By DAN KARELL
The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team now knows their path to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup next fall in Chile.
The U.S. was drawn on Monday morning into Group A of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship, with the top four finishers all advancing to the World Cup. Joining the USA in Group A is host Honduras, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, and either El Salvador or Guatemala, who will play each other in a two-legged playoff to determine who makes it to the CONCACAF Championship.
The USA avoided Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico in the group stage, but could still face them in the playoff round. St. Lucia, Haiti, and Panama were also drawn in Group B. Group A will play their matches at the Estadio Francisco Morazán and Group B matches will take place at the Estadio Olimpico. Both stadiums are located in San Pedro Sula.
After five group stage matches, the top team in each group automatically qualifies for the U-17 World Cup.
The teams that finish in second and third place in each group will also be re-seeded by group stage results, with the best ranked team playing the fourth-best and second-ranked team playing the third best. The winners of those two matches will qualify for the U-17 World Cup as well.
The U.S. will kick off the group stage against Cuba on Feb. 27. Then they’ll face Trinidad and Tobago on March 2, either El Salvador or Guatemala on March 5, Honduras on March 5, and Jamaica on March 11. If the U.S. U-17s finish in the top three, they’ll play one more match on March 14.
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