CONCACAF: 2013 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship

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The 2013 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship is an association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in February and March in 2013. The CONCACAF U-20 Championship will determine the four CONCACAF teams that participated at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Turkey.

The North American teams again qualified automatically for the finals. (US, MX, CA)
Central America received four berths (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua)
the Caribbean received five. (Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Curaçao)

The draw for the group stage was made on 21 November 2012

Group A: US, Costa Rica, Haiti
Group B: CA, Cuba, Nicaragua
Group C: Jamaica, Panama, Puerto, Rico
Group D: MX, El Salvador, Curaçao

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_CONCACAF_U-20_Championship

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Canada U-20 coach leery of qualifying foes Cuba, Nicaragua

PUEBLA, Mexico – There was a time where games against Cuba and Nicaragua would be a relatively easy ask for a Canadian soccer team.

But as both countries have made strides recently in terms of youth player development, Canada recognize that their CONCACAF Under-20 World Cup qualifying group will by no means be a cake-walk as Canada tries to get back to the U-20 World Cup for the first time since 2007.

Canadian U-20 head coach Nick Dasovic has spent significant time scouting his two opponents as part of his team’s preparations for the upcoming qualifying tournament that for Canada get underway on Monday vs. Cuba (9 pm ET, streamed live on sportsnet.ca in Canada).

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/17/canada-u-20-coach-leery-qualifying-foes-cuba-nicaragua


U-20 coach Ramos: US "can do some damage" in qualifying

PUEBLA, Mexico – The meticulous preparation for the US Under-20s – with all the camps, foreign tours and scrimmages that go with it – is over.

On Monday, it’s down to business when Tab Ramos’ side kicks off the U-20 CONCACAF Championship here against Haiti in the Estadio Olímpico (6:30 pm ET, Fox Soccer). The USA are one of 12 teams in the central Mexican city that are vying for one of the four semifinal spots that guarantee a spot at the main event in Turkey in June.

There is pressure to avoid early elimination after the recent flops by the US Olympic team and the last US Under-20 team, but Ramos is encouraged by his squad's preparation in the lead-up and he is taking the tournament one step at a time.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/17/u-20-coach-ramos-us-can-do-some-damage-qualifying

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Ugly But Effective
US U-20s manage to get desired result against game Haiti



Just about none of it happened as it’s been drawn up in practice, but the US still managed to take all three points from the first matchday of the CONCACAF US U-20 championship thanks to a 2-1 win over a very game Haitian side.

The Americans jumped out to a two-goal lead thanks to first-half strikes from Luis Gil and Daniel Cuevas, but spent the rest of their day chasing a Haiti team that had multiple chances to find the equalizer.


www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/18/u-20s-ugly-effective-us-hold-haiti-2-1-opener

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Early stumble
Canadians U-20s on wrong end of 2-1 loss to Cuba



Canada’s Under-20 national team took a very early stumble that could prove fatal on their march toward the U-20 World Cup in Turkey, coughing up a pair of second half goals en route to a shock 2-1 loss to Cuba on Monday in their opening match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Puebla, Mexico.

After a composed first-half display, Canada came unglued in the second period and were punished for their sins as Cuba’s Maykel Reyes showed his striker’s instincts. Substitute Stefan Vukovic answer back with a late goal for the Canadians, but it wasn’t enough to salvage a result.

www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2013/02/early-stumble

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U-20s: US top Costa Rica 1-0, secure first place in Group A


A 63rd minute header from LA Galaxy forward Jose Villarreal was enough to see the US U-20 national team to a 1-0 win over Costa Rica, allowing them to secure top spot in Group A of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

The US, without opening game hero Daniel Cuevas in the starting lineup and featuring a reworked defensive line including first-time starter Juan Pablo Ocegueda at left back, looked tenative in the opening stagees, matching the look of their Costa Rica counterparts, who lacked the incisiveness that gave the Americans so much trouble against Haiti

Both teams had free kick opportunities centrally just outside the opposition area, but neither was able to convert. Nor was either team able to create much penetration, largely relying on shots from distance, few of which hit the target.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/22/u-20s-us-top-costa-rica-1-0-secure-first-place-group

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U-20s: Canada top Nicaragua 5-1, will face US for WC spot


PUEBLA, Mexico – It’s going to be Canada against the United States for a spot in the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup after Canada soundly beat Nicaragua 5-1 in the decisive Group B finale of the CONCACAF U-20 Championships.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Caleb Clarke led the way with a pair of goals, with the Canadians also getting goals from Samuel Piette, Mauro Eustaquio and Ben McKendry.

The scoreline could've been much higher as Canada hit the crossbar twice in the first half and had spurned chance after chance in the second half as well.

The result saw Canada finish second in Group B behind Cuba, and they will face their regional foes on Tuesday night after the Americans beat Costa Rica 1-0 earlier Friday to finish atop Group A.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/22/u-20s-canada-top-nicaragua-5-1-will-face-us-wc-spot

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U-20s:
Villarreal's double leads US past Canada 4-2, to World Cup


The US Under-20 national team is heading to this summer's U-20 World Cup in Turkey after a 4-2 win over Canada in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship quarterfinals on Tuesday. It was a win made in MLS, as LA Galaxy forward Jose Villarreal bagged two goals, with Columbus Homegrown signing Wil Trapp and Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil adding a tally apiece as the US took full advantage of a sloppy Canadian defense

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/26/u-20s-villarreals-double-leads-us-past-canada-4-2-world-cup

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U-20s:
US top Cuba 2-0, await possible final date with Mexico


The US Under-20 national team is headed back to the final of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship for the second time in four years, and a titanic matchup with Mexico may be in the cards next.

Thanks to goals from Mario Rodriguez and Daniel Cuevas inside the first quarter-hour, the Americans easily dispatched Cuba 2-0 in Friday's semifinal in Puebla, Mexico, three days after securing a spot in this summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/03/01/u-20s-us-top-cuba-2-0-await-possible-final-date-mexico

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US Under-20s dealt killer U-20 World Cup draw alongside Spain, France



The US Under-20 national team is back in the FIFA U-20 World Cup after missing the 2011 edition, but they've got their work cut out for them if they want to stick around in Turkey this summer.

The draw for the group stage was conducted on Monday in Istanbul, and Tab Ramos' side has been drawn into a Group A that includes Spain, France and an African country to be determined following the conclusion of the African U-20 Championship. According to the official release from FIFA, the announcement of the teams in Group A "drew gasps from the neutrals in the audience."


The U-20 World Cup kicks off June 21 and runs through July 13.

Here is the complete draw:

GROUP A (Istanbul, Kayseri): France, CAF, USA, Spain.
GROUP B (Kayseri, Istanbul): Cuba, Korea Republic, CAF, Portugal
GROUP C (Trabzon, Rize, Gaziantep): Turkey, El Salvador, Colombia, Australia
GROUP D (Gaziantep, Trabzon): Mexico, Greece, Paraguay, CAF
GROUP E (Antalya, Bursa): Chile, CAF Champions, England, Iraq
GROUP F (Bursa, Antalya): OFC Champions, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Croatia


www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/03/25/us-under-20s-dealt-killer-u-20-world-cup-draw-alongside-spain-france