The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team have learned the road they will need to take to reach the 2013 World Cup.
CONCACAF announced Wednesday the results of the draw for the region’s 2013 Under-20 Championship, and the United States have been paired with Costa Rica and Haiti in Group A. The tournament will be held in Puebla, Mexico from February 18 through March 3 and the four semifinalists will all advance to next year’s Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.
U.S. head coach Tab Ramos will have to guide the Americans to a first- or second-place finish in group play and they will then need to beat a team from Group B in a single quarterfinals fixture to secure a berth to the World Cup. The U.S. first face Haiti on Feb. 19 before battling Costa Rica on Feb. 22.
Here are the full groups followed by the full tournament schedule (all times EST):
Group A: United States, Costa Rica, Haiti
Group B: Canada, Nicaragua, Cuba
Group C: Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico
Group D: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao
Monday, February 18 (Estadio Universitario)
Haiti vs. United States, 6:30 p.m.
Cuba vs. Canada, 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 19 (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
Puerto Rico vs. Jamaica, 6:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. Curacao, 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 20 (Estadio Universitario)
Costa Rica vs. Haiti, 6:30 p.m.
Nicaragua vs. Cuba, 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 21 (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
Panama vs. Puerto Rico, 6:30 p.m.
El Salvador vs. Curacao, 9:00 p.m.
Friday, February 22 (Estadio Universitario)
United States vs. Costa Rica, 6:30 p.m.
Canada vs. Nicaragua, 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 23 (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
Jamaica vs. Panama, 4:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. El Salvador, 7:00 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS (match order subject to change)
Tuesday, February 26 (Estadio Universitario)
QF 1: Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up, 6:30 p.m.
QF 2: Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up, 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 27 (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
QF 3: Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up, 6:30 p.m.
QF 4: Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up, 9:00 p.m.
SEMIFINALS (match order subject to change)
Friday, March 1 (Estadio Universitario)
SF 1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2, 6:30 p.m.
SF 2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4, 9:00 p.m.
THIRD PLACE and FINAL
Sunday, March 3
Third Place (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, 4:00 p.m.
Final (Estadio Cuauhtemoc)
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF2, 7:00 p.m.
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What do you think of the group the U.S. was drawn in? Think they will reach the U-20 World Cup? Who do you see winning the whole U-20 CONCACAF Championship?
Share your thoughts below.