U20 World Cup: were South Americans lucky in the draw?
Listen this article
Luck acted differently for the four South American teams. In LatinAmerican Post we review the possibilities of each one
Ecuador and Argentina, champion and runner-up, had less luck in the raffle held in Lodz of the FIFA U20 World Cup Poland 2019 than, in theory, Uruguay and Colombia, third and fourth in the last South American Cup. This after looking at how the six groups of the contest, that will be held from May 23 to June 16, turned out.
Leer en español: Mundial Sub20: ¿cómo les fue a los sudamericanos en el sorteo?
In LatinAmerican Post we complete the analysis of this important event, focused on the four South American nations, all with the possibility of reaching far in the championship and, why not, achieving the longed-for title for the continent. The stadium of Lodz, with capacity for 18 thousand spectators, will be the venue for the opening and the final of the contest.
Remember that the competition format establishes that the best two of each group classify, plus the four best third, so the options for reaching the last 16 are even greater. However, it should be noted that in these divisions it is much more difficult to predict results, because the generations are not the same as they were two years ago, and the fact that they are still under 20 makes their performance more unpredictable. Let's start from major to minor, that is, with the champion Ecuador.
Read also: A first preview of what the U20 World Cup will be
In the ceremony, it was determined that the first two rivals of Ecuador's soccer team will be in Bysgoszcz, in what looks like an ascending calendar according to the competitors in Group B. Ecuador will debut against Japan on May 23, then on the 26th it will face Italy and finally, in Gdynia, will measure forces with Mexico, according to what El Comercio reported.
Jorge Célico and his boys, among whom the striker Leonardo Campana stands out, will have to maintain the level shown in the South American Cup to come out well in a group that is the most difficult for the South Americans. Ecuadorians will go from low to high against an always unpredictable Japan, an Italy that is among the three best in Europe and a powerful Mexican group, always a candidate in these categories. The objective? Reach the game against the Aztecs with at least 4 points.
Against another world champion
La Nación of Argentina briefly reviews the group of its national soccer team, which will look for its seventh star of the category. It will be part of the F group along with Portugal (two-time champion in the category), Republic of Korea (runner-up in his world championship in 2017) and South Africa (third in the Africa Cup).
The 'albiceleste' will start on May 25 against South Africa, in Tychy, then on May 28 it will play the hard commitment against Portugal in Bielsko-Biala, and it finishes on May 31, in Tychy, against Korea. Striker Adolfo Gaich is his main reference and one of the reasons why he believes they should advance in this closed batch.
The media recalled that Argentina is the national team with the most titles in this category, 6; followed by Brazil, 5 —and the great disappointment of not classifying—; Portugal and Serbia, 2; and France, England, Ghana, Spain, Germany and the Soviet Union with 1 each. That historical weight factor cannot be overlooked.
The most favored of all?
The luckiest of them all was Uruguay, who was South American champion in 2017, then fourth in the South Korea World Cup that same year and now qualified again as third in America. Without a doubt, a process with regularity, although they no longer count on Fabián Coito, the technician who was in those three mentioned tournaments, now the coach Honduras' national soccer team.
El Comercio revealed that the 'celestes' were placed in the C group next to Honduras, New Zealand, and Norway, three rivals apparently accessible and without a lot of experience in the category, being also seeded. According to La República, Gustavo Ferreyra's team will debut at the Widzew Stadium in Lodz, on May 24, against Norway.
Then it will face Honduras on May 27 and close against New Zealand on May 30. The experience and the quality of his best player, Nicolas Schiappacasse, the aforementioned regularity of the process, its performances official national teams tournaments give the 'charrúas' a very clear degree of favoritism in this group. Not classifying would be a failure.
With old acquaintances and a very accessible rival
We close with Colombia, fourth of America, a team that defends very well but needs to improve the definition to aspire high in the World Cup, because they have talent. RCN Radio informed the calendar of the national team, with a tough debut against the host Poland on May 23, then against Senegal on May 26 and a very favorable close, especially if it comes with points, against Tahiti, which for many it is not only the weakest of the group but of the whole championship. Therefore, if the coach Arturo Reyes gets the ideal partner for Yeison Toloza, it will be a team that will have to be respected.
Espn Deportes analyzes Colombia's main rival, Poland, which is led by Dariusz Dźwigała, who, although it failed in his attempt to qualify for the U19 European Championship, is a serious and dangerous team. Their best players are forward David Kopacz, (Borussia Dortmund), midfielder Mikołaj Kwietniewski (Fulham), and defender Adam Chrzanowski (Lechia Gdańsk).
LatiAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano
Translated from "Mundial Sub20: ¿cómo les fue a los sudamericanos?
