[Sachin]

Just thought I would share the following info:

CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifying Tournaments

Final Round (Top Two Teams In Each Group Advance to 2003 World Youth Championship)
Group A - October 16-20, 2002 (Panama): Panama, Mexico, 1st Place Central America, Winner Caribbean A/D
Group B - November 13-17, 2002 (Charleston, S.C.): United States, Canada, 2nd Place Central America, Winner Caribbean B/C

Central America (Top Two Teams Advance to Final Qualifying) - Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

Caribbean (Winner of A Plays Winner of D; Winner of B Plays Winner of C; Winner A/D and Winner B/C advance to Final Qualifying)
Group A: Trinidad & Tobago (winner)
Group B: Cayman Islands (host); Jamaica; Puerto Rico
Group C: St. Kitts & Nevis (host); Antigua & Barbuda; Bahamas; Haiti
Group D: Saint Lucia (host); Cuba, Dominica, Grenada

From: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullsto...?iNewsid=20706

Sachin

[Fedz]

As usual, the north american teams get an undeserved advantage. I wonder when this is going to be corrected.

[Sachin]

How is that? This is the first time since 1980 the USA have hosted U-20 qualifying?

It's obviously impractical to play a proper qualifying tournament with home and home matches, so this is the next best thing.

Sachin

[Fedz]

How is that?? Lets see. How come all North America teams are prequalified? How come only two caribean teams can compete in group stage while central america and north america get 3 each?
I can see why the US and Mexico, but why Canada? Did they qualify for the last U-20 WC? If I remember correctly it was not them.

[Sachin]

You have a point.

The three participants for Argentina '99 were the USA, Costa Rica and Canada.

No Mexico. That is a good question then, why did Mexico get a pass to the finals whilst Costa Rica did not?

Sachin

[JG]

Originally posted by Sachin
Central America (Top Two Teams Advance to Final Qualifying) - Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

Gonna be tough to beat Guatemala up in the mountains.

Group C: St. Kitts & Nevis (host); Antigua & Barbuda; Bahamas; Haiti

Played last weekend, Haiti won the group easily--they have the core group of players that made the final round of U-17 qualifying last time.

Early round Caribbean results here:
http://www.rsssf.com/tables/cam-u21-03.html

[Captain Canuck]

Canada did qualify for the last U20 World Cup (Argentina 2001), and won their group as well (with Jamaica finishing second & also advancing, & eliminating Mexico and Honduras).

[TopDogg]

Originally posted by Fedz
How is that?? Lets see. How come all North America teams are prequalified? How come only two caribean teams can compete in group stage while central america and north america get 3 each?
I can see why the US and Mexico, but why Canada? Did they qualify for the last U-20 WC? If I remember correctly it was not them.

Get your head out of your ass.

[DoyleG]

Having two seperate qualifying tournaments is a joke. It should be one torunamaent with it doubling as the regional U-20 championships.

I expect Trinidad and Jamacia to come out of the Carribean. Costa Rica and Honduras coming out of Central America.

[JG]

Originally posted by DoyleG
Having two seperate qualifying tournaments is a joke. It should be one torunamaent with it doubling as the regional U-20 championships.

That's how it used to be. They changed it for 1999 qualifying when we got the fourth spot for the WC.

I don't really see the difference, all you're really proposing is to tack on a championship round at the end. Presumably no one is interested in that.

I expect Trinidad and Jamacia to come out of the Carribean.

They're always the favorites, but don't underestimate Haiti, and Trinidad had a very uneven performance in the last round, losing to Netherlands Antilles before pulling out a 4-0 win over hosts Surinam to take the group on goal difference. They've since changed coaches.

Costa Rica and Honduras coming out of Central America.

El Salvador had a good U-17 team last time and Guatemala will have a big home advantage (Quetzaltenango: elevation 8000 feet). No idea here.