U.S. U-17 Men's CONCACAF Championship semifinal preview

With a place at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup already sealed, the U.S. is set for a semifinal match Friday against host Jamaica at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. A capacity crowd is expected at Catherine Hall Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET. The match will be shown live on ESPN3, ESPN Deportes and streamed live at CONCACAF.com.

THEN THERE WERE FOUR: All four of the CONCACAF representatives for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup have been decided, with the four quarterfinal winners advancing. Panama, Canada, Jamaica and the U.S. will join host Mexico for the event, which kicks off on June 18 across seven Mexican cities. It will be the first FIFA U-17 World Cup for Panama, the first since 1995 for Canada and first since 1999 for Jamaica. The U.S. has continued its streak of being the only nation to have qualified for all 14 FIFA U-17 World Cups. In the mean time, the four will compete for the regional title with a CONCACAF champion being crowned for the first time since 1996.

CONCACAF U-17 Championship Semifinal
Feb. 25   Panama vs. Canada   4 p.m.   Catherine Hall Stadium; Montego Bay, Jamaica  
Feb. 25   USA vs. Jamaica   7 p.m.   Catherine Hall Stadium; Montego Bay, Jamaica  
Feb. 27   Third Place Game   4 p.m.   Catherine Hall Stadium; Montego Bay, Jamaica  
Feb. 27   Final   7 p.m.   Catherine Hall Stadium; Montego Bay, Jamaica 

SELL OUT EXPECTED: The support of the Jamaicans for the U-17 national team has been palpable in Montego Bay and everywhere we go, people know who we are and why we’re here. We’re not expecting them to be cheering for us on Friday night, but we are expecting a capacity crowd at Catherine Hall Stadium. Jamaica has sold out their home games so far, and has already turned that support into a World Cup berth. The fans here are hoping they can help continue the Reggae Boyz run to the CONCACAF championship, while the U.S. will be looking to fend off what is sure to be a raucous atmosphere.

FIRST THROUGH THE GROUP: The U.S. has picked up three straight wins thus far in this tournament, earning a 3-1 opening win against Cuba and topping Panama 1-0 to round out Group B play. Andrew Oliver netter twice for the U.S. in the two group games to help his team finish first and move on to the all-important quarterfinal game against El Salvador.

OUTLASTING EL SALVADOR: It took all 120 minutes, but the U.S. was able to knock off El Salvador in overtime of their quarterfinal match. Two early goals – Alejandro Guido’s in the fourth minute and Salvadoran Jose Peña’s in the ninth – left the match at 1-1 through 90 minutes. Into the extra periods, Mario Rodriguez added an American goal in the 95th minute and Marc Pelosi tallied what would be the game-winner in the 112th minute. Gerardo Iraheta capitalized on a penalty kick in the 115th minute, but El Salvador was unable to mount enough of a comeback.

U.S. CONCACAF U-17 Championship Results
Feb. 14   Cuba   3-1 W   Koroma, E. Rodriguez, Oliver  
Feb. 18   Panama   1-0 W   Oliver  
Feb. 22   El Salvador   3-2 W