2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

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2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship
Tournament details
Host countryUnited States
CityBradenton, Florida
DatesNovember 1–21, 2018
Teams34 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)4 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions United States (2nd title)
Runners-up Mexico
Tournament statistics
Matches played87
Goals scored397 (4.56 per match)
Top scorer(s)Mexico José Juan Macías
(10 goals)
Best player(s)United States Alex Méndez
Best goalkeeperUnited States Brady Scott
Fair play award Mexico
2017
2020

The 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was the 6th edition of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship (27th edition if all eras included), the men's under-20 international football tournament organized by CONCACAF. It was hosted at Bradenton, Florida, United States between 1–21 November 2018.

A new format was announced, removing the regional Central American and Caribbean qualifiers and guaranteeing each entrant a minimum of four competitive games.[1]

The competition would determine the four CONCACAF representatives at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland,[1] The United States, Mexico, Panama and Honduras qualified. It would also determine the CONCACAF teams playing at the 2019 Pan American Games men's football tournament in Lima, Peru.[2]

The United States were the defending champions of the competition. They successfully defended their title as hosts, winning the final 2–0 against Mexico for their 2nd CONCACAF U-20 Championship title.[3]

Teams[edit]

Unlike previous tournament, there was no qualification for this edition, and a total of 34 teams (out of 41 CONCACAF members) directly entered the final tournament.[1][4] Among them are all three members of the North American Football Union (NAFU), all seven members of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF), and 24 (out of 31) members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

Zone Team Appearance Previous best performance Previous FIFA U-20 World Cup appearances
NAFU  Canada 23rd Champions (1986, 1996) 8
 Mexico 26th Champions (1962, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1990, 1992, 2011, 2013, 2015) 15
 United States (title holders & hosts) 24th Champions (2017) 15
UNCAF  Belize 2nd First round (1994) 0
 Costa Rica 20th Champions (1988, 2009) 9
 El Salvador 17th Champions (1964) 1
 Guatemala 19th Runners-up (1962, 1973) 1
 Honduras 19th Champions (1982, 1994) 7
 Nicaragua 9th Second round (1976) 0
 Panama 11th Runners-up (2015) 5
CFU  Antigua and Barbuda 4th First round (1980, 1986, 2017) 0
 Aruba 2nd First round (2015) 0
 Barbados 6th First round (1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990) 0
 Bermuda 13th Second round (1974, 1980) 0
 Cayman Islands 1st Debut 0
 Cuba 13th Runners-up (1970, 1974) 1
 Curaçao[a] 13th Third place (1962) 0
 Dominica 1st Debut 0
 Dominican Republic 5th Second round (1976) 0
 Grenada 4th First round (1978, 1980, 1990) 0
 Guadeloupe[b] 3rd First round (1992, 2011) 0
 Guyana 3rd Second round (1984) 0
 Haiti 9th Second round (1978) 0
 Jamaica 20th Third place (1970) 1
 Martinique[b] 3rd First round (1994, 1996) 0
 Puerto Rico 8th First round (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 2013) 0
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3rd First round (2007, 2017) 0
 Saint Lucia 1st Debut 0
 Saint Martin[b] 1st Debut 0
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1st Debut 0
 Sint Maarten[b] 1st Debut 0
 Suriname 6th First round (1976, 1980, 1986, 1990, 2011) 0
 Trinidad and Tobago 20th Runners-up (1990) 2
 U.S. Virgin Islands 1st Debut 0
Notes
  1. ^ Includes appearances as the Netherlands Antilles.
  2. ^ a b c d Non-FIFA members and thus ineligible to play in the qualification stage.
Did not enter

Venues[edit]

Matches were at played at four stadiums in the IMG Academy:

  • IMG Academy Stadium
  • IMG Soccer Stadium
  • IMG Soccer Complex Field #2
  • IMG Soccer Complex Field #11
Bradenton, Florida
IMG Academy
27°26′27″N 82°36′29″W / 27.4409°N 82.6081°W / 27.4409; -82.6081 (IMG Academy)
Capacity: 5,000
IMG Academy is located in the United States
IMG Academy

Draw[edit]

