Congo beats Canada and so the four best third place finishers come from groups A, B, C and D. The draw for the last sixteen is now final and on side one its Austria vs. Gambia; USA vs. Uruguay; Spain vs. Brazil; Japan vs. Czech Republic.
On side two it is Chile vs. Portugal; Zambia vs. Nigeria; Argentina vs. Poland; Mexico vs. Congo.
In the quarter final round it will Austria or Gambia vs. USA or Uruguay and so on. The winner of that quadrant will play the winner of Spain or Brazil vs. Japan or the Czech Republic.
I'm heading to Toronto to cover the USA vs. Uruguay and Argentina vs. Poland games.
The remaining federation was Oceania represented by New Zealand who finished last in group C. Unlike the World Cup where you often have countries from the same federation drawn in the same group the under-20 tournament has no such duplication. It can make for some interesting comparisons.
Both South America (four for four) and Africa (four for four) lead the qualifiers based on home federation. UEFA has more countries in the last sixteen (5) with Scotland failing to move on from group F. CONCACAF have two countries out of a possible five qualify while only Japan out of the four Asian representatives have been successful.
Points gained by federation after the first group round:
FEDERATION P Pts % South America 12 21 58 Africa 12 21 58 Uefa 15 24 53 Concacaf 15 20 44 Asia 12 12 33 Oceania 3 0 0
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
Scotland fans are well use to failures at World Cups. But as of last night Scotland has now taken it to a different level. Scotland’s last second loss to Costa Rica meant that not only are they heading home across the Atlantic but they also reduced the host country Canada’s chances of moving into the last sixteen. You invite someone to your party and they “water” your living room carpet!!
Yesterday was not a good day for the host nation as the options for qualifying for the knock stages eroded as the day went on. Prior to group B action the best scenario for Canada was this.
What Canada needs to do to definitely move on. Must win (against Congo) and… Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or….. Zambia and Jordan don’t win.
But Zambia did win.
And so before Group F action it had been reduced to – Update - What Canada must do to move on. 1. Must beat Congo and… 2. Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or if Scotland or Costa Rica win….. 3. Canada must then win by enough goals to finish with a better record than the other countries that finish third with three points.
But Costa Rica did win and so we are down to essentially two games that will decide Canada’s fate.
First of all here is a recap of the process to decide the four best place finishers from FIFA.com. “The four best place finishers will be determined by; most points gained in group matches, goal difference in all group matches, most goals scored in all group matches, fair play system in which the number of yellow and red cards are evaluated, drawing of lots”.
So applying the tie breaker rule we know that after yesterday’s games that North Korea is definitely going home (only two points) while Brazil (3 points and a minus 1 goal differential but have scored 2 more goals than Costa Rica) is moving on. Zambia’s win pushed Uruguay into third place but with four points they make it to the last sixteen with at least a point to spare.
So that leaves two of four spots for the best third place finishers left to fill. The teams that are left to fight it out are Portugal, Gambia, New Zealand, Canada, Congo and Costa Rica.
As they say in golf, Costa Rica is in the club house and they have set the bar (or is it they are sitting at the bar?). Here is each of the team’s positions.
Although on paper New Zealand is still in with a chance they are at a severe disadvantage. They are the only country left that could win today (against Mexico) and still finish bottom of their group. Because Portugal plays Gambia and Congo plays Canada a win for any of these countries means that they are guaranteed to finish no lower than third. So we are going to discount the chance that the Kiwis and fate can conspire to produce an unprecedented set of results and focus on the other four.
Portugal is clearly in the best position to move on and can afford to lose 2-0 to Gambia and still qualify because of goals scored. If Gambia can score the first goal then Portugal might be more inclined to cruise rather than chasing a game and possibly being hit on the break and losing heavily.
That's an advantage to Gambia but conversely they sit in a rather precarious position because of their goal differential of -2. Canada and Costa Rica especially will be hoping that Portugal can win. That scenario would put Costa Rica through. Canada would also then move on if they beat Congo (by any score) and Gambia lost by two goals to Portugal. A two goal win for Portugal is clearly the best case scenario for Canada.
If Portugal only wins by one goal then Canada should be hoping that Gambia is shut out in the process. A high scoring one goal win for Portugal would require Canada to exceed Portugal’s high scoring one goal of a difference win or beat Congo by two clear goals. If Portugal scores first then Gambia will have nothing to lose by piling forward.
