Author’s Note: This is the second part of our two-part series previewing the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Want to read about Group A? Well, then left-click on this fancy link and take a look!
Author’s Note #2: To check out the full schedule for Group B, check out the CONCACAF website. As a reminder, all of the games will be featured on the Fox Sports 2 Go website with select matches (including the playoffs and championship) being shown Fox Sports 1 and 2.
No more notes. Enjoy the preview!
Group B
Canada
How they got here: Automatic Berth
Previous Best Finish: Won the tournament in 1986 and 1996
Key Players:Defender Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps,) midfielders Manny Aparicio (Toronto FC,) Jerermy Gagnon-Lapare (Montreal Impact,) and Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers,) and forwards Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC) and Cyle Larin (Generation Adidas).
Outlook: Perhaps the most intriguing side in this year’s tournament, Canada is having a revival in international football. Although this team is not expected to win the World Cup anytime soon, the impact of having three MLS sides and two NASL teams has clearly improved Canadian football. Where once Canadian football teams were lined with unattached players, this team is littered with promising young players from multiple youth academies.
Watching this team at the Marbella tournament in Spain in November, the two players that stood out the most were Petrasso and Hamilton. Petrasso, Canada’s U-20 Player of the Year in 2014, helped set up two of Hamilton’s three goals in the tournament. While on loan with Notts County this season Petrasso has shown some ability to move up into the attack, scoring three goals in seven appearances.
The key for this team is in the midfield. Petrasso is joined by three very talented, experienced midfielders in Aparicio, Gagnon-Lapare, and Marco Bustos. All four players with both club and country have shown a patience towards building sophisticated attacks and a willingness towards defending.
Keep an eye on forward Cyle Larin, who just signed a Generation Adidas contract with MLS and will be one of the top draft picks taken in the MLS SuperDraft next week. Larin scored nine goals with the Connecticut Huskies last season and has already made three appearances with the senior national team. If he can use his speed and pace to match Hamilton’s strength and work as a holding forward, then Canada might have a chance at winning their first title since 1996.
Cuba
How they got here: Were the Group A runners-up in CFU Qualification
Previous best finish: Runners-up in 1970 and 1974
Key Player: Forward Frank Lopez (Havana)
Outlook: While Canada might be the team with the most to gain in this tournament, there is no group of players who could gain more from this tournament than Cuba. After December’s announcement of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, Cuban players will now have more opportunities to play outside of their country. The U-20 Championships is the first opportunity that scouts from leagues like MLS, NASL, and USL Pro will have a chance to scout and actually work with securing work visas and permits for players.
For the Cuban Football Association this is also a huge opportunity to help grow the program. Whereas in the past the FA had to worry about players fleeing and seeking asylum they can now worry about developing chemistry and cohesion among the players.
There is some talent in this squad. They allowed just seven goals through all three stages of qualification. A late goal by Trinidad and Tobago kept them from making the CFU finals.
Cuba’s problem international competitions in the past has been their inability to score goals. It is part of the problem for a team whose players all play in Cuban domestic football and do not have as much exposure to different styles play like a Honduras or a Guatemala. Forward Frank Lopez led the team with 4 goals in CFU qualification and will be asked to provide for a team that might be punching above their weight.
El Salvador
How they got here: Finished second in UNCAF qualification.
Previous best finish: Champions in 1964
Key Players: Goalkeeper Carlos Canas (Longwood University-former D.C. United Youth Academy player,) defender Roberto Dominguez (Juventud Independiente,) midfielder Romilio Hernandez (Louisville/ Orlando City SC Youth Academy) and forward Bryan Perez (Luis Angel Firpo)
Outlook: A team with a high-powered offense (18 goals scored during qualification, tied with Panama for first in UNCAF Qualification) El Salvador bring a diverse set of attacking options which should pose problems for the top teams in Group B.
But just like with Guatemala, the question is if they can perform against the better clubs in CONCACAF. While their 18 goals is impressive, 13 of them came against Belize and Nicaragua. Against Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama they were just 1-2-1 with a goal differential of 0.
