Although they don’t start out as favorites, the young Cubans could turn up a surprise against the canaleros. Author: CONCACAF

This Sunday, the Cuban under-17 men’s football team won’t have much margin for error in the Concacafe World Cup, hosted by Guatemala. Having overcome the group stage, in which they lost twice before beating Guadalupe (4-0) and reaching the 1/8 finals, the young version of Leones del Caribe will have to find fault to continue the fight for the long-awaited ticket to the rendezvous with the sphere

However, the fact that they made it through the qualifying round and made it to the playoffs is no reason to be happy at the moment.

During the first matches they played in Group G, against Jamaica (2-4) and Costa Rica (0-4), it was noted that the guys, led by Sandro Sevillano from Artemis, had mistakes in defense and tactics that may pay dearly against the Panamanian. eleven.

Later, against a team from Guadeloupe, they managed to come out much more organized and not only keep a clean sheet, but also use their talent in midfield and attack to crush their Caribbean neighbors and take third place. a key position, the last of which gave access to the 1/8 finals.

Although the defense has not always been completely successful, a hard-working team with enough potential to create a game has been seen on the pitch.

At the level of names, two with the surname Reynoso stood out the most: Didier and Yasniel. The former was the main star of the squad, with three goals and one assist, and what they can achieve against the Canaleros depends a lot on him.

“It was a real pleasure to get here and now we have high hopes of qualifying for the World Championship,” he told Jit from competition headquarters.

For his part, Yasniel is Didier’s companion at the front and therefore becomes his closest squire and thus the other great man responsible for getting a projectile into the opponent’s goal.

Also worth mentioning is the wonderful performance of Lisardo Hernandez and Jade Quiñones, two midfielders with a long history and a split who will have to contribute in all sorts of roles to help the rest of the team have more balance and the help they need in both halves. court games.

The test against the istmeño team will not be easy at all. Cuba will start with a clear contender label against a group that has more flying hours at a higher level than our guys. There are chances of winning, of course. It’s an eleven-on-eleven game, after all, where – in theory – everyone gets a chance to smile.

If they win, then the next opponent and the last hurdle to a Peru-hosted World Cup will be Honduras, one of the Concacafe giants. Needless to say, the stumbling block presented by the katrachos is of biblical proportions.

Likewise, “surprise” is a variable, although the further you go the less you can force a probabilistic problem. Be that as it may, today we will have to be aware and encourage the young people who, in the Doroteo Guamuch Flores, in the capital of Chapina, will try to do their best to get closer to a ticket to the 2023 World Cup in Peru.

Source: Juventud Rebelde