HexagonalBlog

Big Two in Final 16 of U-17s

The group phase of the U-17 World Cup is now over, and Mexico and the USA are the only two CONCACAF sides in the knockout stages.  USA defeated UAE 1-0 on Sunday to finish second in their group, while Mexico beat Japan 2-0 on Friday to finish second in Group B.  Now the Mexicans will face South Korea in their round of 16 match, and the Americans will play Italy.  The U-17 level is very unpredictable, but it looks like the USA are in the most difficult mini-bracket of the four. 

The other two representatives from CONCACAF finished bottom of their respective groups, but Honduras and Costa Rica will feel differently about the way they finished.  The Catrachos were competitive in their three matches, but ultimately fell short against more experienced competition.  The Ticos, after that draw with New Zealand, never recovered after that suspended match, losing by 4-1 margins to Turkey and Burkina Faso.  This particular U-17 generation had deficiencies all over the field in those two matches, which is a worrying sign for Costa Rican football after the fine tournament the U-20s had last month.

Honduras play well, still lose at U-17 Worlds

For the second game in a row, Honduras held their own at the U-17 World Championships in Nigeria.  Unfortunately, for the second time in a row they lost, this time to the host team by the minimum.  The match told the tale of a Honduran side that were organized in the back but couldn't generate sustained possession in their opponent's half.  In the second half they fell behind thanks to a superbly-taken goal by Abdul Ajasun, and never found a way back into the match.  So now Honduras will need a win against Germany in their final match to contend for one of the third-place berths.

The biggest result of the U-17s so far has been the victory by Mexico, 1-0 over Brazil.  It sounded like a tight and high-tempo match that produced a well-deserved winner.  Medio Tiempo said that Kristian Álvarez was the key player on the Mexican side and constantly tormented the Brazilian defense.  So now Mexico are back in contention to pass through to the knockout stages.

Today's Costa Rica-Turkey match was suspended at the 21st minute due to torrential rains.   FIFA announced that the match will be replayed tomorrow starting at minute 0.

An uneven start for CONCACAF at U-17 Worlds

The U-17 World Cup kicked off in Nigeria yesterday, and while three of the four CONCACAF sides gave creditable performances, only Costa Rica managed to win points.  (USA play tomorrow against Spain.)  Honduras ceded most of the possession to Argentina, but they came close to scoring when Néstor Martínez struck the bar and crossbar on a free kick.  Sergio Araújo scored on the hour mark to give the tournament favorite Argentines the 1-0 win.  Mexico had most of the possession in the first half, but Switzerland were much more efficient in front of goal and ran out 2-0 winners.  Costa Rica drew 1-1 with New Zealand and maintained their record of not losing their opener in the U-17 World Cup since 2001.  

The Americans and Spanish are seen as the favorites to progress from Group E, and the Spanish U-17 squad looks just as formidable as their senior counterparts.  The US under former Colombian World Cup player Wilmer Cabrera are playing a more attacking style than previous editions, and the important figures in the side are Jack McInerney up front (scorer of five goals in the qualifying tournament), Luis Gil and Will Packwood in the center, and Earl Edwards in goal.  The U-17 level is not always a reliable barometer of future success, but tomorrow's match will go a long way toward showing how much potential this US U-17 team has.

UPDATE: The USA lost 2-1 to Spain today.  Spain played almost the entire match with 10 men and fell behind to a well-taken goal by McInerney, but demonstrated what a well-organized and tactically aware team can do even with a numerical disadvantage.  The result's not too unexpected, but it's disappointing that the USA couldn't do more with an extra man.  USA will play Malawi next, who beat UAE 2-0.  Here's the report from ESPN, and from MARCA.