FRISCO, Texas – Like so many times before, FC Dallas Home Grown defender Moises Hernandez took to the pitch Thursday for a match at Pizza Hut Park, but in this game Hernandez was not holding down the left back position in an FC Dallas uniform. He was wearing the uniform of the U.S. Under-20 National Team as they faced the FC Dallas reserves before leaving for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala.
“It was something different, playing against my club,” said Hernandez. “It was funny, but I just thank God that I’ve made it to the National Team.”
WATCH: Hernandez on playing for the visiting team at Pizza Hut Park
Fellow Home Grown player Jonathan Top agreed that facing off against Hernandez in a game wasn’t something he was used to.
“We don’t get to do that every day, except for practice,” said Top. “It was fun, I liked playing against him and wish good luck to him in qualifying.”
WATCH: Top talks about facing Hernandez
The qualifying Top spoke of will take place next week, as teams competing in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship will be playing not just to win the regional tournament, but to earn a spot in this summer’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia. To prepare for the tournament, the U.S. U-20 squad has spent the last week training at TCU, culminating in Thursday night’s scrimmage against the FC Dallas reserves.
READ: Match Recap – U.S. U-20s 3, FCD reserves 0
“We’re leaving tomorrow for Guatemala, so we’re very happy with the game and very happy with the outcome obviously,” said U.S. U-20 head coach Thomas Rongen. “I’m fairly pleased with the performance, but I still think we can play better. Overall, it’s been a good seven days for us with a good ending against a great opponent.”
Rongen also made mention of Hernandez's contributions from the back of the field against the FC Dallas reserve squad.
“Where he has really made some great strides is that his passing out of that position really moves the game forward,” said Rongen. “He gave us a lot on that left side, and you have to give him a lot of credit because our attacks go through him a lot of times.”
PHOTOS: FCD reserves vs. U.S. U-20s
The U.S. U-20 National Team was drawn into Group B of the CONCACAF tournament and will compete in their first match on Tuesday, March 29 against Suriname. They will then face Panama on April 2.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, with the four quarterfinal winners earning a ticket to the U-20 World Cup, set to take place this summer from July 29-August 20.
Hernandez represents country versus club
