Recognition for U20 stars in mainstream publication

This month's edition of World Soccer magazine featured a welcome piece on their favourite performers from the 2011 South American under-20 Championship in Peru last January/February. 

The two players with (literally) the most column space were quite rightly Lucas and Juan Manuel Iturbe. There was also slightly more written about Yohandry Orozco than the rest. The reporting of each player featured was generally quite good but arguably the most pleasing thing was simply the existence of the article and the consequent recognition that some of these players will deservedly get. 

Fourteen players were identified in total and GUSU was especially happy at the inclusions of Esteban Andrada, Bryan Carrasco, Christian Cueva and Diego Polenta. Others included were Alejandro Chumacero, Casemiro, Fernando Gaibor, Luis Felipe Gallegos, Adrian Luna, Dennys Quinonez and Ivan Torres. Nearly all of these players are on GUSU's Names to remember list formed after the tournament.

Day 1 at the U17s

A thoroughly enjoyable opening day to the championship in Ecuador saw nine goals in the opening two games with several players quick to make a good impression.

Ecuador U17 2-1 Bolivia U17 (click for highlights)

The hosts got us underway in Latacunga with their match against Bolivia and found themselves two goals up inside 25 minutes which was harsh on Bolivia. Luis Batioja and Kevin Mercado scored within about two minutes of each other. Batioja scored after a corner with a nice, almost clipped finish which found the top left corner via a deflection. Mercado's goal was created by a sumptuous pass by Jose Cevallos which put him through for a one-on-one with the Bolivian 'keeper which he finished simply.

The two goals visibly deflated Bolivia and it wasn't until five minutes into the second half that they found some inspiration. It came from a player enjoying an increasing reputation in his home country, captain and number 10: Roberto Silva. Picking the ball up inside the Ecuador half he beat one man before smashing the ball into the top left from at least twenty yards. A great goal.

Silva's goal perhaps raised Bolivian spirits and they started to play a lot better once they sensed a way back into the game. However they were unable to inflict a real spell of dominance on proceedings and could not find an equaliser. They had long range efforts, as did Ecuador and despite both teams coming very close at times, neither were able to fashion clear-cut scoring chances and therefore any more goals.

Notable performances / players to watch next time: 
ECUADOR: Luis Batioja, Kevin Mercado, Jose Cevallos
BOLIVIA: Roberto Silva, Alex Pontons


Argentina U17 4-2 Peru U17 (click for highlights)

A great game in which Argentina came back from being two goals behind. Peru took the lead after four minutes after a corner eventually found Raziel Garcia on the edge of the area. A great left-footed finish across goal found the bottom right corner. That pretty much set the tone for the opening twenty minutes as Peru looked wonderful in possession while Argentina struggled to find any sort of rhythm.

One problem for the Peruvians which gradually became more and more evident was the sheer number of fouls they were giving away around their area. Argentina came close from resulting free-kicks but Peru were not properly punished until the twenty-third minute when Miguel Araujo was deservedly sent off. This unfortunately also meant the end of the match for goalscorer Garcia who was tactically substituted as a result. The red card provoked a reaction from Argentina who started to apply more pressure but surprisingly it was Peru who got the next goal. An absolutely superb pass by Horacio Benincasa played Andy Polo into a one-on-one situation with the Argentina goalkeeper. Polo converted and Peru were two nil up.

Their first goal had bread confidence throughout the side in an attacking sense and, after riding their luck, Peru were again charming with their freedom and creativity going forward. However, shortly before half-time their incessant fouling caught up with them once again as they conceded a penalty. It was won by Federico Andrada who, whilst getting into good positions had been wasteful in front of goal. Leandro Paredes scored a good penalty after coming close a few times earlier in the half.

The equaliser for Argentina came seven minutes into the second half after the two wide players: Brian Ferreira and Lucas Ocampos combined. They had been switching flanks regularly throughout the game which was interesting and in this case it was a good run and cross from Ferreira that set up Ocampos for a headed goal. Numerical parity was also restored in terms of players on the pitch soon after Argentina brought the scores level. Marcos Pinto received a second yellow card for a foul on the impressive Alexander Ponce.

