The U20 World Championships start soon, and the first set of brackets have just dropped! Team USA"s men's freestyle wrestlers take the mat in Amman, Jordan on Monday morning at 3:00AM ET.

The full schedule can be found here. Brackets, team scores and more can be found inside FloArena. 

Competing first are the following Americans: 

57 kg: Luke Lilledahl

Bracket rapid reaction: Luke has a neutral athlete originally from Russia, Pavlov (a federation that is banned from hosting events and earning team points but still can send athletes as neutral competitors). Not a lot of results for Pavlov, or Ozbek, Lilledahl's next opponent from Turkey if he wins. 

The quarters will likely have Harutyunyan from Armenia (unclear if he's related to two-time world bronze medalist Arsen but maybe!), a two-time Euro U23 medalist, and then either Iran or Azerbaijan in the semifinals. 

65 kg: Jesse Mendez

Bracket rapid reaction: Jesse is on his third age-level world team looking for his first podium placement. It's a tough first round matchup for the Indiana native as he drew two-time Euro U20 champ Zubal of Ukraine. A win there and he'll see 2023 Asian U23 runner-up Sakybaev of Kyrgyzstan. 

The quarters may be an easier match, with a possibility of seeing a wrestler from either Poland, Moldova, or Austria, countries that the USA usually fare well against. Then in the semis, a potential match against a mid-level power like Turkey, Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan. Eligh Rivera, a freshman at Princeton by way of Lake Highland Prep in Florida is also in that quad of the bracket. 

Opposite Mendez on the other side of the bracket are Iran, Japan, a neutral athlete from Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, all of whom are likely finalist contenders. 

70 kg: Meyer Shapiro

Bracket rapid reaction: Meyer's first opponent from Japan doesn't have any international credentials, but Japan has a deep talent pool and should never be overlooked at world championships. After that pigtail Shapiro could have a similarly uncredentialed but not-to-be-overlooked wrestler from Azerbaijan. 

Shapiro, a 2021 U17 world champ, would then likely see another 2021 U17 champ, Magomed Baitukaev, who won gold at 55kg competing for Russia. India or Uzbekistan will likely await the winner of that bout in the semifinals. Wrestlers from Iran and Georgia are on the other side of the bracket. 

79 kg: Matthew Singleton

Bracket rapid reaction: Singleton is making his first freestyle age-level world team but his second of any style, as he also made the 2021 U17 Greco squad. The Georgian native (state, not country!) drew Kyrgyzstan in round one, then a match with either Hungary or Venezuela. None of that group of age-level medals but they do all have age-level world championship experience. 

The potential quarterfinal opponent with the most impressive credentials is Armenia's Grigoryan, who is a U17 and U20 Euro bronze medalist.Sagar Jaglan of India will likely be in the semis, a rising star who placed 5th at the 2022 Senior Worlds and won the U23 Asian Championship this year. Iran, Georgia and a neutral athlete from Russia are all gold medal contenders on the other side of the bracket. 

97 kg: Camden McDanel

Bracket rapid reaction: 2023 Pan-Am champ McDanel has a very navigable path to the semifinals, with no opponent with much in the way of credentials in his quarter of the bracket. His semifinal opponent will be a wrestler from either Iran, Azaerbaijan, Armenia or Kazakhstan, however, so expect a dog fight to make the finals. 

That quintet will wrap up their tournament on Tuesday, the same day the rest of the men's freestyle team begins their quests for gold.

61 kg: Nic Bouzakis

Bracket rapid reaction: Bouzakis draws Egypt in a pigtail with a neutral athlete from Belarus waiting in the round of 16. The rest of his quarter of the bracket is Hungary, India and Moldova, which should favor Nic in his path to the semifinals. Japan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Turkey will likely vie for the other spot in the semis. 

Traditional powers Iran and Russia (wrestling as a neutral athlete) were drawn into the opposite side as Nic. This will be Bouzakis' second U20 time in a row, where he will look to improve on his seventh-place finish in 2022. 

74 kg: Mitchell Mesenbrink

Bracket rapid reaction: 2023 U20 Pan-Am champ and 2022 U20 runner-up at 70kg will start his gold-medal campaign with Moldova, followed by an Azerbaijani opponent waiting in the round of 16. Neither opponent has an extensive international track record. In the quarterfinals, Jaideep of India is the most likely opponent. Jaideep 2021 U17 world bronze medalist and a 2022 U20 Asian runner-up. 

With rivals Iran and a neutral athlete from Russia on the other side of the bracket, Mesenbrink will have an opportunity to score crucial team points for Team USA. 

86 kg: Bennett Berge

Bracket rapid reaction: The South Dakota State redshirt freshman will try and improve on his 2022 U20 silver medal performance in Jordan. Berge drew the top spot in the bracket and has a bye in the first round, awaiting the winner between Ukraine and Italy. Both potential opponents were in the 2023 U20 European Championship, with Ukraine earning a bronze and Italy finishing outside the top 10. 

A quartet of Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Taiwan are in the next quarter of the bracket. None can match the credentials of Berge or Ivan Chornohuz, the Ukranian Berge may see in the round of 16.

Looming large as the most credentialed potential opponent that could meet Berge in the semifinals is Rakhim Magamadov of France, who beat Berge in the finals of last year's U20 Worlds and has also racked up a U20 and U23 Euro title this year. 

Iran and a neutral athlete from Russia as well as other contenders were drawn in to the bottom half of the bracket opposite Berge. 

92 kg: Jack Darrah

Bracket rapid reaction: A 2023 U20 Pan-Am champ, Darrah is competing in his first world championship at any level. He'll have a Georgian (the country, not the state!) in the round of 16, followed by either Poland or Germany. Iran and a neutral athlete from Russia are on the opposite side of the bracket, so while there are no easy paths to a world medal, Darrah has the potential to score pivotal points for Team USA. 

125 kg: Christian Carroll

Bracket rapid reaction: Oklahoma State-bound Carroll has Poland in the round 16, with his quarterfinal opponent all but certain to be Masoumi of Iran. Son of Olympian and world medalist Fardin, Amir Masoumi already has a gold medal from the U17, U20, and U23 World Championships in his trophy case. 

If Carroll can defeat Masoumi, his semifinal and finals match should be comparatively easier. If Carroll should drop his match against the mountainous Iranian, he'll likely find himself competing for Bronze in the repechage.