Although El Salvador may have some chances against the likes of Haiti and Cuba, they are going to find their opportunities few and far between against the likes of Canada, Honduras, and Mexico.
Haiti
How they got here: Group B winners in CFU qualification.
Previous best finish: Second Round in 1978
Key Players: Defenders Stephane Lambese (PSG) and Zachary Herivaux (New England Revolution,) midfielder Bryan Alceus (Bordeaux,) and forward Peterson Joseph (Aigle Noir)
Outlook: A country that seems like it is always one or two players short from really making an impact in CONCACAF, Haiti finally seems to be hitting their stride with the senior national team qualifying for successive Gold Cups and the U-20’s qualifying for successive CONCACAF Championships as well.
After the devastating earthquake in 2010, Haitian football had to rebuild from the ground up. The Haitian FA went far and wide to find players across all ages and countries who are eligible to play for Haiti. The end result was the country lining not only their senior team with players, but establishing a network in countries like Canada, France, and the United States for scouting.
A prime example of this is defender Stephane Lambese of PSG, whose parents were from Haiti but who was born in France. Lambese, 18, is already a starter with PSG’s B team and has played with the senior squad for pre-season friendlies.
New England Revolution supporters should watch out for Zachary Herivaux. The 18 year old academy product will be fighting for a spot on the team’s roster this year after scoring 4 goals in 13 matches for their USDA team.
This is a Haiti squad deep in talent. But can their talent be used to finally break through in CONCACAF? That is still to be determined.
Honduras
How they got here: Third place in UNCAF qualification
Previous best finish: Champions in 1982 and 1994
Key Players: Forward Bryan Rochez (Orlando City SC)
Outlook:
All hope lies in Rochez. After a disappointing World Cup and an even more disastrous Copa Centroamericana, the hopes for the future of Los Catrachos lie within the feet of Orlando City SC’s newest Designated Player.
Rochez was the 2013 Apertura Golden Boot winner for Real Espana, scoring 20 goals in 40 matches. At 5’11” he will not knock anyone over but his footwork and scoring touch make him a very dangerous player.
This is a very interesting time for Honduran football as the players of the previous two World Cup cycles are slowly retiring and players like Rochez, defender Jhonatan Paz (Sociedad,) and forward Junior Lacayo (Santos) are slowly integrating themselves into the senior squad.
Honduras were able to overcome a dry spell in international football when they were able to finish in third place at the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Championships. Can they do it again?
Mexico
How they got here: Automatic Berth
Previous best finish: Champions in 12 occasions, latest 2011 and 2013
Key Players: Midfielders Hirving “Chucky” Lozano (Pachuca CF) and Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca CF), forward Alejandro Diaz (Club America), and defender Erick Aguirre (Monarcas Morelia)
Outlook:
After the 2013 World Cup in Turkey, the U-20 Mexico National Team maintained Sergio Almaguer as head coach. In that World Cup, El Tri lost to Spain in the Round of Sixteen, after entering the knockout stages as one of the best third places in the tournament.
Almaguer and this new U-20 team, which includes players like Erick Aguirre and Alejandro Díaz who played in the U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, held preparation games in Ireland, Holland, Chile, and China throughout 2014.
During the month of December and early part of January, the U-20 team in Jamaica also played friendlies in Mexico against clubs that were preparing for the upcoming Liga MX season. Among the opponents, Chivas, Atlas, and Puebla, all First Division clubs, were included.
Almaguer’s El Tri has two midfielders who have excelled in the last months with Pachuca: Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and Erick Gutierrez. Lozano has been the one that has stole more of the attention with his long range goals and ability to trick defenders with his dribbles, but Gutierrez has a lot of command in the midfield, with a high passing rate.
This team compared to the one in the 2013 U-20 CONCACAF Championships maybe has a little more players with First Division experience, and this benefit could help El Tri wins its third consecutive Championship.
