Semifinals Preview

Games will be played at La Salle University’s McCarthy Stadium (1900 W. Olney Ave., 19141) on Sunday, September 29.

#6 Burkina Faso vs. #10 USA (5:30pm)

Burkina Faso is not done writing their Cinderella story. After upsetting the third seed Brazil, who only gave up one goal all tournament prior to their match-up, Burkina Faso is looking to take down the home country, USA. Since the season began, Burkina Faso has been showing that they can hang with any team in this tournament. If they can use their quickness, they should be able to get past the US defense and add another chapter onto their already exciting story.

As for USA, they will be looking to avenge their semifinals loss from last year and reach the finals for the first time in tournament history. USA is coming off of an impressive come-from-behind win against last year’s runner-up, Ivory Coast. After conceding two goals early in the first half, there was no looking back as USA scored three unanswered goals throughout the game to upset Ivory Coast. If USA is to win, they will have to play a defensive-minded game to stop the lightning speed of Burkina Faso and counter-attack when they get the chance.

#1 Liberia vs. #5 Sierra Leone (8pm)

Liberia is coming off a hard-fought win against a nine-man Ireland team this past weekend. Ireland had Liberia scrambling to figure out what was going on after they scored just three minutes into the game. But Liberia was able to use their two-man advantage to beat Ireland 2–1. They will be looking to get back to the championship game for a fourth straight year, but they face a fast Sierra Leone team.

Sierra Leone is looking to get back to the championship game for the first time since playing Liberia in 2017. They have a huge task in front of them, but if they use their speed and string some passes past the back line of Liberia, they could advance to another championship game appearance.