Alan Minda and Patrickson Delgado, among the young talents who will seek to shine in the South American sub-20

The South American U-20 tournament kicks off this Thursday in Colombia with a golden opportunity for the region’s leagues: to display their best youth values ​​after a four-year hiatus in the category due to the pandemic.

With few exceptions, the coaches of the ten teams that will participate in the tournament made use of the local quarries to make up their rosters, given the refusal of many European teams to give up their players for the tournament, which awards four places to the World Cup in the category that it will start in May in Indonesia.

The mini-Tri arrives in Colombia to defend the South American U-20 title

The host Colombia is the team with the most chips in the old world (3), surpassing the giants Brazil (1) and Argentina (2), with whom it shares Group A. Peru (1) and Paraguay, made up entirely of players from the local milieu , complete the so-called Group of death.

In zone B, Uruguay and Bolivia called two European soccer players each. Defending champion Ecuador brought a single player from across the Atlantic, as did Venezuela. Chile, for its part, is fully played by talents from the local contest.

Javier Mascherano, Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Bran, among the young coaches who will debut in the South American sub-20

“This category is the most complicated of all in terms of player loans. In an Under-17 team, it is convenient for every coach that their players go to the national team because they can grow with the elite competition,” Colombian sports analyst Tiago Aristi told AFP.

In the Sub-20, on the other hand, there are players who are already active in elite leagues where the teams see youth competitions as a matter of a lower level, Aristi completes.

Patrickson Delgado, the Ajax B midfielder called to be the banner of Ecuador in the South American U-20 in Colombia

The action starts on Thursday in Group A with the Peru-Brazil and Colombia-Paraguay games, which will be played at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali, like the entire initial phase. Argentina is free.

On Friday Group B will begin with the duel between Bolivia and Venezuela followed by Ecuador vs. Chili. Uruguay debuts on the second date.

Each group delivers three slots to the final hexagonal, which will be played in Bogotá from January 31. The best three will also play the Santiago-2023 Pan American Games.

“Responsibility”

The coach of the Brazilian team -punished by the absence of Endrick, the brand new signing of Real Madrid- always knew what to expect:

“Since I took office, I already knew about this difficulty because it was not a FIFA date,” said coach Ramon Menezes, before flying to Colombia.

The center forward Victor Roque, from Athletico Paranaense, and the winger Sávio, from PSV of the Netherlands – the only one to play in a foreign team of the 23 players called up – are emerging as the main figures of the Canarinha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIDHgx_FPQ

In Argentina, Real Madrid’s left-footed midfielder, Nico Paz, shone in the last preparatory friendly, in which the Albiceleste defeated Barracas Central 1-0.

“We are happy, grateful to the Argentine clubs that have given us all the players,” said coach Javier Mascherano upon his arrival in Cali, where the Albiceleste will debut against Paraguay on Saturday.

‘El jefecito’, however, will not be able to count on Alejandro Garnacho, who is already taking off at Manchester United. Facundo Buonanotte, an attacking midfielder recently acquired by Brighton & Hove, from the Premier League, is in the squad.

At the last minute, the hosts Colombia had to say goodbye to their main star, the attacker Jhon Jáder Durán, called on Tuesday to join the training sessions of his new team, Aston Villa.

The Colombian Football Federation left the door open for Durán to rejoin the group, to qualify for the final hexagonal.

DT Héctor Cárdenas will have three other foreign players: the Colombian-Russian Alexei Rojas, from London Arsenal; Isaac Zuleta, from Getafe, and defender Juan David Fuentes, from FC Barcelona.

For its part, Paraguay entrusts itself to the imbalance of the small midfielder Matías Segovia from the local Guaraní to alleviate the absences of Julio Enciso and Hugo Cuenca, players from Brighton and AC Milan respectively.

“We have guys who are playing in the First Division, a high level,” DT Aldo Bobadilla harangued.

Peru will seek to surprise in the area, relying on its right-back Kluiverth Aguilar, from Belgian Lommel SK.

Tricolor Harvest

A new group of Ecuadorian soccer players is called to revalidate the conquest of the tricolor in the past South American sub-20, played in Chile in 2019.

“It’s a whole new generation four years apart. But he has the base of Independiente del Valle and I think he has to fight” for the title with Argentina and Brazil, says Aristi.

Midfielders Alan Minda -who plays for the current Copa Sudamericana champion- and Patrickson Delgado, from Ajax Amsterdam, stand out in the group led by Jimmy Bran.

Uruguay, with the promising Facundo González del Valenci at the back and Real Madrid attacker Álvaro Rodríguez at the forefront, is called to play the zone with the tricolor, just like Venezuela.

Chile, for its part, is smacking its lips with the opportunity to locate youth players like Lucas Assadi and Darío Osorio, from the University of Chile, abroad. Bolivia called seven players from Bolívar, the current champion of the local tournament, to the tournament. (D)