Part of the rite of passage of being a football supporter is the realization that one never stops watching football. As one season ends, another begins. Thanks to billionaires who run the game and mother nature it is a sport that is always being played somewhere, with each match and tournament just as valuable as the last.
Nowhere is this more apparent than at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships, which begin on Friday in Jamaica. A tournament made up of the 10 best teams in North and Central America, it is a litmus for how the region is progressing internationally and a chance for players about to hit their prime to show scouts what they are truly made of.
There is also of course the prize at the end of the tournament. The top four teams in this tournament will go on to play at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. While teams like Costa Rica (fourth place, 2009,) Mexico (third place in 2011 and second place in 1997,) and the United States (fourth place, 1989) have all come close to winning, no CONCACAF team has ever won the top international youth tournament.
In a two-part series, Prost Amerika will take a look at each of the squad’s participating in this year’s tournament, the players to look out for, and how far each team might go.
As a reminder: the U-20 Championships are split into two groups with the top three teams moving on to the knock-round rounds. The winners of each group will earn an automatic spot to the U-20 World Cup and face each other for the final. Meanwhile, the four other squads will face each other for the remaining two spots.
The full schedule can be found on CONCACAF’s website. All matches can be found Fox Sports 2 or FoxSports2Go. If you really do not feel like paying for the subscription service, you can get a one week free trial.
Group A
Aruba
How they got here: Group B runners-up in CFU Qualification
Previous Best Finish: This is their first appearance.
Key Player: Goalkeeper Jean-Marc Antersjin (VV Haagalind- Golden Gloves winner at the CFU Championship)
Outlook:The tournament debutantes, Aruba qualified the hard way going through the preliminary round of the CFU Championship (beating the always difficult Grenada,) and then pulled off two victories against Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Dominican Republic (scoring two goals in the last seven minutes of the match) to qualify.
A team made up of mostly amateur players from Aruba and the Netherlands, this team will need to rely on their defending if they are to survive this tournament and gain a result. Goalkeeper Jean-Marc Antersjin had a superb performance at the CFU Championship and will essentially asked to do the same thing here.
For teams like Aruba not qualifying for the World Cup will not be the end of the world. With the CFU looking more towards developing one football league across the sub-region, this will be a tremendous opportunity for these players to show what they and the region are capable of.
Guatemala
How did they get here:Fourth Place in UNCAF Qualifying
Previous Best Finish: Runners-Up in 1962 and 1973
Key Players: Goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen (Municipal) and forward Mauro Portillo (Municipal).
Outlook: Guatemala squeaked past regional giants Costa Rica by winning 1-0 in the first match of UNCAF qualification. A country that always seems to be a difficult squad to play no matter who is playing, Guatemala will bring a very hard-nosed defensive style to Jamaica.
The question will be if they can score against tough clubs. While they were able to score seven goals against minnows like Belize and Nicaragua, they managed to score just twice against the top three teams during qualification (El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama). They will need forward Mauro Portillo, who scored four goals for them during qualification, and Pablo Aguilar, who just won the NCAA College Cup with the University of Virginia, to keep up with some of the more attack-minded teams.
Jamaica
How did they qualify? They are the host nation.
Previous Best Finish: Top four, 2001
Key Players: Forwards Michael Seaton (D.C. United) and Cardell Benbow (Waterhouse FC,).
Outlook: After a disastrous 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign, the Jamaican Football Association underwent a massive overhaul of their footballing structure and in their scouting. The FA at both youth and senior made a concerted effort to find and locate players who are eligible to play for Jamaica and to bring them into the national team structure early.
This is a raw, but talented group of players. Forwards Michael Seaton and Cardell Benbow are a very potent duo up front in Coach Theodore Whitemore’s 4-4-2. Seaton has been considered one of the top prospects for years in MLS and has already scored 2 goals for Jamaica’s senior national team.
Although this squad is very talented, their experience at the international level is lacking. Many of these players either come from high school or college in the United States or from high school in Jamaica. Their lack of experience will catch up to them against the likes of the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama.
Panama
How they got here: Finished in first place in Central American (UNCAF) Qualification
Previous Best Finish: Fourth Place in 2011
Key Players: Defenders Roberto Chen (Malaga) and Jairo Jimenez (Alianza,) and midfielder Julio Segundo (Viera).
Outlook: One of the favorites of the tournament, Panama is looking to make their second ever U-20 World Cup appearance. The Panamanian FA has put together a side that has both experience along the defensive line and young, exciting attacking options up front.
To come out on top in Group A, Panama will need another strong performance center-back combination Roberto Chen and Jairo Jimenez. Jimenez already has 12 caps with the senior squad and has extensive international experience, having previously played in the 2013 Gold Cup and the 2014 Copa Centro-americana.
The other player to keep an eye on is Segundo. While 18 goals was the highest in Central America during qualification, it was the tight, precision passing that helped Panama topple Costa Rica and Honduras.
Panama is entering into a golden age of football and this could be their coming out party.
Trinidad and Tobago
How did they qualify? Won Group A at the 2015 CFU Championship.
Previous Best Finish: Second Place, 1990
Key Players: Defender Brandon Creed (Temple University) and forward Kadeem Corbin (St. Ann’s Rangers- 2015 CFU Cup U-20 MVP).
Outlook: Much like with Jamaica, this is a team that has been put together after a string of heavy losses at the international level. What is interesting is that the Trinidadian Football Association, who used to look to the United Kingdom for many of their players, have opted for the United States college system to help strengthen their roster.
Much like the Soca Warriors of the past, this team relies heavily upon their pace and speed up front. Kadeem Corbin had a breakout CFU Championship, scoring 4 goals and winning the Golden Boot. Midfielder Duane Muckette (University of South Florida) will be tasked with providing service into Corbin.
This team might be the sleeper team of the tournament. With Corbin they have a solid attacking option that can pull a team together by himself. The question will be how they can handle if they go behind early, like they did against Suriname and Cuba at the CFU Championship. The competition here will not be as forgiving.
United States
How did they qualify? Received an automatic berth.
Previous best finish: Runners-up in 1980, 1982, 1986, 1992, 2009, and 2013.
Key Players: Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham,) defender/midfielderKellyn Acosta (F.C. Dallas,) and forwards Bradford Jamieson IV (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Romain Gall.
Outlook: Despite all of the progress that US Soccer has made in 20 years there is one particular area where USSF has still come up short: the youth teams. The fact that the United States has never won the CONCACAF U-20 Championships is a perfect example of where the federation has failed to develop top quality young players. US Soccer Technical Director Jurgen Klinsmann has made it abundantly clear that the U-20 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics are priorities for Men’s Soccer. Winning this tournament would be a start in the right direction,
If the United States is to undo history, it is critical that this team defends well. Although coach Tab Ramos’ side had an impressive 2014, going 9-2-2, they had to make last-minute comebacks in five of those matches.
Defender/midfielder Kellyn Acosta will be asked to lead a team of very young, promising but inexperienced defenders against attacking options that can use both speed and physical strength. Look for Matt Miazga to play a critical role in holding the back four together when Acosta makes runs up front.
Without standout Rubio Rubin (who was not allowed to leave Utrecht,) Bradford Jamieson and Romain Gall will be asked to shoulder the load up front. While Gall scored 3 goals last year with the U-20 side, Jamieson has yet to break through. Both players are thought of highly among US Soccer circles. But that means very little if they are unable to produce on the international level.
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