The Union’s Frankie Westfield was one of the U.S.’ breakout players at the FIFA under-20 World Cup

As the United States made its fourth straight run to a men’s under-20 World Cup quarterfinal, many eyes were drawn to the Union’s Frankie Westfield.

Though he had no doubt earned his roster spot with good play for club and country, the Northeast Philadelphia native wasn’t expected to be one of the Americans’ main stars of the tournament.

But just as he has blown past expectations for the Union this year, he stepped up big for the U.S. on the world stage. He played every minute of his four games at right back — apart from the group stage finale — and helped deliver impressive wins over France in the group and Italy in the round of 16.

The tournament remains underway in Chile, with the final set for Sunday between Morocco and Argentina. Morocco knocked the U.S. out in the quarters, a year after the Atlas Lions beat the U.S. in the under-23 age group at the Olympics. (Spare a thought for U.S. coach Marko Mitrović, who oversaw both teams.)

It frustrated U.S. fans to see the team fall in the quarters for the fifth straight time. But there’s no shame in losing to a team that goes on to make the final — especially one that beat Spain and Brazil in the group stage, and France in the semis.

“Beating France and Italy was big for us, especially sending a statement on what we want[ed] to do in the World Cup,” Westfield said. “I think the France game. we showed that we’re ready to play and not mess around, as well as with the Italy game. … Morocco was a good side on the day and a good side overall, and I just think for us not to win, it just happens that way — sometimes the bear eats you, sometimes you eat the bear, and [we] just got a little unlucky.”

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He didn’t to watch the Union’s Supporters’ Shield-clinching win over New York City FC on Oct. 8 live, but he did later, and he sent well-wishes to his teammates back home before and afterward.

Now Westfield is back for Saturday’s regular-season finale at Charlotte FC (6 p.m., Apple TV), a game that fotrunately doesn’t mean anything in the standings, but still means plenty in players’ minds. The FIFA window for senior national teams interrupted their usual rhythm, and the unwieldy best-of-three playoff first round will do so again.

“For now, it’s just about winning, and I think playing in the World Cup and in the knockout rounds, with that experience [of] just needing to win those games, has helped me change mentalities,” Westfield said. “And now these games just matter. Even in Charlotte, we want to win, we want to end the season on a high note, and go in the playoffs on a high note.”

The rest of the Eastern Conference standings will be settled at the same time, as is MLS’s well-liked tradition. Nashville, Orlando, Chicago, and Columbus will settle the order of the bottom four places in the playoff bracket. The last two finishers will land in Wednesday’s 8-vs.-9-seed wild card round game, and the winner of that will face the Union in the first full round.

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We might know the schedule for the Union’s first home game on Sunday, but the rest of the first-round calendar could have to wait until after the wild card round.

At least we know for sure that the Union will have home-field advantage for as long as they’re alive in the playoffs, all the way through the MLS Cup final if they make it there. Any game they’d play against the superstar trinity of Miami’s Lionel Messi, Los Angeles FC’s Son Heung-Min, and Vancouver’s Thomas Müller – if not quite holy, certainly sanctified by the league’s marketing department – would be in Chester.

Westfield is ready to embrace the opportunity, and the pressure.

“I think definitely, for sure, we can go all the way,” he said. “That’s what we believe, that’s what we want to do. And if we don’t believe that we can, then what are we doing here?”