Sporting Kansas City's first-round draft pick Mikey Lopez came on a second-half substitute as the United States U-20 team picked up a 2-1 win over Haiti in the first match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Monday night.

The United States jumped out to an early lead with a Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake) penalty after 2 minutes. Santos Laguna attacker Daniel Cuevas notched the other. Haiti got on the board early in the second half to narrow the gap.

The U.S. spent much of the second half nursing its lead -- with Lopez earning marks for his defensive work.

The final game of the three-team group stage for the U.S. is on Friday against Costa Rica. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Some other links worth clicking:

• FC Kansas City drew 65 players to its first open tryouts over the weekend. Nine were invited back for its March Invitational Combine.

• Jos Gardner is getting a second chance with Sporting Kansas City.

• Orlando City -- Sporting KC's USL-Pro affiliate -- has a new Brazilian investor who could bring the team one step closer to reaching its Major League Soccer aspirations. Read all about the deal and the team's dream for a soccer-specific stadium from the Orlando Sentinel.