Cade Cowell is a star - and Diego Luna isn't far behind! Winners and losers following the USMNT's run to the U20 World Cup quarter-finals

In recent years, no MLS club has been better at developing, and selling, talent than the Philadelphia Union, and it seems their next crop should already have one eye fixed on Europe. Brandan Craig and Jack McGlynn were arguably the two best American players in the tournament, with both showing incredible poise on the ball throughout the U.S. run.

Craig, a central defender, was at his best in the middle of a back three. His passing ability and range were on full display in this tournament as the center-back kickstarted several big attacks while serving as the primary set-piece taker. He also was at the center of four consecutive clean sheets to start the tournament and certainly wasn't at fault for either goal conceded by the U.S. against Uruguay.

McGlynn, meanwhile, bossed the midfield. McGlynn's passing range is phenomenal and he links up play so well, serving as a key figure whenever on the field for the U.S. Anyone who watched McGlynn will have been left impressed by a player that is already mature enough to dictate a game with and without the ball.

With both Craig and McGlynn, there are concerns about athleticism, for sure, but the talent is certainly there for both to make the next step soon. Quinn Sullivan, meanwhile, didn't get as much run as his Union team-mates, but he also remains a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Look for European sides to really take an interest in Craig and McGlynn, though, as the two were standouts throughout the five-game run.

Varas had two aces in the hole heading out of the group stage in Rokas Pukstas and Kevin Paredes. The duo would miss the start of the tournament to fulfill club commitments in Europe before joining up for the knockout stages, giving the U.S. two major reinforcements with top-level experience. However, neither really ever got the chance to get going after arriving in camp.

The pair were limited to two substitute appearances each and, although Pukstas did get a goal in the 4-0 win over New Zealand, it never felt like they fully made an impact. The New Zealand game was already won by the time they came on for appearances that were surely meant to simply introduce them to the squad, and neither really made much of an impact in the Uruguay game, save for a goal-bound shot from Cade Cowell that Pukstas inadvertently blocked.

Fitness may have been, and probably was, a factor, but it just wasn't the impact that either would have hoped for after joining up.

He has his flaws, for sure, but those can be ironed out. The big takeaway from this tournament shouldn't be the things that Cowell can't do, but rather the ridiculous things that he can do when he has the ball at his feet.

Cowell was electric for most of the U.S. run, as his strength, speed and dribbling ability created chance after chance. He scored three goals to lead the U.S. team and was the only American with multiple goals in the five-game run.

The San Jose Earthquakes star was a total menace for opposing defenses, who could do little to handle him once he took off with the ball. It was Cowell's energy that helped create several key chances, even if many of those chances fell by the wayside.

Cowell's faults are known and his decision-making in the final third certainly needs work. There's still another big step for him to take there as he'll need to improve both his finishing and decision-making if he wants to reach the top level.

But, after this tournament, there will be a European team that will think they can get him there. Some club out there will look at the still-raw attacker and see a player they can teach to be a star.

This has nothing to do with what we saw on the field, as Yapi's hold-up play was good in his limited minutes. The reason the Colorado Rapids' striker is here is because those minutes were so limited.

After going through much of qualifying without a striker, the U.S. finally had a No.9 in Yapi. With Paxten Aaronson out, leaving that false nine role vacant, it seemed that Varas would go with a more traditional striker in Yapi, who could at least be a change-of-pace option off the bench.

He ended up starting just once while making two substitute appearances in the group stage. He did not make it off the bench in the knockout rounds, though, despite the fact that the U.S. were clearly chasing the game against Uruguay with their tournament lives at stake.

Varas preferred to use the likes of Cowell and Diego Luna as his key attackers, and understandably so. However, the fact that Yapi wasn't brought into that Uruguay game shows that the coaching staff didn't think he could add anything to the attack, despite being the only pure No.9 in the squad.

Maybe this team just wasn't built for a player with Yapi's skillset, but it would have been interesting to see how he'd fared with more minutes, especially in that last game.

Entering this tournament, Diego Luna had just 400 MLS minutes under his belt, among the lowest top-level senior experience in the squad. Given what we've seen, though, Luna is ready for the big time, be it at Real Salt Lake or elsewhere.

Luna was routinely the Americans' most creative outlet. He was absolutely dominant in the win over New Zealand, with two assists and a goal for himself coming as a result of his play on the counter. If the U.S. had a good attack in this tournament, Luna was likely involved at one point or another.

Luna is arguably the biggest winner from this tournament as the calls to play him in MLS will now grow louder and louder. RSL seemingly have a star on their hands, but now need to be smart enough to unleash him in both his good and bad moments.

Luna still has some improving to do. Uruguay showed how to keep him under control as they routinely surrounded him and kicked him as part of a game-plan that was centered around physicality. He'll learn from that, no doubt.

The young attacking midfielder is a player that all too often slips through the cracks because he doesn't necessarily possess an elite physical profile. But anyone who watched this tournament will know that Luna is a young baller, one that can make things happen.

Let's just hope he continues to get the chances to do so once he returns to his club.