The draw for the final tournament was held on 13 September 2018, 10:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the CONCACAF Headquarters in Miami.[5] Based on the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Ranking, the top six ranked teams were seeded into position one of each group, while the remaining 28 teams were distributed in five pots as follows:[4]

Seeded teams Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5

The 34 teams were drawn into six groups: four groups of six teams and two groups of five teams. The winners from each group in the group stage advance to the qualification stage, where the six teams are divided into two groups of three teams (winners of Groups A, C and E in one group, winners of Groups B, D and F in another group). The top two teams from each group in the qualification stage qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the group winners also advancing to the final to decide the champions of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

Squads[edit]

Players born on or after 1 January 1999 are eligible to compete. Each team must submit a provisional 35-player roster (4 must be goalkeepers) and a final 20-player roster (2 must be goalkeepers). After the completion of the group stage, a team advancing to the qualification stage may replace up to six players with those from the provisional roster.[6]

Group stage[edit]

The winners of each group in the group stage advance to the qualification stage. If the winners of a group is a non-FIFA member, the highest-ranked FIFA member in the group advances to the qualification stage (Regulations Article 12.9).[6]

Tiebreakers (both group stage and qualification stage)

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows (regulations Articles 12.5 and 12.8):[6]

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

If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows:

  1. points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  2. goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  3. number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. fair play points in all group matches:
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point;
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
    • direct red card: minus 4 points;
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;
  5. drawing of lots by CONCACAF.

All times are local, EDT (UTC−4) up to 3 November, EST (UTC−5) starting 4 November.[7]

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States (H) 5 5 0 0 39 2 +37 15 Qualification stage
2  Suriname 5 3 0 2 18 12 +6 9
3  Puerto Rico 5 3 0 2 16 15 +1 9
4  Trinidad and Tobago 5 3 0 2 12 11 +1 9
5  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 1 0 4 8 15 −7 3
6  U.S. Virgin Islands 5 0 0 5 2 40 −38 0
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Trinidad and Tobago 3–2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Report
Suriname 13–2 U.S. Virgin Islands
Report
United States 7–1 Puerto Rico
Report

Puerto Rico 1–5 Trinidad and Tobago
Report
U.S. Virgin Islands 0–13 United States
Report

Suriname 1–2 Puerto Rico
Report
United States 6–1 Trinidad and Tobago
Report

Puerto Rico 8–0 U.S. Virgin Islands
Report
Trinidad and Tobago 0–2 Suriname
Report
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0–6 United States
Report

United States 7–0 Suriname
Report

Group B[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 5 4 1 0 31 2 +29 13 Qualification stage
2  Jamaica 5 4 1 0 24 3 +21 13
3  Grenada 5 2 0 3 7 14 −7 6
4  Nicaragua 5 2 0 3 4 13 −9 6
5  Aruba 5 1 1 3 6 20 −14 4
6  Saint Martin[a] 5 0 1 4 3 23 −20 1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Non-FIFA members and thus ineligible to play in the qualification stage.
Mexico 7–0 Nicaragua
Report
Jamaica 1–0 Grenada
Report
Aruba 1–1 Saint Martin
  • Croes 81'
Report

Grenada 0–3 Aruba
Report
Nicaragua 0–3 Jamaica
Report
Saint Martin 0–4 Mexico
Report

Grenada 5–2 Saint Martin
Report
Aruba 1–2 Nicaragua
Report
Mexico 2–2 Jamaica
Report

Nicaragua 2–0 Saint Martin
Report
Jamaica 7–1 Aruba
Report
  • Croes 66'
Grenada 0–8 Mexico
Report

Nicaragua 0–2 Grenada
Report
Saint Martin 0–11 Jamaica
Report
Mexico 10–0 Aruba
Report

Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Honduras 5 5 0 0 30 5 +25 15 Qualification stage
2  Cuba 5 4 0 1 19 5 +14 12
3  Dominican Republic 5 3 0 2 23 10 +13 9
4  Antigua and Barbuda 5 2 0 3 10 11 −1 6
5  Belize 5 1 0 4 5 19 −14 3
6  Sint Maarten[a] 5 0 0 5 4 41 −37 0
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Non-FIFA members and thus ineligible to play in the qualification stage.
Cuba 6–1 Belize
Report
Antigua and Barbuda 6–1 Sint Maarten
Report
Honduras 7–1 Dominican Republic
Report