Unfortunately for Canada there is one more possibility which may actually be the most likely outcome of the Portugal and Gambia match-up. A draw would mean that the group positions would stay as they are and both Gambia and Portugal would move on. That would leave Canada needing a three goal win to move on at the expense of Costa Rica.
No matter the outcome of the late afternoon games we know that when Congo and Canada kick’s off tonight both countries will know what is required. In the case of Congo they know already. A win puts them through to the last sixteen – with the possibility that they could still finish second in the group. A draw does neither country any good and so if we get an early first goal then the other side is going to be forced forward which could mean a lot more opportunities at both ends. The first goal in any game is critical but even more so tonight.
Latest Betting on today's games
Canada 2/1, Draw 11/5, Congo 11/10.
New Zealand 10/1, Draw 9/2, Mexico 2/11.
Portugal 4/5, Draw 7/4, Gambia 4/1. (I like the odds on a win by Gambia)
FIFA Under-20 World Cup Champion
Argentina 3/1, Mexico 4/1, Spain 7/1, USA 8/1, Portugal 9/1, Nigeria 10/1, Uruguay 11/1, Brazil 11/1, Chile 12/1, Japan 14/1, Czech Republic 20/1, Poland 33/1, Zambia 50/1, Austria 50/1, Costa Rica 125/1, Congo 200/1, Gambia 200/1, Canada 300/1, New Zealand 500/1.
Has there ever been a time when you could get odds of 11/1 on Brazil in a men’s international tournament at the last sixteen stage?
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.You can also check out the National Post blog.
The evening started at supper time with Mexico vs. Chile in the Copa America. The scoreless draw guaranteed that Chile moves on. In turn, that means that Brazil needs only needs one point from their game against Ecuador to move into the last eight.
Ecuador needs to win 2-0 to stand any chance of qualifying for the last eight while the USA’s remote chance of making past the group stage is even more unlikely than it was before this evening. (Warning - if you are taping the Brazil – Ecuador game don’t read to the end of the blog!)
I switched games with around half an hour left in the Mexico game and moved to Japan against Costa Rica in the FIFA under-20 World Cup. With five games also going on in MLS tonight there is no shortage of games to keep up with.
The Japan – Costa Rica match was largely disappointing with Japan unable to show the same jump that was on show against Canada on Sunday. Japan still had the better of the first half but failed to create many clear cut chances. It was Costa Rica’s Steven Perez missed the best chance of the first half when he turned the Japanese defender but shot wide with only the keeper to beat.
The only game of the game came with around a quarter of the game left. Japan was able to work Umesaki clear on the left side of the penalty box and he delivered a perfect feed to Tanaka who had to only redirect the ball into the net from four yards out.
As fulltime beckoned the Ticos’ attacks grew more desperate and only a fine save from Japanese keeper Hayashi with a minute or so left ensured that his side moved into the last sixteen with two straight wins.
Just as he did in the game against Scotland full back Michihiro Yasuda caught the eye with his runs forward and raking cross field passes. We have yet to see how strong he is defensively because after two games he has not been tested.
Then it was over to Brazil vs. Ecuador. Put it this way – the half time highlights could have been dumped and nothing much missed. When a goal finally came early in the second half it was probably fitting that it came from a penalty kick which was awarded after Robinho went looking for an Ecuadorian leg to follow in the box.
The game played out with little else in terms of goal scoring chances and Brazil turned in another stuttering performance. The USA can no longer qualify for the last eight and has only pride to play for tomorrow against Colombia.
Scotland and Nigeria is next.
Tournament Notes
From FIFA.com, “Argentina's 4 goals in 7 minutes against Panama is a record in any FIFA U-20 competition. In previous matches Brazil have managed twice, in 1997, to score 4 goals in 9 minutes. Firstly in their 10-3 win against Korea Republic. Adailton took the score to 2:0 in the 30th minute and to 5:0 by the 39th. The second time, in the same tournament, was in their 10-0 win against Belgium. Roni scored in the 78th minute, Adailton in the 82nd, Alex in the 85th, and Junior in the 87th. Mexico also scored four goals in ten minutes in 1977 against Tunisia (6:0) as did Chile against Honduras in 2005 (7:0).”
“With three goals against Poland, USAs Freddy Adu is the only player to have scored a hattrick in both FIFA youth tournaments. Adu also scored 3 goals on 14 August 2003 in their 6-1 win against Korea Republic in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Coincidentally both matches ended with the same result”.
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
At half time in the Japan – Scotland broadcast CBC anchor Scot Russell said to analyst Bob Lenarduzzi, “Japan and Scotland, a contrast in styles.” Lenarduzzi then went on to say something about Japan employing a slow build up while Scotland was much more direct.
