Toulon Tournament 2013: Dates, Schedule, Teams, Preview and More

The future of world football will be on display at the Toulon Tournament.

This annual event features some of the top national teams in the sport using rosters completely filled with players under the age of 20. The winner not only has bragging rights for now, but also instantly becomes a top contender for future international contests.

Mexico won the tournament last year and must be considered one of the favorites to take the title once again. Still, there are 10 squads attempting to win it all, and each will be giving their best effort to win one for their home country.

Here is a full guide of everything you need to know for this two-week event.

When: May 28 - June 8

Where: France (Assorted Cities)

Watch: beIN Sport

Live Stream: beIN Sport Mobile

Teams

Group A	Group B
United States	Belgium
Colombia	Brazil
Congo DR	Mexico
South Korea	Nigeria
France	Portugal

Schedule (via Festival Foot Espoirs)

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	City	Stadium
May 28	11:30 a.m.	Colombia vs. South Korea	Toulon	Stade Léo Lagrange
May 28	1:30 p.m.	France vs. USA	Toulon	Stade Léo Lagrange
May 29	11:30 a.m	Mexico vs. Nigeria	Hyères	Perruc
May 29	1:30 p.m.	Belgium vs. Brazil	Hyères	Perruc
May 30	11:30 a.m	Colombia vs. USA	Nîmes	Stade des Costières
May 30	1:30 p.m.	France vs. Congo DR	Nîmes	Stade des Costières
May 31	11:30 a.m	Belgium vs. Portugal	Nîmes	Stade des Costières
May 31	1:30 p.m.	Brazil vs. Mexico	Nîmes	Stade des Costières
June 1	11:30 a.m	Congo DR vs. USA	Nice	Stade du Ray
June 1	1:30 p.m.	France vs. South Korea	Nice	Stade du Ray
June 2	11:30 a.m	Belgium vs. Nigeria	Avignon	Parc des Sports
June 2	1:30 p.m.	Brazil vs. Portugal	Avignon	Parc des Sports
June 3	11:30 a.m	Congo DR vs. South Korea	Avignon	Parc des Sports
June 3	1:30 p.m.	France vs. Colombia	Avignon	Parc des Sports
June 4	11:30 a.m	Mexico vs. Portugal	Saint-Raphaël	Stade L. Hon
June 4	1:30 p.m.	Brazil vs. Nigeria	Saint-Raphaël	Stade L. Hon
June 5	11:30 a.m	South Korea vs. USA	Saint-Raphaël	Stade L. Hon
June 5	1:30 p.m.	Colombia vs. Congo DR	Saint-Raphaël	Stade L. Hon
June 6	11:30 a.m	Nigeria vs. Portugal	Toulon	Stade Léo Lagrange
June 6	1:30 p.m.	Belgium vs. Mexico	Toulon	Stade Léo Lagrange
June 8	9:30 a.m.	3rd-4th place match	Nice	Stade du Ray
June 8	11:30 a.m.	Finals	Nice	Stade du Ray

Preview

While this event is not as big as the U-20 World Cup that will take place next month, this will be a good preview.

Additionally, it gives managers one last chance to evaluate players before finalizing a roster heading into the international event.

The United States has a strong roster of players, many of them are already playing professional ball either in the MLS or on some other club. Benji Joya is on Santos Laguna and the midfielder will be one of the key players in the upcoming event.

Perennial powerhouse Brazil actually has one of the weakest squads in years and did not even qualify for the Youth World Cup. Without a big-time scorer like Neymar, the group has struggled to get points.

Meanwhile, Mexico should once again be strong with a lot of experience on the defensive side of the ball. The young group has fared very well in international competition in recent years and has the ability to go very far.

Still, the favorite should be the hosting nation. France has talent and the motivation to succeed on home soil, and that could be enough to survive this loaded field.

Every match will be important, but France will be the team to beat over the course of this event.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg