Canada downs Puerto Rico to secure qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup
Canada booked its ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 3-0 win Wednesday over Puerto Rico within the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship.
Kyler Vojvodic, Antoine N’Diaye and Lazar Stefanovic scored at Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores.
The goal-scorers represented the academies of all three Canadian MLS groups with Vojvodic from the Vancouver Whitecaps, N’Diaye from CF Montreal and Stefanovic from Toronto FC.
“I’m proud of the boys. They did everything we asked,” stated Canada coach Andrew Olivieri. “They managed the game well today but they managed their emotions even better.”
The 4 semifinalists on the 20-team CONCACAF event, which runs by way of Sunday, advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in November. The world championship was initially slated for 2021 however was postponed due to the pandemic.
Mexico and the U.S. certified with quarterfinal wins Tuesday. Defending CONCACAF champion Mexico blanked El Salvador 2-0 whereas the U.S., runner-up in 2019, beat host Guatemala 5-3.
Panama met Honduras within the late quarterfinal Wednesday.
Canada will face the U.S. Friday in a rematch of the 2019 semifinal received 4-0 by the Americans.
Vojvodic opened the scoring within the eighth minute, heading residence an ideal cross from Jeevan Badwal. N’Diaye added to the lead within the thirty sixth from the penalty spot after Lucas Ozimec was scythed down within the field by Puerto Rico captain Eitan Solomiany.
Stefanovic made it 3-0 within the fifty fifth from simply exterior the penalty field with a low free kick that went previous the Puerto Rican defensive wall into the nook of the objective.
Canada moved into the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Haiti on Saturday. Puerto Rico, which superior on to the knockout spherical through final fall’s CONCACAF U-17 qualifying occasion, dispatched Costa Rica in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie in round-of-16 play.
Canada completed second in Group F with a 2-1-0 report, beating Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 and Barbados 2-0 earlier than falling 1-0 to the Americans.
The three high groups in every of the 4 opening-round teams superior to the knockout part, becoming a member of Puerto Rico and fellow qualifiers Bermuda, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic within the spherical of 16.
Canada has been to seven of the previous 18 males’s U-17 World Cups, internet hosting the occasion in 1987. It has by no means superior previous the group stage and went 0-3-0 final outing in Brazil in 2019.
Mexico received the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in 2019, defeating the U.S. 2-1 after additional time within the remaining at Bradenton, Fla. It was the Mexicans’ eighth title at this age stage.