Dominican Republic 1–2 Cuba
Report
Belize 0–1 Antigua and Barbuda
Report
Sint Maarten 0–12 Honduras
Report

Belize 4–2 Sint Maarten
Report
Antigua and Barbuda 0–3 Dominican Republic
Report
Honduras 3–1 Cuba
Report

Dominican Republic 12–1 Sint Maarten
Report
Belize 0–4 Honduras
Report
Cuba 3–0 Antigua and Barbuda
Report

Dominican Republic 6–0 Belize
Report
Sint Maarten 0–7 Cuba
Report
Honduras 4–3 Antigua and Barbuda
Report

Group D[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Panama 5 5 0 0 17 3 +14 15 Qualification stage
2  Canada 5 3 0 2 10 6 +4 9
3  Guadeloupe[a] 5 3 0 2 9 8 +1 9
4  Dominica 5 2 0 3 5 14 −9 6
5  Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 1 0 4 7 10 −3 3
6  Martinique[a] 5 1 0 4 4 11 −7 3
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Non-FIFA members and thus ineligible to play in the qualification stage.
Panama 4–0 Guadeloupe
Report
Canada 4–0 Dominica
Report

Guadeloupe 1–2 Canada
Report
Dominica 3–2 Saint Kitts and Nevis
Report
Martinique 1–5 Panama
Report

Dominica 2–1 Martinique
Report
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2–3 Guadeloupe
Report
Panama 2–1 Canada
Report

Canada 1–2 Saint Kitts and Nevis
Report
Dominica 0–4 Panama
Report

Guadeloupe 3–0 Dominica
Report
Martinique 1–2 Canada
Report
Panama 2–1 Saint Kitts and Nevis
Report

Group E[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Costa Rica 4 4 0 0 14 0 +14 12 Qualification stage
2  Haiti 4 3 0 1 9 1 +8 9
3  Saint Lucia 4 2 0 2 3 8 −5 6
4  Barbados 4 0 1 3 1 8 −7 1
5  Bermuda 4 0 1 3 0 10 −10 1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Costa Rica 5–0 Bermuda
Report

Bermuda 0–4 Haiti
Report
Barbados 0–2 Costa Rica
Report

Saint Lucia 2–1 Barbados
Report
Costa Rica 1–0 Haiti
Report

Saint Lucia 1–0 Bermuda
Report
Haiti 4–0 Barbados
Report

Barbados 0–0 Bermuda
Report
Saint Lucia 0–6 Costa Rica
Report

Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  El Salvador 4 3 0 1 7 5 +2 9 Qualification stage
2  Guatemala 4 2 1 1 10 5 +5 7
3  Curaçao 4 2 0 2 10 10 0 6
4  Cayman Islands 4 1 1 2 8 11 −3 4
5  Guyana 4 1 0 3 7 11 −4 3
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Guatemala 4–0 Guyana
Report
El Salvador 2–1 Curaçao
Report

Curaçao 1–3 Guatemala
Report
Cayman Islands 1–3 El Salvador
Report

Guyana 2–3 Cayman Islands
Report
El Salvador 2–1 Guatemala
Report

Guyana 3–4 Curaçao
Report
Guatemala 2–2 Cayman Islands
Report

Cayman Islands 2–4 Curaçao
Report
Guyana 2–0 El Salvador
Report

Qualification stage[edit]

The top two teams of each group in the qualification stage qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the winners of each group also advancing to the final to decide the champions of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

Group G[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States (H) 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Final and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2  Honduras 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 1 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup
3  Costa Rica 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Qualification stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Honduras 1–1 Costa Rica
Report

United States 4–0 Costa Rica
Report

Honduras 0–1 United States
Report

Group H[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4[a] Final and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2  Panama 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4[a] 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup
3  El Salvador 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Qualification stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Fair play points: Mexico −1, Panama −2.
Panama 1–0 El Salvador
Report

Mexico 1–0 El Salvador
Report

Panama 2–2 Mexico
Report

Final[edit]

In the final, if the match is level at the end of 90 minutes, extra time is played, and if still tied after extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shoot-out (Regulations Article 12.10).[6]

United States 2–0 Mexico
Report

Awards[edit]

Winners[edit]

 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship winners 

United States
Second title

Individual awards[edit]

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[8]

Award Player
Golden Ball United States Alex Méndez
Golden Boot Mexico José Juan Macías (10 goals)
Golden Glove United States Brady Scott
Fair Play Award  Mexico
Best XI[9]
Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards
United States Brady Scott

Goalscorers[edit]

There were 397 goals scored in 87 matches, for an average of 4.56 goals per match.

