Getty Chelsea U18 captain Tino Anjorin.
The under-18 squads of Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC will meet in the FA Youth Cup semifinals on Friday at St. George’s Park.
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In the United States, the match (3:45 p.m. ET) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch the FA Youth Cup semis and final live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ has live coverage of the 2020 FA Youth Cup, as well as FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL, Bundesliga, Serie A, DFL Supercup, Bundesliga 2, MLS and other live sports. It also includes every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $5.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to about 31 percent savings:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Manchester United vs Chelsea U-18 live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Manchester United vs Chelsea FA Youth Cup Preview
Both clubs advanced to the semis in February before the coronavirus pandemic put the tournament on hold. Chelsea edged Millwall FC 1-0 and United dispatched Wigan Athletic FC 2-1.
“We’re all buzzing to be able to finish the competition,” Chelsea midfielder and captain Tino Anjorin said, according to the club’s official website. “We all understood why but we were devastated when we heard the game against Man United at Stamford Bridge wasn’t going ahead back in March.
“When we heard the news that we were going to play it, we all quickly regained focus because of all the hard work we did to get to where we are now. The fire in our stomachs to not only progress but to win this competition is back and we are ready for the game.”
Chelsea’s Armando Broja tallied in the 62nd minute against Millwall. The Albanian forward won’t be on the pitch against United, however, as he’s now on loan with Dutch side Vitesse.
Anjorin was one of six goal scorers in a 7-0 thrashing of Wolverhampton a round earlier.
“To reach a final takes serious dedication, motivation, team work and a good squad bond,” he said, per the club’s site. “It’s not just the starting 11 that have to do a job, it’s the club as a whole — coaching staff, players who don’t make the squad and substitutes. Everyone needs to come together and play their part against what is always a very strong Manchester United youth team.”
He added: “Reaching the final would mean everything. It’s been almost a year since we started this journey and all we’ve been thinking about is winning the Youth Cup so we will do whatever it takes to pass the test of United.”
United will also be without the player responsible for their second-half match-winner in the quarterfinals; Deji Sotona now plays for French side Nice.
Rosters will be limited to players eligible for the prior iteration of the competition. Should the match be tied at the end of regular time. The winner will play in the final on Monday.
“Only those boys registered to play with us last year are eligible to play,” United manager Neil Ryan said, according to the club’s website. “We’ve got a lot of new signings but, unfortunately, they can’t get a crack at the competition until December, when we start the tournament again.
“They’ll be a bit disappointed seeing the game and wishing they were part of it but that’s it, it’s the same for Chelsea so we regroup and go again. We’ll look at it like it’s a final really and go into that game focusing on that one game, there’s no extra-time as it’s just 90 minutes and then penalties.”