After chances for both teams it was Argentina who got the next goal; a good solo effort from Ferreira capped an impressive performance and was no more than he deserved. Argentina sealed the win three minutes from time thanks to a fantastic goal by substitute Lucas Pugh. He intercepted the ball and crashed it into the top left corner from nearly 25 yards out. Peru had quite a few chances in the closing stages but were unable to take them and one had to feel a little regretful for them after some really entertaining attacking play. Still, their defending was disappointing and Argentina deserved a lot of credit for an emphatic comeback.

Notable performances / players to watch next time:
ARGENTINA: Federico Andrada, Enzo Beloso, Leandro Paredes, Lucas Ocampos, Brian Ferreira, Lucas Pugh
PERU: Raziel Garcia, Horacio Benincasa, Andy Polo, Alexander Ponce, Carlo Urquiaga

2011 South American under-17 Championship

This Saturday sees the start of the biennial South American under-17 Championship. Ecuador are the hosts for what will be the fourteenth edition of this championship falling exactly one month after the conclusion of the under-20 tournament. The under-17s receives considerably less coverage than the already sparsely-reported under-20s but remains a fantastic opportunity to get a glimpse of potential stars of the future. 

Of course, at under-17 level it is harder to tell which players are likely to 'make it'; there is still such a long way to go in each individual's development whilst off-field distractions or injuries can have a big effect on a young player. A look at some of the protagonists from previous years demonstrates different paths taken after a player's participation in the under-17 championship. 

In 2005, Brazil's Kerlon (famous for the 'seal dribble') was named as the best player by CONMEBOL after that year's tournament in Venezuela. Playing with his first club Cruzeiro, Kerlon won the Minas Gerais State Championship and earned a move to Italy in 2008, three years after his participation in the U17s. He was bought by Internazionale but immediately loaned out to Chievo in order to comply with non-EU registration quotas. Unfortunately for Kerlon his entire time in Europe has been consistently dogged by terrible knee injuries and in the most recent transfer window he was loaned to Paraná Clube back in Brazil. He remains on Inter's books and this blog of course wishes him much better luck with injuries and his development for the future. 

In the next tournament it was Peruvian Reimond Manco who was awarded CONMEBOL's title of best player. His move to Europe happened far quicker than Kerlon's and came in the form of a transfer to PSV Eindhoven. Manco did not suffer similar injury problems but, despite a magnificent ten-minute debut, only spent 22 months in Europe before moving back to Peru, and then Mexico. 

In the most recent edition of Sudamericano Sub-17 Edwin Cardona finished as top-scorer with an impressive seven goals in as many games. Staying with his first and only club Atlético Nacional (Colombia) Cardona was one of the top performers at last month's under-20 championship displaying a natural progression to the next age level of international football. Another star at that year's tournament in Chile was one Philippe Coutinho who, along with Kerlon is now on the books at Internazionale. Unlike his Brazilian compatriot, Coutinho has made a swift impact at San Siro and already has eleven Serie A appearances to his name with some impressive performances along the way. GUSU was present at San Siro for Inter's Champions League game against Tottenham Hotspur last October and witnessed a highly impressive European performance from such a young player. A player who has been described by former coach Rafael Benítez and chairman Massimo Moratti as "the future of Inter".

The difference in these players' fortunes in recent years highlights the need for caution when talking about impressive performers at under-17 level. 'Caution' being the key word here as of course lots of players do go on to fulfil their promise and justify the hype. So this blog will be closely following events in Ecuador whilst of course remaining grounded on the stars of the tournament. 

Onto some logistical information. The tournament is running for four weeks and is organised in a double round-robin format identical to the under-20s. Teams are initially placed in two groups of five and everyone will play each other once in a standard international group stage format. Group A consists of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay whilst Group B contains Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela. The top three from each group progress to the final stage where the same system is repeated. For those in Ecuador or with any geographical knowledge of the country; the tournament will be played in five stadia in five different cities: Ambato, Ibarra, Latacunga, Quito and Riobamba.

Brazil have dominated this competition to a staggering extent since its inception in 1985 winning nine out of a possible thirteen titles. But of course these youth tournaments are not all about winning and the top four finishers in Ecuador will gain qualification to the 2011 Pan American Games and, more importantly, the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. 

If you are planning on tuning in to any of the action from Ecuador, enjoy!

