’s been a real back-and-forth battle out there, scoring goal for goal, though both goalkeepers have looked a bit shaky so far. I'm expecting this one to stay tight right until the final whistle...
USA-Brazil 100-0—honestly, there isn't much left to say besides acknowledging our win was a massive shocker...
USA-Tunisia 80-20—the Tunisians haven't really shown much grit yet, so the Americans should probably wrap this one up in their favor..
Qatar-Austria 60-40—the Qatar team has been playing brilliantly so far; they're a very pleasant surprise... though the home-court advantage gives them the edge..
North Mexico-Canada 50-50—North Mexico has looked solid thus far, whereas more was expected from Canada—but if you ask me, this game is anyone's to win..
France-Argentina 100-0—Argentina is definitely the most enjoyable underdog of the tournament, but I suspect France might still be too big of an obstacle..
Sweden-Poland 80-20—the Poles have been decent enough up to this point, but nothing special—so I’m expecting Sweden to move on...
Denmark-Iceland 65-35—Denmark is the clear favorite here, but then again, anything can happen when you're facing Iceland in a single game...
German-Egypt 70-30—the Germans have played exceptionally well so far and ought to advance, even if Egypt isn't entirely without a fighting chance..
The final match just wrapped up in Budapest, where Germany managed to edge out Portugal with a 1-0 victory...
With this result, the teams headed to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand are set—joining the finalists, we also have Mexico, Austria, Ukraine, and Canada...
They were running with a skeletal lineup just three rounds ago... As for those betting odds, they don't necessarily mean a thing—you all know how the bookies operate, trying to bait people into taking certain sides... From what I’ve heard, they even pulled them from the books entirely over in some parts of the US...
Lorient—who have been struggling lately with four losses in their last six outings—are set to host the Parisians, who are currently playing in absolutely electric form with seven straight wins under their belt. Looking back at the last four matchups between these two sides, PSG has secured three victories and one draw—notably picking up two wins on the road—while earlier in the season, Paris walked away with a 40...