Under-17 World Cup set to kick off in Mexico

GUATEMALA CITY - The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is still three years away, but soccer fans won't have to wait nearly that long to see the international game live as the under-17 World Cup is set to kick off in Mexico on June 18.

The 2011 FIFA Youth World Cup, as the event for players who are 17 years old or younger is known, brings together 24 teams from around the world to compete for the title of international youth champion. This year's competition will be played at seven venues across Mexico.

The tournament kicks off on June 18 with four matches: the Congo versus the Netherlands in Morelia, followed by Mexico against North Korea. France faces Argentina in Monterrey, followed by Jamaica playing Japan.

The under-17 World Cup will be awarded on July 10, after the final match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

CONCACAF champion U.S.A., as well as Canada, Jamaica, and Panama will participate from the North and Central American zone. They are joined by Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay from South America.

Along with the South Americans, host Mexico will be among the pre-tournament favorites. The under-17 version of El Tri already has one world title to its credit, having claimed the crown in Peru in 2005.

This year's team gained an automatic berth in the tournament as host, but pre-tournament matches have displayed another strong Mexican squad assembled from the youth academies of the country's best professional clubs.

"The under-17 tournaments have produced these good results," said Mexican Football Federation spokesman Luis González. "Of course, [with] all the work that's being done in youth teams - we have a big group working on it - the kids have all the support they need."

The United States, CONCACAF's other power, is coming off its first-ever regional crown at the under-17 level and is hoping to improve on its best-ever fourth place finish at a Youth World Cup in 1999, when it was led by now-senior team members Landon Donovan and Oguchi Onyewu.

The United States continues a streak as the only nation to qualify for all fourteen editions of the biennial under-17 tournament, first played in 1985. The U.S., however, has never finished in the top three in the tournament.

But U.S. coach Wilmer Cabrera, a former Colombian national team player, said a coach places player development ahead of winning.

"The main purpose of the United States at this stage is not to win the [FIFA Youth] World Cup," he said "To be honest, I don't think any team has to be under pressure to do that, because at this stage what you try to do is develop your players, to make them feel that kind of environment and make them improve a lot."

Cabrera said that while the soccer in Mexico will be entertaining, he doesn't expect it to meet the level of play showcased at last year's World Cup in South Africa.

"At this stage you're going to see teams and players at a good level, but still in a learning process," he said. "That's why if you notice, [at] the last World Cup [in 2009], none of the four top teams, the finalist teams, made the [FIFA Youth] World Cup. Spain didn't make it, Switzerland didn't make it and Nigeria and Colombia didn't make it."

Because the youth tournament places a particular emphasis on player development over results, American soccer officials say they won't be disappointed if the U.S. returns home from Mexico without a high finish.

"We'll get another chance to see the team, obviously at a high level," said U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati. "Those games are not just about wins and losses, but they're also a measure of progress of individual players and of the program."

The U.S. will face off against the Czech Republic and Uzbekistan in Torreón, before playing their third group match against New Zealand in Pachuca.

"I think it's a reasonable draw," Cabrera said. "The U.S. has been part of all the under-17 World Cups. What happens after that has to be decided on the field. Nothing in the World Cup is going to be easy. But nothing is impossible, so we're going with that mentality."

Past Under-17 World Cups have been full of surprises.

Switzerland, not known for its strength in the international game, is the defending champion, and less renowned soccer nations such as Guinea, Oman, and Bahrain have all finished near the top in recent years.

Still, soccer powerhouse Brazil co-leads the all-time table, along with Nigeria, with three under-17 world titles. Brazil won in 1997, 1999 and 2003, with the Nigerians claiming titles in 1985, 1993 and 2007 before losing to Switzerland in the final, 1-0, in 2009.

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