Congratulations Lucas

Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva, better known simply as "Lucas" received some fantastic news yesterday as he was named in the 24-man Brazil squad for their friendly against Scotland on March 27. Lucas was absolutely outstanding for the under-20 Brazil side at the recent South American Championship in Peru but his call-up to the senior squad is certainly a surprise.

Lucas has played three times for São Paulo FC since the under-20 Championship and scored against Bragantino in the Paulista State Championship.

Here is the full Brazil squad for the Scotland game which is being played in London at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium meaning that GUSU will be in attendance. Good luck Lucas!

Goalkeepers
Julio César (Internazionale)
Jefferson (Botafogo)
Victor (Grêmio)

Defenders
Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Maicon (Internazionale)
André Santos (Fenerbahçe)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
Luisão (Benfica)
Lúcio (Internazionale)

Midfielders
Lucas (Liverpool)
Ramires (Chelsea)
Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Henrique (Cruzeiro)
Elias (Atlético Madrid)
Elano (Santos)
Renato Augusto (Bayer Leverkusen)
Jadson (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Lucas (São Paulo)

Forwards
Alexandre Pato (AC Milan)
Nilmar (Villarreal)
Neymar (Santos)
Jonas (Valencia)

Santos 1-1 Cerro Porteño (Copa Libertadores)

   

Second-half penalties for both teams ensured this one finished level. After an uneventful first half, Santos took the lead with their penalty after 55 minutes. Elano’s very good spot kick was buried into the bottom left. The impressive 23 year-old Zé Eduardo won the penalty after being brought down by the Cerro Porteño goalkeeper.

The equaliser came deep into added time; the penalty was awarded for a foul on the edge of the area by Edu Dracena on substitute Freddy Bareiro. It was clumsy, it was needless and it cost Santos the win. Roberto Nanni coolly sent the goalie the wrong way and earned a valuable point for his side.

Even if we forget about how late the Cerro Porteño goal was, Santos will still have felt hugely disappointed with a draw. Despite not playing brilliantly they restricted their Paraguayan opponents to long-range efforts for the vast majority of the game and at one-nil they still looked the most likely to get the next goal. It’s now two draws in two Libertadores games for Santos and they sit third in Group 5.

During the game GUSU’s attentions were focused largely on Danilo and Neymar for Santos and Juan Iturbe for Cerro Porteño who all started. Neymar and Iturbe provided the greatest attacking threat for their respective sides without either really performing to their best. That said, if it wasn’t for some wasteful finishing Neymar could have ended the night with a couple of assists and certainly demonstrated his strength and pace regularly. He did however lose the ball frequently when trying to run at the Cerro Porteño players. Like Neymar, Iturbe found himself dispossessed far more often than he would have liked but showed flashes of his immense pace and did create some chances for his teammates who failed to convert.

Danilo put in a very decent performance. Playing in a defensive midfield position he made loads of tackles and interceptions and played countless accurate passes. If there are any chalkboards of Copa Libertadores games his would be beautiful.

Iván Torres (on GUSU’s ‘Names to Remember’ list) came on for Cerro Porteño about ten minutes into the second half but had an extremely quiet game. Another player from the list, Alex Sandro played the last quarter of an hour so did not have sufficient time to impress.

Names to remember...

Apologies that it has taken me nearly two weeks but here is a (fairly extensive) list of all the players that GUSU will be tracking as a result of their performances in the 2011 South American under-20 Championship from Peru. As with previous posts the players are based only on games that GUSU has watched and therefore comments are much appreciated...

(Players are arranged alphabetically and by country)

Argentina
Esteban Andrada (Lanús) (GK)
Leonel Galeano (Independiente) (Def)
Germán Pezzella (River Plate) (Def)
Michael Hoyos (Estudiantes) (Mid)
Bruno Zuculini (Racing Club) (Mid)
Facundo Ferreyra (Banfield) (Att)
Rogelio Funes Mori (River Plate) (Att)
Juan Iturbe (Cerro Porteño) (Att)


Bolivia
Alejandro Chumacero (The Strongest) (Mid)
Darwin Rios (Guabirá) (Att)