A less politically correct and honest assessment would have been that it had nothing to do with contrasting styles. What it really came down to was that Japan knew how to play the game while Scotland was clueless.
What a sad advertisement for what is supposed to be Scotland’s brightest and best footballing talent. A team better suited to running into brick walls rather than trying to propel a ball a few yards to a player in the same coloured jersey.
The play-by-play announcer said early in the game that the Scottish team typified all the qualities of their coach Archie Gemmill. Obviously, he must have been talking about a different Archie Gemmill. The one I remember played for St. Mirren and Preston North End before finding success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. The Gemmill I remember was a player that played with speed of thought, inventiveness and drive while understanding the value of maintaining possession.
A bit like this Japanese team in fact. Although Japan eventually won the match 3-1 they would have not been flattered by a five or six goal margin of victory. In every area of the field Japan showed poise and had a team cohesiveness that was never part of Scotland’s repertoire.
The back four looked very solid with Kashiwagi, Morishima and Umesaki also catching the eye. The one area where Japan needs to improve is their finishing. To often chances were passed up and if that habit continues better teams will make them pay a higher price.
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
Group F (Victoria, Vancouver) Japan, Scotland, Costa Rica and Nigeria.
Japan arrives at this tournament with a solid record of achievement. Five times in the last six tournaments Japan has made it to knock out stage. On three of those occasions they made it the last eight while in 1999 in Nigeria Japan lost 4-0 to Spain in the final. Frenchman Philippe Troussier, who went on to lead Japan at the 2002 World Cup, had players such as Junichi Inamoto, Shinji Ono and Naohiro Takehara available to him.
Coach Yasushi Yoshida arrives with a team that likely has as much promise as the 1999 edition. Tsukasa Umesaki (Oita Trinita) has already been capped by Japan at the senior level while centre half Yohei Fukumoto (Oita Trinita), Yosuke Kashiwagi (Sanfreece Hiroshima), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers), and Atomu Tanaka (Albirex Niigata) are all highly touted.
Japan finished second to North Korea in Asian group qualifying having been beaten on penalties in the final. However, it is worth noting that the countries did play each other twice before in 2007 qualifying and Japan won 1-0 and 2-0.
Scotland is one of the surprise qualifiers in this tournament. Scotland took one of the two available spots in the qualifying round of European qualifying before being drawn into a group with France in the elite round. Most pundits expected a Scots’ exit but instead France stumbled when they played to a scoreless tie with Belarus. This left Scotland only needing to avoid defeat against France in order to move on. This they did courtesy of a Steven Fletcher (Hibs) goal.
Fletcher was again prominent in the final round of qualifying although both he and fellow striker Robert Snodgrass missed the final game loss to Spain. Unlike previous editions of Scottish teams at World Cup’s this squad appears to carry a fair amount of striking power. Both Fletcher and Snodgrass are in the Scottish squad while Calum Elliot (Hearts) and Graham Dorrans (Livingstone) also scored important goals during the qualifying rounds.
Lee Wallace (Hearts), Mark Reynolds (Motherwell) and Garry Kenneth (Dundee United) have all played for their clubs in the SPL. The heat of eastern Europe was a problem for Scotland last summer so being based in Victoria with it’s more moderate climate is a major break for the Scots.
Tommy Wilson, one of Scotland’s coaches told the Scotsman newspaper - "We use a lot of role models in video presentations to the boys as part of our preparations. For example, we use a lot of footage of Muhammad Ali, his quotes, clips of him in the gym and the way he totally dominated opponents with both his physical and mental approach.” We will see!!
Costa Rica finished second to Mexico in a two-part CONCACAF qualification process. This is Costa Rica’s fifth appearance in the finals – which considering Costa Rica’s status in CONCACAF is surprisingly low – and two appearances in the second round is the best they have done.
The majority of Coach Geovanny Alfaro’s squad is domestically based with only highly-regarded goalkeeper Alfonso Quesada and defender Dave Myrie (both Cadiz) playing abroad.
Jean Carlos Solorzano carries most of the goal scoring threat while Celso Borges is the creative force in midfield.
Striker Cesar Elizondo (Saprissa) and defender Rudy Dawson (Alajuela) are two other players who are regularly mentioned as key players.
