CONCACAF U-20
Tab Ramos has been involved in big competitions as a player, and now faces a big challenge as a coach.
Ramos leads the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National team into the CONCACAF U-20 Championship In Puebla, Mexico.
At stake is a berth in the 2013 FIFA World Cup later this summer in Turkey. The U.S. will open against Haiti on Feb. 18 All U.S. matches can be seen live on Fox Soccer channel.
“I believe we’re as ready as we can be” Ramos said of the way his team has prepared. “We’ve had eight camps already (this past year) and in this particular group we have guys who have all been here (in Mexico) before.
“We have players who are prepared and we’ve had a couple of great weeks of training. We are training in great facilities, playing in an excellent stadium, the temperature should be OK, so there are really no excuses for us but to do the best we can and try to get to this first game.”
Following the Haiti game the U.S. will take on Costa Rica on February 22.
The U.S., Haiti and Costa Rica are in Group A, while Canada, Cuba and Nicaragua are in Group B. Group C includes Jamaica, Panama, and Puerto Rico. Group D features Curacao, El Salvador and Mexico.
The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals, which is the most important round in the tournament. That is because the top four teams will advance to the World Cup.
This year marks the 24th occasion in which the U.S. U-20 MNT is competing in the CONCACAF Youth Tournament or Championship. The USA is looking to qualify for its 13th FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Ramos’ roster is a blend of young professionals and top collegiate players, including several Generation adidas signees who were drafted by MLS teams in January.
Ramos is looking to the more experienced players for leadership during the regional qualifyinig.
“It is very important for us that the guys who have been associated with this particular age group – guys like Luis Gil, Jose Villarreal, Mario Rodriguez, Caleb Stanko, who’s a leader on the team, and Cody Cropper, who has been here before – are really up to task when game time comes and that they’re the ones who lead the way for us to get to the next round,” said Ramos.
Villarreal is the leading goal scorer on the team with four goals in six U-20 MNT matches heading into the tournament. Midfielder Mikey Lopez and defender Boyd Okwuonu lead the team in appearances with 11 games apiece heading into the tournament.
On opening with Haiti, Ramos commented, “They’re a very technical team. They move a lot without the ball and they’re very honest workers on the ball and without it.
“The key is going to be in us trying to keep the ball away from their two central midfielders. They keep the ball well and they distribute for the whole team. If we can win our matchup in the middle of the field, we’re going to be in good shape.”