Brazil
Alex Sandro (Santos) (Def)
Bruno Uvini (São Paulo) (Def)
Danilo (Santos) (Def)
Casimiro (São Paulo) (Mid)
Lucas (São Paulo) (Mid)
Henrique (São Paulo) (Att)
Willian José (São Paulo) (Att)
Neymar (Santos) (Att)
Diego Mauricio (Flamengo) (Att)


Chile
Bryan Carrasco (Audax Italiano) (Def)
Luis Gallegos (Universidad de Chile) (Mid)
Alejandro Márquez (Unión Temuco) (Mid)
Yashir Pinto (Ñublense) (Mid)


Colombia
Santiago Arias (La Equidad) (Def)
Juan Cabezas (Deportivo Cali) (Mid)
Javier Calle (Independiente) (Mid)
Edwin Cardona (Atlético Nacional) (Mid)
Fabián Castillo (Deportivo Cali) (Att)
Andrés Escobar (Deportivo Cali) (Att)


Ecuador
Jonathan de la Cruz (Universidad Católica) (Mid)
Edson Montaño (Gent) (Mid)
Marcos Jackson Caicedo (Emelec) (Att)


Paraguay
Nelson Ruiz (Rubio Ñú) (Def)
Diego Benítez (Olimpia) (Mid)
Oscar Ruiz (Free Agent) (Mid)
Iván Torres (Cerro Porteño) (Mid)


Peru
Jorge Bazán (Alianza Lima) (Mid)
Christian Cueva (Universidad San Martín) (Mid)
Angel Ojeda (Melgar) (Mid)


Uruguay
Diego Polenta (Genoa) (Def)
Pablo Ceppelini (Cagliari) (Mid)
Adrián Luna (Defensor Sporting) (Att)


Venezuela
Yohandry Orozco (Wolfsburg) (Mid)

The state of play going into the final round of games

There are some great contests lined up for tonight's final round of games from this Championship in Peru.

The evening kicks off (warms up) with Colombia/Argentina. Colombia have nothing to play for in terms of qualifying for other tournaments: they are bottom of the group and automatically qualify for the U20 World Cup as hosts. However this tournament is of course about much more than finishing positions and there are a large number of Colombian players who impressed particularly in the first stage of the tournament and will be keen to shine once more before the end. Argentina's chances of qualifying for the Olympics look slim and they will need a bagful of goals against Colombia to stand even a narrow chance; they also require Brazil to lose.

The second game sees Ecuador take on Chile in what is basically a play-off for U20 World Cup qualification. Ecuador will make it with just a draw whereas Chile need to win. Edson Montaño (Gent & Ecuador) and Bryan Carrasco (Audax Italiano & Chile) have been scoring consistently throughout and will be the two to keep an eye on.

The final game of the evening is wonderfully set up in that the winner on the night will win the tournament. Uruguay sit on top of the group with 10 points and Brazil are just one point behind. So it will be similar to the final of a knockout competition only Uruguay will obviously be victorious should they draw.

Here is the final group stage table and a summary of all the possible outcomes:

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Uruguay	4	3	1	0	4	1	+3	10
Brazil	4	3	0	1	9	3	+6	9
Argentina	4	2	0	2	5	5	0	6
Ecuador	4	1	2	1	2	2	0	5
Chile	4	1	0	3	6	9	−3	3
Colombia	4	0	1	3	1	6	−5	1

Team qualified for both the 2012 Olympics and 2011 U-20 World Cup

Team qualified for the U-20 World Cup but not the Olympics

Team eliminated from Olympic qualifying but may still qualify for U-20 World Cup

Team eliminated from both the Olympics and U-20 World Cup

• Brazil will qualify for the Olympics if
  • they do not lose to Uruguay or
  • Argentina do not defeat Colombia or
  • the total margin of Brazil loss and Argentina win is fewer than 6 goals (or exactly 6 if Argentina do not score at least 4 goals more than Brazil)
• Argentina will qualify for the Olympics if
  • they defeat Colombia AND
  • Brazil lose to Uruguay AND
  • the total margin is at least 7 goals (or 6 if Argentina score at least 4 goals more than Brazil)
• Ecuador will qualify for the U-20 World Cup if they do not lose to Chile
• Chile will qualify for the U-20 World Cup if they defeat Ecuador

At the half-way stage: the top performers so far...

