On Tuesday, Justen Glad celebrates his 20th birthday. However one day earlier, he celebrated making history.
Not since 1986 when names like Kasey Keller and Tony Meola graced the roster has the U.S. U-20 National Team scored a victory over Mexico. With a 1-0 triumph on Monday in the Classification Round of the tournament, Glad – along with RSL’s Sebastian Saucedo, Brooks Lennon and Danny Acosta and RSL Academy product Aaron Herrera – is on the cusp of clinching a berth in the FIFA U-20 World Cup starting in May in South Korea.
A first-half goal set the tone for the U.S. and Glad and crew were able to hold on with a professional performance in the second half to seal the victory, the third straight for the U.S. after starting with a 1-0 defeat against Panama.
“Especially after starting off the tournament kind of slow, we knew what we had to do. We had to leave it all on the field. We showed a lot of maturity,” Glad said on Monday night on ESPN 700’s On Frame. “We focused on our game and got the result. I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”
Glad has been a bright spot for the U.S. in the tournament, which will see the U.S. face El Salvador in the last match of the Classification Round on Friday with a berth in the World Cup and a potential spot in the tournament final on the line.
But he isn’t even alone among RSL players who have stood out in Costa Rica.
Lennon is second in the tournament with four goals after netting a hat trick in the second match against Haiti. He also assisted on Erik Palmer-Brown’s goal that clinched the win over Mexico on Monday. Saucedo had two goals in the final Group Stage match against St. Kitts & Nevis, including a lethal free kick goal. And Acosta has grown into the left back role in a short amount of time.
Playing in crucial games with longtime friends with whom he played at the RSL Academy in Arizona has been a great experience for Glad.
“Having Brooks, Danny and Bofo on the field at the same time – we’ve been playing with each other for a couple years now and that translates on the field. We know what we expect from the other person. The communication is there,” he said. “It’s awesome to be on the field with them at RSL and with the national team. It’s a huge honor.”
The U.S. will meet El Salvador at 5 p.m. Mountain Time.