It seems a regular occurrence for Nigeria to arrive in disarray at a major tournament and Canada 2007 seems to be no different. Cancelled training camps, funding disputes and criticism from home are only a few of the obstacles facing this Nigerian team. But perhaps the strangest thing about this squad is the total lack of players from the side that finished as runners-up to Argentina in 2005.
Seven players were eligible to compete again but not one has been named to this squad. What is more only two players out of the pool of twenty-one meet the maximum cut off criteria of 1987. Fourteen players have birth years of 1988 while the remaining five have 1989 listed.
Only four players are currently registered with foreign-based players. If you didn’t know any better you might think Nigeria is more interested in putting players in the shop-window than fielding the best available team.
However, having twice finished as runners-up and once in third place, Nigeria has shown in the past that raw talent can overcome administrative ineptitude so they should not be underestimated.
Predicted finish – 1.Japan, 2.Nigeria, 3.Scotland and 4. Costa Rica.
You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.
This is a game so instantly forgettable that I find it difficult to write something. Between the 30 yard marks it was a reasonably well played game. However, when it came to creating and executing chances both sides were as toothless as a Wednesday night bingo audience.
When you look at the standings it was a poorer result for Japan. They now need to beat Brazil and even so, it would not guarantee them a spot in the last sixteen. For Croatia they will be hoping for a Brazil win – scoreline irrelevant – that will set up a must-win game against the Aussies on Thursday.
Sami Al-Jaber scores less than three minutes after stepping onto the park.
A classic counter attack after the ball is headed clear from the Saudi penalty box and it is moved quickly through midfield until Al-Jaber finds himself one-on-one with the keeper.
He slots it home, a great example of how a team is most suseptible when it loses the ball.
Trabelsi awol on the goal.
A massive equalizer for Tunisia and the Ukraine. Three minutes into injury time and Bolton's Jaidi ties it up.
Jaidi makes and scores the goal after a long ball is pumped in. He outmuscles a defender to knock the ball down to Jaziri who crosses and Jaidi heads underneath the goalie.
What a fantastic last 10 minutes bettered only by Australia and Japan.
Next up for Saudi Arabia is Ukraine and for Tunisia it is Spain.
Man ot the match - Mohammed Noor. He ran his heart out and his prompting helped to pull Saudi Arabia back into this game.
Australia is struggling to create clear cut chances - in fact they are not creating any chances.
Not so quick. Chance for the Aussies as big Kennedy is fouled right on the edge of the penalty box. Viduka strikes it well with his right foot but the keeper saves well. I thought Kewell's left foot might have been a better option.
The Japanese defense is outnumbering the Aussies when they get close to the box.
Hiddink plays his last sub with Wilksire off and another strilker - Aloisi - on. Japan might catch Australia on the break.
Aloisi receives a welcome-to-the-game yellow card within two minutes - silly boy. Japan is getting the ball into wide positions when they break but the chances are being wasted.
Australia is pumping balls into the Japanese penalty box but the crosses are very poor.
Seven minutes and another free kick for Australia. Aliosi hits it ever so well but the keeper makes a great save.
Sam Allardyce would be proud. A long throw in drops to my boy Tim Cahill who slides it home. A massively important goal. Can Australia become the first team to come from a goal back to take a point?
They've just done better than that - Cahill does it again. He is such a cracking wee player!!!
The Japanese are stunned, shell-shocked and anything else you can think of.
And there is more - Aloisi runs through the Japanses defense to score and to cap the most sensational 10 minutes of this World Cup.
Just minutes ago the Aussie fans in the crowd looked like they had just been told that all the breweries had burned down and now they are set to drink K-town dry.
Viduka shows how brilliant he can be by playing in Bresciano with a cute back heel but the Parma player doesn't make good contact.
Japan go into the lead and it was a soft goal. Nakamura floats one in and Schwarzer makes a real bollocks of it. There was contact with Takahara but the referee - I'm assuming - judged that the Japanese player was pushed into the Aussie keeper.
I thought Schwarzer mistimed coming off his line and should have been able to take the ball in the air and to clean Takahara's clock at the same time.
This one has started very brightly - almost has a Premiership feel to it. It sounds as if there is a great atmosphere in the stadium.
I've avoided picking on the ESPN announcers but I can't let this one go - "Alex on the ball for Japan, certainly looks Brazilian." Maybe the name might have provided a clue that the Japanese player isn't born and bred.
Fifteen minutes gone and the game is still going from end-to-end. Viduka and Emerton are playing with fire in their bellies - Boro and Blackburn fans must be rubbing their eyes.
Australia need to get Bresciano and Kewell the ball.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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