In a little over a week the FIFA Under-20 World Cup will kick off in Canada. When you consider the impact that Toronto FC of MLS has already made it is turning out to be a banner – perhaps pivotal year – for the game in Canada.

This is the first in a series of Under-20 World Cup blogs that will run from now until the Final on July 22 in Toronto. Although watching all 52 matches might prove to be a couple of games too far my intention is to watch – and attend – as many as I can. 

To start off here are a few articles and some information on the tournament.

This is the link to the official FIFA Under-20 World Cup site.

You can find details of previous tournaments back to the inaugural event in 1977 in Tunisia along with the winners. You would not have to be overly perceptive to notice that Brazil and Argentina have dominated this competition while Portugal and Spain have also achieved some success. So why have Brazil and Argentina been successful? A seemly endless production line of talent definitely helps although a recent article in FourFourTwo that focused on how Brazilian clubs develop talent shows that their success is far from happenstance.

In a Champions Magazine interview with Claudio Borghi the legendary Argentine playmaker and now coach of Colo Colo provide his insight into why South American countries continue to produce such great players. Borghi believes that it is the upside of European teams continually raiding South American clubs. “It’s like having a fast-food concept. Players are being sold all the time, and you must be expert in gambling on the club’s youth system. In Europe, 17-year-olds wouldn’t be able to stand the pressure of playing finals as they do here.”

Over the next week or so I will be posting some pen-pixs of players who may arrive in Canada relatively unknown but who may leave as global superstars-in-waiting. 

A story about preparations in Victoria.

And the not unexpected speculation about the return of professional soccer to Victoria. You can expect this to be one in a long line of articles that will touch on the same subject. My guess is that someone will raise the issue of a new Canadian Soccer league well before the end of the first week of competition.

Ticket problems in Victoria. Far be it for me to point out that there were no such double-headers at last summer’s World Cup in Germany.

TV broadcast schedule in the USA.

In Canada all the games will be on either CBC or a digital cable channel Country Canada. For Canadian viewers FSR's Mitch Peacock will be working many of the matches for CBC.

This journalist reckons the Gambia Under-20 team will be playing in the cold white north when the tournament kicks-off.

Rank outsiders New Zealand prepare for the tournament.

An article on ticket sales. You too can cringe at the Edmonton spokesperson’s comment.

The USA squad was announced late last week.

A regular blog reader and poster Miro has forwarded the following information about the Czech Republic team. “The Czech Coach,Miroslav Soukup,named his 21 men roster for the U-20 WC.The players and coaching staff are pretty much the same group from the U-19 Euro,last July, where they ended up Bronze.
He is missing 2 players ,who are with the U-21's at the Euro in Holland, one that got injured in the friendly vs Congo, last week and one wasn't released by the Club (because of injuries during season).He says that because they had a large pool to pick from, they have pretty much a complete squad.
The Head of The Delegation is Rudolf Bata, the Honorary Chairman of the Czech Football Association, son of Tomas Bata, the shoe magnate, who are all back operating their 'empire" in the Czech Rep, after being forced to move to Canada, after the 2nd WW.
They will fly to Edmonton on the 16th on Saturday, play a friendly vs the home team of Canada on Monday (the game was abandoned at 0-0 due to bad weather) and another one vs Korea in Toronto on the 23rd of June.

They will play the first WC game vs. favorite Argentina on the 30th of June in Ottawa.”

You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that think might be of interest about the 24 countries and I will post a selection regularly. However, I’m not holding my breath thinking I’m going to get much on North Korea. If you have a blog and you have information on the tournament please post your link under comments.

FSWR's Mitch Peacock is in Dallas for the MLS Final tomorrow. Here are some of his thoughts.

"Several things struck me while working at Pizza Hut Park Saturday...
 
One, there really are alot of great people working around the League. From MLS staffers, to my colleagues in the media, to the two teams battling for the title on Sunday...friendly, approachable, and passionate about the game.
 
Two, that passion is just as strong in the people paying to watch MLS. Fans young and old enjoying a host of football-related activities in and around the Stadium. Folks in shirts and hats and club colors of all sorts - creating a buzz not only about Sunday's Final but about the sport in general and that's a good omen for the future of the game in our part of the world.
 
Which brings me to three, the future, kids love this sport and the ones I saw around our hotel and at the Stadium were not just kids who play soccer but kids for whom soccer is a big part of their lives.
 
I wasn't that well versed on things when the NASL boomed and then when bust so I don't know what the energy was around the game at that time, but with what I saw Saturday plus a League working hard to spread the word and the start of more extensive TV coverage of the MLS-version of the world's game we may really be on the cusp of an new era for the football here."

Hopefully more from Mitch tomorrow.