CONCACAF qualifying set for U20 WWC in Germany and U17 WWC in T&T

The dates, venues and groups for the CONCACAF Women’s Championships ahead of the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany and the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago have been finalized.

The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team, led by head coach Jillian Ellis, will travel to Guatemala from Jan. 19-30, 2010, for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, an eight-team tournament that will send three nations to Germany. The matches will be played at the 17,000-seat Estadio Cementos Progreso. This is the first time a qualifying tournament for this age group has been held in Central America.

The event will consist of two groups of four teams each with the top two finishers after group play crossing over into semifinals. The winners of the semifinal matches and of the third-place match will qualify for the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Group A consists of Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and host Guatemala. Reigning U-20 world champion USA is up against Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago in Group B.

The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team, led by head coach Kazbek Tambi in his second cycle in charge of this age group, will travel to Costa Rica for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship being held March 9-20, 2010, at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa and Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in the San Jose area.

The tournament will also consist of two groups of four teams each with the top two finishers after group play crossing over into semifinals. However, with Trinidad & Tobago serving as hosts of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, this event will send just two nations to the tournament, meaning only the winners of the crucial semifinal matches will qualify.

The United States has been placed in Group B with host Costa Rica, Haiti and either the Dominican Republic or Cayman Islands, who must face each other in a two-leg playoff for the last of three berths from the Caribbean. Those matches are set for Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.

Group A will be comprised of Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama, who beat out El Salvador and Nicaragua last week at Estadio Virgilio Tejeira in Penonomé, Panama.

The United States has participated in all four FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, winning twice, including the first-ever tournament in 2002 when it was staged as a U-19 event in Canada. The 2004 tournament was also run as a U-19 event before moving to U-20s in 2006 and 2008, when the Americans took their second youth world title in Chile.

The USA won its group in CONCACAF qualifying in 2002 when there were no crossover matches with the other group. The USA fell to Canada in the championship game of the 2004 CONCACAF qualifying tournament in Canada, won the qualifying tournament in 2006 in Mexico and finished second to Canada again in the qualifying in 2008, also in Mexico.

The USA took first place in the only U-17 CONCACAF qualifying tournament held thus far, defeating Costa Rica in the title game during a competition held in T&T. The U-17s came within minutes of winning the first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, held in 2008 in New Zealand, but fell 2-1 in overtime to Korea DPR in the final.

The 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be staged in four German cities from July 13-Aug. 1. The 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be staged in two cities in Trinidad & Tobago (four stadiums on Trinidad and one on Tobago) from Sept. 5-25.

2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship Qualifying Tournament

Jan. 19-30, 2010

Estadio Cementos Progreso

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Group A: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala

Group B: USA, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica

2010 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship Qualifying Tournament

March 9-20, 2010

Estadio Ricardo Saprissa and Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto

San Jose, Costa Rica

Group A: Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama

Group B: USA , Costa Rica , Haiti, Dominican Republic or Cayman Islands