U-20 WC - America the slayer of FIFA vs Thenry's war-torn peeps - 2AM CST, FS1

Ives' projected lineup:

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Already qualified for the knockout rounds of the World Cup, the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team can lock up the top spot in Group A with simply a draw on Friday.

Head coach Tab Ramos has no intentions of changing the Americans’ aggressive approach from the last game, however.

The U.S. will wrap up group play on Friday (3 am ET, Fox Sports 1) when it squares off against Ukraine, and the match will put first place and the Americans’ undefeated record on the line. The U.S. enters the battle of the top two Group A teams fresh off a confidence-boosting rout of New Zealand, but the game at North Harbor Stadium will be the third that Ramos’ side has played in seven days.

While other coaches might be inclined to make a handful of changes given the short turnarounds, accumulated fatigue, and guaranteed place in the Round of 16, Ramos is looking to try and field as good of a team as possible. He wants to further develop chemistry amongst the starters, but knows it will be wise to rest players dealing with niggling strains and pains.

What that means in terms of a lineup is unclear. There is no word out of U.S. camp about any injuries other than Maki Tall’s, but still Ramos made it seem on Wednesday that some changes were in the offing.

Ramos could very well make more tweaks than indicated, but do not expect a reserve-filled lineup. The U.S. wants to continue to ride its wave of momentum by defeating Ukraine and winning Group A, and as such will likely rely on as many first-choice players as possible.

The one change to the starting eleven that could be in the cards is Tommy Thompson coming on for Bradford Jamieson. Jamieson has partnered well up top with Rubio Rubin in the absence of Maki Tall, but was the first American to exit the 4-0 victory against New Zealand as a substitute in the 62 minute. If Jamieson is dealing with a minor knock, sitting this one out and resting for the Round of 16 would be a good decision.

Thompson isn’t the same kind of player as Jameison, so the move would not be like-for-like if it did happen. That said, Ramos has shown confidence in Thompson’s ability to make an impact by inserting the San Jose Earthquakes winger in both World Cup games so far.

With Ramos wanting his players to establish more cohesiveness before the games get tougher, the midfield diamond will probably stay the same. Emerson Hyndman and Gedion Zelalem showed a good understanding between one another against the Kiwis, and Ramos will want them to continue to build on that chemistry against a Ukraine team that is seen as the Americans’ stiffest test in the group.

Paul Arriola served as a real bright spot for the U.S. on the right side of the midfield in his first start of the tournament, and he should again get the nod if he’s 100 percent healthy. His aggressive mindset, dribbling runs, shots from distance all helped the U.S. set the tone against New Zealand. His defensive work was also a plus, and that might be needed against a Ukraine team that will probably attempt to play more than the defensive-minded New Zealand and Myanmar did.

Defensive midfield is a position that Ramos might be tempted to tinker with. While Marky Delgado had a much better showing against New Zealand than he had vs. Myanmar, he still struggled at times to cover space and provide the type of bite that was needed in the second Group A game.

Still, the only real option to fill in for Delgado would be Kellyn Acosta and moving the FC Dallas youngster into the No. 6 role would leave a hole at left back that John Requejo would have to fill. That might be one too many moving parts for Ramos, and he might just prefer to keep the entire midfield from the last match in tact.

At the back, Matt Miazga is a concern due to the yellow card he is sitting on. Ramos, however, has labeled Miazga as the leader and organizer of the back line, and might not want to take the New York Red Bulls centerback out of the equation.

If Ramos thinks it is better to not risk Miazga, Erik Palmer-Brown will probably get the start ahead of Conor Donovan due to the impression the Sporting Kansas City centerback made on Ramos while playing next to Carter-Vickers in the April camp.

Acosta and Desevio Payne should be back at the left back and right back spots, respectively, after looking good against New Zealand. Requejo could potentially start on the left, but only if Acosta moves into the midfield. At goalkeeper, incumbent Zack Steffen is once again the easy choice.

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For fun, I looked up our (projected) starting lineup ratings on FIFA

Rubin: 65
Thompson: 66
Hyndman: 63
Zelalem: 63
Arriola: 63
Delgado: 61
Miazga: 64
Acosta: 61
Payne: 59

Neither Steffen nor CCV are in the game at this point.