USA Win FIFA U-20 World Cup Group F After 1-1 Draw with Saudi Arabia

The United States were held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia in their final match of the 2017 Under-20 World Cup group stages, but with Senegal also drawing against Ecuador, it was good enough for a Group F win for the team.

Brooks Lennon gave the Stars and Stripes the lead late in the first half, but a red card for Cameron Carter-Vickers meant the team was in for a tough second half. 

Abdulelah Al-Amri gave the Saudi team the equaliser with 15 minutes left to play, but they couldn't find a late winner. The result means the USA will play New Zealand in the next round.

Here's a look at the teams, via Scouted Football:

There was good news for the Stars and Stripes even before the match, as the result of the early fixtures meant the team would qualify for the next round, regardless of Sunday's outcome. America were still eager to beat Saudi Arabia and avoid a meeting with Mexico or Uruguay, however.

But Saudi Arabia made the much brighter start, and Sami Al Naji could have given his side an early lead, heading wide. Al Naji put in a huge shift, denying Tyler Adams and Derrick Jones any time on the ball in midfield and making things much easier for the Saudi defence.

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In-form Josh Sargent perhaps should have done better after a smart cross from Brooks Lennon, but the teenager failed to hit the target with his strike.

Saudi Arabia's physical approach to the midfield battle resulted in a booking for Jones midway through the first half, meaning he'll miss the first match of the knockout stages.

Chances were hard to come by, but Lennon was able to open the scoring shortly before half-time. As shared by the team's official Twitter account, the goal came after Luca de la Torre was denied in the buildup:

And there was more drama still to come before the break. Minutes before half-time, Carter-Vickers lost his mind completely, running into a second booking. Per Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now, it was very bad news for the team:

The Stars and Stripes brought on Justen Glad to start the second half and opted to sit deep and defend their lead. The tactic worked well, as the Saudis had no idea of how to break through the defence, with Erik Palmer-Brown putting in a tremendous shift.

The team still needed Jonathan Klinsmann at his best after 68 minutes, as the stopper made an excellent stop, but America's luck ran out with 15 minutes left to play. Al-Amri was given too much space on a corner, and he headed home the equaliser.

Saudi Arabia kept pushing, but Palmer-Brown earned special praise from Scouted Football for his fine performance:

Under his guidance, the Americans held on for the draw, and with Senegal and Ecuador failing to score in their match, it saw the Stars and Stripes finish at the top of Group F.