As the final group stage gets under way, here is a chance to re-cap on some of the tournament's top performers so far from every country represented. Regretfully there are several more players not featured in this post as there simply isn't room/time to talk about them all. Note that these choices are based largely on the games that GUSU has watched for 90 minutes therefore comments on omissions are very welcome...

Michael Hoyos

Argentina & Estudiantes

Argentina have been largely underwhelming so far yet they topped their group with 10 points from 4 games and were unbeaten in the first group stage. Hoyos has arguably been their best attacking player displaying great skill and ability from time-to-time. He has yet to hit his best form but has contributed well so far and has just one goal to his name. Watch him closely next round as he is capable of stepping up a gear.

Esteban Andrada

Argentina & Lanús

Really impressed with Andrada. He's been solid in goal and is a calming influence on his defenders. The Argentina back line was largely to thank for their unbeaten status in the first round of the competition defending very well as a unit with good shape and discipline. Andrada has been central to this. 

Bryan Carrasco

Chile & Audax Italiano

GUSU had been disappointed with Chile's performances before victory over Venezuela in their last game. This man had not been majorly hyped before the tournament and had gone under the radar undetected until the Venezuela game when he exploded into life. Playing in a right wing-back role he was key to nearly every Chilean attack and a constant menace to Venezuela assisting Chile's first two goals. That performance alone has ensured eyes will be firmly on him next game.

Diego Polenta

Uruguay & Genoa

Definitely Uruguay's best player so far and one of the top performers overall in the first stage. Really good at dribbling and has two goals to his name so far. A penalty and this brilliant solo effort.

Lucas

Brazil & São Paulo

Fantastic so far, Lucas has proved irrepressible in Brazil's midfield. He unfortunately didn't get a goal in the first group stage but should have done on more than one occasion, that is perhaps the only criticism that can be aimed at him. He has assisted many and is a constant live wire making Brazil a joy to watch in this tournament along with...

Neymar

Brazil & Santos

Neymar didn't need to announce himself to anyone before the tournament, people are well aware of what an exciting prospect this guy is. Still that failed to dissuade him from bagging four goals in Brazil's opening game against Paraguay in what was a truly glittering display. He scored a good counterattacking goal in Brazil's next game, an entertaining victory over Colombia, and he has just netted two in the first round of final stage games against Chile (but this article was designed to focus on the first round.) Probably the only player so far that we can safely say is destined for great things.

Edson Montaño

Ecuador & Gent

Ecuador have looked like a good team so far. They qualified for the final stage comfortably losing only to Brazil (and have just beaten Argentina). Several of their players have showed promise but GUSU has been most impressed with this man. Three goals to his name so far and assists to go with that make him an exciting player to track throughout the final stage.

Edwin Cardona

Colombia & Atlético Nacional

As mentioned before on this blog, Colombia have been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch and Edwin Cardona has been their best player. Already has four goals this tournament (two penalties) but there is much more to this attacking midfielder's game. Very skilful, very good passer, good at shooting from range and free-kicks.

And it's the end of the line for...

Here are the players whose teams have failed to progress to the final stage meaning we will not get to see any more of them at this tournament. However they will continue to be tracked by GUSU and hopefully reported on with progress.

Christian Cueva

Peru & Universidad San Martín

Peru were an enjoyable team to watch at times and it's a shame the hosts are out of the tournament. Cueva was their best player and was very lively throughout the first group stage. Didn't score himself but assisted several and looks like a technically gifted and creative player.

Yohandry Orozco

Venezuela & Wolfsburg

Due to his constantly impressive performances throughout the first round Orozco has been one of the most talked about players at the tournament. He played well every game for Venezuela and looks like a special talent. How about this goal against Peru? Sealed a deadline day switch to Wolfsburg and is without question a name to remember

Darwin Rios

Bolivia & Guabirá

Apologies for poor quality picture on this guy. Bolivia have had a pretty forgettable tournament only picking up one point (albeit against Brazil) and only scoring three goals. This man got all three and he will be watched in future games.

Oscar Ruiz

Paraguay (Free Agent)

Paraguay were perhaps a little unlucky to go out at the first stage, they have a few talented players with Oscar Ruiz among them. Regularly links-up the play very nicely, has a good shot and can run with the ball. Got himself two goals against Colombia in the last game. Currently without a club so will be interesting to see who comes in for him.