10 goals

8 goals

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Qualification for international tournaments[edit]

Qualified teams for FIFA U-20 World Cup[edit]

The following four teams from CONCACAF qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA U-20 World Cup1
 Mexico 16 November 2018[10] 15 (1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 Panama 16 November 2018[10] 5 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2015)
 United States 16 November 2018[10] 15 (1981, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 Honduras 19 November 2018[11] 7 (1977, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2017)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Qualified teams for Pan American Games[edit]

The tournament was used to determine the four teams from CONCACAF which would qualify for the 2019 Pan American Games men's football tournament. The top team from each of the three zones, i.e., Caribbean (CFU), Central American (UNCAF), and North American (NAFU), would qualify, with the fourth team to be determined by CONCACAF at a later date.[2] However, United States declined to participate, so Mexico qualified for the North American berth.

Team Zone Qualified on Previous appearances in Pan American Games2
 Jamaica CFU 10 November 2018 4 (1971, 1975, 1999, 2007)
 Panama UNCAF 19 November 2018 1 (2015)
 Mexico NAFU 2019 (confirmed by CONCACAF) 14 (1955, 1959, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)
 Honduras[12] UNCAF 2019 (confirmed by CONCACAF) 4 (1991, 1995, 1999, 2007)
2 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Controversy[edit]

Cuban defectors[edit]

Twelve of the Cuban players (Arturo Hector Godoy, Bruno Manuel Rendon Cardoso, Christopher Yoel Llorente Fernandez, Danny Echeverria Diaz Frank Leidam Nodarse Chavez, Geobel Perez Oquendo, Josue Vega Alvarez, Juan Manuel Andreus Milanes, Omar Perez Ramirez Omar Proenza Calderon, Rivaldo Ibarra Thompson, Rolando Aldahir Oviendo Valdez and Yandri Romero Clark.) opted to stay in United States following the team's exit from the competition.[13]

Visa issues[edit]

Octavio Rodríguez, the assistant coach of the Guatemalan staff team and four players; Carlos Orellana (Guastatoya), Carlos Monterroso (Municipal), Nelso Iván García (Communications) and Luis Francisco Estrada (Siquinalá) were denied visas to participate in the tournament.[14] A further seven players from Honduras were also denied visas.[15]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Kick-off delayed by weather.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Concacaf to Host Record Number of Teams in November for Its Redesigned Under-20 Championship". concacaf-web-prod.corebine.com. CONCACAF. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Qualification System manual" (PDF). www.panamsports.org/. Pan American Sports Organization. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Mendez brace leads U.S. past Mexico in CU20 Final". CONCACAF. 21 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Draw Confirmed for the 2018 Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship". CONCACAF.com. 14 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Draw Reveals Groups for the 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship". CONCACAF.com. 13 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  7. ^ "Schedule" (PDF). CONCACAF.com.
  8. ^ "TSG announces the 2018 CU20 individual awards". CONCACAF. 21 November 2018.
  9. ^ "TSG announces the 2018 CU20 Best XI". CONCACAF. 21 November 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "CONCACAF trio secure tickets to Poland 2019". FIFA.com. 17 November 2018. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "Honduras complete CONCACAF quartet". FIFA.com. 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018.
  12. ^ "Honduras competirá en fútbol en Panamericanos de Lima 2019" (in Spanish). Diario Más. 5 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Doce futbolistas del equipo Cuba sub-20 se quedan en Estados Unidos". CiberCuba (in Spanish). 12 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Patojos sin visa a pocos días del Premundial Sub 20 de CONCACAF | La Red". La Red (in European Spanish). 18 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Embajada de Estados Unidos niega la visa a siete jugadores de Honduras – Diez – Diario Deportivo". Diez – Diario Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.

External links[edit]