Record 39 CONCACAF teams to compete in 2017 Boys’ U-15 C/ship…Guyana drawn on group F with Suriname, St. Lucia & St. Kitts
Aug 12, 2017 , http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....e-st-lucia-st-kitts/
Miami – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) yesterday announced the divisions, groups and match schedule for the 2017 CONCACAF Under-15 Championship, set to be the largest CONCACAF tournament ever, including 39 Member Associations and over 700 youth players from across the CONCACAF region.
The developmental tournament, which will take place from August 13-19 and features 81 total matches, will be played entirely at the world-renowned IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida.
”The size and scope of this tournament will ensure all 39 of the participating CONCACAF Member Associations and their young players obtain a tremendous amount of valuable experience,” said CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “The partnership with IMG Academy and the unique division-structured format of the competition provides for the best developmental opportunities for hundreds of players and coaches from countries stretching from north to south of our Confederation.”
To ensure sporting balance and fully leverage this unique development opportunity for the full contingent of young CONCACAF players, participating associations will be divided into division play in which all 39 teams are guaranteed a maximum amount of competitive matches throughout the week.
The structure includes three separate divisions, with seeding based on each MA’s performance over the last three editions of the CONCACAF Under-17 Men’s Championship, as well as qualifying for that event. Within each division, the participating teams have been divided into groups of four teams (with one group of three) for round-robin play.
CONCACAF Under-15 Championship 2017 Divisions and Groups
Division One (8)
Group A: Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama
Group B: United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago
Division Two (15)
Group C: Cuba, El Salvador, Bermuda, Martinique
Group D: Haiti, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Curacao
Group E: Barbados, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico
Group F: St Lucia, Suriname, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis
Division Three (16)
Group G: Aruba, Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Saint Martin
Group H: Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, Sint Maarten
Group I: Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, French Guiana, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Group J: British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos Islands
For the group stage, all participating teams will play in a round-robin format.
The top two teams from each of the two Division One groups, after group stage matches have been completed, will qualify to the semifinals of the tournament. The winners on the semifinals will dispute the Final on August 17, 2017.
Division Two and Division Three teams will continue play, according to their ranking after group play and their subsequent results, through the last match day to determine final tournament positions.
Honduras captured the inaugural version of the CONCACAF Boys Under-15 Championship in 2013, topping a field of 22 teams in the Cayman Islands.
Guyana play St. Kitts and Nevis on Monday from 11:00hrs in their opening match followed by a clash against Suriname on Monday before taking on St. Lucia on Thursday.