Mexico, USA headline first day of action at CMU17 | OneFootball

MIAMI, Florida – The 2023 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship in Guatemala kicks off on Saturday with the teams from Group E and Group F in action, headlined by reigning champions Mexico and three-time winners the United States.

The Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City will be the site for the two games in Group E, beginning with Mexico taking on Curacao.

It is just the second meeting all-time between the two nations at the CMU17, with that first encounter taking place back in 1985.

Mexico have a storied history in the CMU17, having won the crown eight times, including the last three. El Tricolor always boast a dangerous striker at the U17 level and the player who is poised to announce himself to the world this time around is Stephano Carrillo, who hails from the famed Santos Laguna Academy.

Curacao are making just their second appearance in the CMU17, but after a run to the Round of 16 in 2019, the Caribbean nation will be hungry for more in 2023.

The nightcap in Guatemala City will be Panama facing host nation Guatemala, in what should be a vibrant affair in the capital.

Margins are always razor-thin when these two countries meet at the U17 level. In 10 CMU17 matches, the Canaleros hold a slight 5W-1D-4L advantage over the Chapines, including a 2-0 win in the Round of 16 in 2019.

Axel De La Cruz of Comunicaciones, who starred for the club in the 2019 Under-13 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, will be the one to watch for Guatemala, while Eric Moreno is one of many talented attacking players for Panama.

The Estadio Pensativo in Antigua will host the teams in Group F on Saturday, starting with a duel between Canada and Trinidad and Tobago.

FW and 2019 U13 SCCL star Kyler Vojvodic and DF Lazar Stefanovic head up a Canada team that has a 4W-2D-2L record against the Soca Warriors in CMU17 play. Trinidad and Tobago will counter with the likes of FWs Lindell Sween and Michael Chaves.

The U.S. and Barbados will take to the field in the second game in Antigua in what will be just the second CMU17 meeting between the two sides. The U.S. were 6-1 winners in their group stage meeting in the 2019 edition.

Micah Burton is an attacking threat for the U.S., while Rovaldo Massiah will be one to watch for the Caribbean side.