Different histories, same challenges for sides at CONCACAF U-17 Championship

April 20, 2009

TIJUANA, Mexico –The United States has a streak it would like to continue, Mexico has one it wants to improve upon – and Honduras wants to start a streak.

The CONCACAF Under-17 Championship starts Tuesday in Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente with a doubleheader featuring Honduras against Canada, and Caribbean champion Cuba facing the United States. It’s the beginning of a 12-day event that will decide the confederation’s four qualifiers for the U-17 World Cup October 24-November 15 in Nigeria, and for the first time since 1996, a regional champion.

“The first goal is to be a semifinalist,” U.S. coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “If you’re a semifinalist, you’re in the World Cup. After that, if you qualify, you want to win.

“You have to worry about qualifying first. You have good players, but they’re less mature. You go little-by-little, step-by-step. They’re young.”

The United States is the only country to have qualified for every U-17 World Cup since FIFA initiated the tournament in 1985, finishing as high as fourth in 1999.

Mexico enters unbeaten in its last 10 games in the tournament, although after winning the World Cup title in 2005, it failed to qualify two years ago. El Tri managed only two goals and three draws in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying in 2007, leaving it behind Haiti and Honduras.

And while Honduras is the only team to play in each of CONCACAF’s 13 previous final rounds of qualifying, last time out was the first time it made it to the World Cup.

While having qualified for every World Cup, the United States did not play in the 1985 CONCACAF championship, having won the inaugural title in 1983 and thus exempted from having to qualify for the World Cup two years later.

Besides Canada, Cuba, Honduras and the United States, host Mexico will be joined in Group B by Costa Rica, Guatemala and Trinidad.

That group will open on Wednesday, with Guatemala playing Costa Rica and Mexico facing Trinidad.

Costa Rica enters having qualified for four straight U-17 World Cups and six of the last seven, missing only in 1999. Only the United States has a better record within CONCACAF in that time period.

The United States will enter as a favorite of many, sporting a lineup with several players on the rosters of pro clubs and one striker, Joseph Gyau, with an international pedigree.

Gyau, who is lists his club as the amateur side FC Delco near Philadelphia, is the son of Philip Gyau, who played six times for the United States senior team and helped it qualify for the World Cup in 1990 for the first time in 40 years.

Mexico arrives with virtually an entirely professional side and Honduras, which won its three-team qualifying group in Central America without allowing a goal, will be led by Anthony Lozano of Olimpia, who played for his country at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Trinidad in March.

While Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica will arrive as the favorites of many, Cabrera says predicting the success of youth players is a risky endeavor.

“At this age, you cannot expect one player to step up” he said. “This is a difficult age. You have good players who sometimes have very good days, sometimes are OK, and sometimes they don’t look good at all.”

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