2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Running Thread: All Teams, All Games

I guess this is as good a place as any to express my reservations about the conditions of contest. No team that wants to participate should be excluded, but that doesn't mean every team should be included at this late date. There are no perfect solutions, but inviting 'all' 34 teams is far from perfect.

I definitely object to five games in nine days, though that isn't my strongest objection.

I think in every group we're going to see several ugly scorelines, and at least one horrific scoreline that (by itself) proves the point. With the expected differential in talent (depth and resources, etc) I'll be very surprised if there aren't double-digit scores, as the stronger teams work on their comparative goal differentials. [Unless the conditions of contest collapse runaway scores, which I highly doubt.*]

And if in any group the two top teams draw their match against each other, any matches that follow could set a new low point for soccer, as those teams' comparative goal differential becomes paramount.

I hope I'm being overly pessimistic ...

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* Maybe I should check the rules before I get all wound up.

Edit: I looked it up. Not too surprisingly (per Wiki):

1. points obtained in all group matches;
2. goal difference in all group matches;
3. number of goals scored in all group matches;

 

St Lucia is in Group E, with Haiti, Barbados, Bermuda, and Costa Rica. There's a very nice article on the team, with many interesting details - wish we had a similar article for every team.

https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/breaking-team-saint-lucia-for-concacaf-u20/

"The final 19-man roster was announced (on Monday), featuring eight overseas players, five playing collegiate football in the United States, one playing professionally in the United Kingdom, and the seventh playing as a pro in Trinidad and Tobago. An eighth overseas player picked up an injury during training, and will be unable to make the trip."

And a nod to @Sandon Mibut -

"The five players from the USA include midfielders O’Neal Edward and Djal Augustin of the Talladega College Tornadoes; forward Aaron Richard and defender Jervel Tobierre of USC Aiken; and forward Nangee Philip of LSU Alexandria."

Best of luck to all 34 teams!

 

Groups A, C & E kick things off today:

12:45 PM Trinidad and Tobago v St Vincent & the Grenadines
3:00 PM Suriname v US Virgin Islands
5:00 PM USA v Puerto Rico

10:30 AM Cuba v Belize
12:45 PM Antigua and Barbuda v Sint Maarten
7:15 PM Honduras v Dominican Republic

3:15 PM Haiti v Saint Lucia
5:30 PM Costa Rica v Bermuda
Barbados (idle)

 

Vincy Heat up 2-0 on Trinidad and Tobago. These games can be so weird.

 

Some scores: Cuba 6. Belize. 1 FT
St. Vincent 2. T&T 1. HT
Antigua 4. Sint Maarten 1. HT

 

Is it true that much of this current U-20 T&T team was the one that knocked the US senior team out of World Cup qualifying?

 

No.

 

Wow, T&T scores two in stoppage to beat St. Vincent 3-2. Heartbreaking for the Vincentians, or maybe the Grenadiers? Also, Antigua 6. Sint Maarten. 1. I'm still waiting for a double digit mauling.

 

Suriname up 4-0 over U.S. Virgin Islands about 35 min gone. Hmm, maybe the virgins are the group's weakest team. Stay tuned...

Edit- now 5-0.

Update- 5-0 HT. Haiti leading St. Lucia, 1-0, in the 1st half.

 

It's interesting that Haiti didn't call up Deedson Vixamar, I figured he'd be a shoo in for that team.

Also, what the hell happened to Vixamar? Is he still playing for Atlanta?

 

And there we have it, folks, our first double digit scoreline of the tournament. Suriname 10. USVI 1. About 78 minutes gone.

 

I see 13-2 as the final score ...

And before I forget, I'd like to task you with maintaining a list of the goal-scorers. I think the golden-boot winner might have to post a pretty big number.

 

So it was really hard to try and track down what has happened to him. Last I saw (like July) he was back playing with his previous club(Kalonji) in Atlanta and not in AUFC's academy. Something must've happened whether it be an injury or moving or something because he was everywhere for Atlanta for a few games and then completely fell off the map

 

Yeah, I don't know. As it is my boss is not happy about me playing around on my cell phone. I'll see what I can do. Off of this showing Suriname will most likely not be a pushover. But those poor virgins...

 

Yesterday's Results from Groups A, C & E:

Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 St Vincent & the Grenadines
Suriname 13-2 US Virgin Islands
USA 7-1 Puerto Rico

Cuba 6-1 Belize
Antigua and Barbuda 6-1 Sint Maarten
Honduras 7-1 Dominican Republic

Haiti 1-0 Saint Lucia
Costa Rica 5-0 Bermuda
Barbados (idle)

 

God damn, 8 games and six beat downs. This people, is the reason we have multiple rounds during the big boy World Cup qualifying.

 

Today we have the three other (aka irrelevant*) groups: B, D & F

3:00 Aruba v Saint Martin
6:15 Mexico v Nicaragua
7:30 Jamaica v Grenada

12:45 St. Kitts and Nevis v Martinique
4:00 Panama v Guadeloupe
5:15 Canada v Dominica

10:30 Guatemala v Guyana
12:45 El Salvador v Curacao
(Cayman Islands idle)

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* Irrelevant because, as I understand it, we will can only play against one of these teams, and only then in the Final, after our qualification to the World Cup has been assured.

 

Good write-up here of yesterday's T&T game ...

https://wired868.com/2018/11/01/ram...-20s-edge-st-vincent-3-2-in-concacaf-tourney/

Brief highlights here ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=olXLZVcVtRE

And short interview with T&T's coach here ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=6kgJibXtSx8

 

Thunderstorms can occur in Bradenton? Who knew? Might weather wreak havoc* with the schedule?

Very curiously, my phone forecasts consistently nice weather for Groups A, C & E, alternating with poor weather for Groups B, D & F - that is every other day - for the entire 10 days of group play.

Two of today's matches were apparently abandoned. No word yet on the evening matches.

Aruba v Saint Martin [abandoned at 0-1]
Mexico v Nicaragua
Jamaica v Grenada
{Mexico and Jamaica meet on Tuesday.}

St. Kitts and Nevis 0-1 Martinique
Panama v Guadeloupe [abandoned - no score shown]
Canada v Dominica
{Canada and Panama meet on Tuesday.}

Guatemala 4-0 Guyana
El Salvador 2-1 Curacao
(Cayman Islands idle)
{El Salvador and Guatemala meet on Tuesday.}

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* Maybe not, but I never pass on a chance to write the words wreak havoc.

 

All but one match was completed, apparently.

Aruba v Saint Martin [interrupted at 0-1]
Mexico 7-0 Nicaragua
Jamaica 1-0 Grenada
{Mexico and Jamaica meet on Tuesday.}

St. Kitts and Nevis 0-1 Martinique
Canada 4-0 Dominica
Panama 4-0 Guadeloupe
{Canada and Panama meet on Tuesday.}

Guatemala 4-0 Guyana
El Salvador 2-1 Curacao
(Cayman Islands idle)
{El Salvador and Guatemala meet on Tuesday.}

 

Canada didn't look sharp against Dominica. We seemed to lack a #10. We also seem to have selected a bunch of giants for athleticism sake. I'm not hopeful of beating Panama.