South American Youth Football Championships 2015: Date, Time and Preview
The finest starlets that South America has to offer will descend upon Uruguay this month as the 2015 South American Youth Football Championships get underway.
Colombia's under-20s come into the competition as defending champions after triumphing in Argentina two years ago and will hope to retain their title as their continental counterparts chase the same prize.
Read on for information on when to catch the beginning of the contest, along with preview of which U20 teams to keep an eye on in Uruguay.
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Start Date: Wednesday, January 14
Opening Fixture: Argentina vs. Ecuador, 10 p.m. GMT/5 p.m. ET
Teams to Watch Out For
Argentina
Argentina can count themselves as slightly fortunate to have avoided some of the larger threats in their Group A fixtures this year and head the pool as favourites to come out on top.
However, Humberto Grondona is looking to lead the Albicelestes after failing to make the top four in 2013, the second time in three tournaments Argentina missed out on a place in the semi-finals.
Angel Correa and Maxi Rolon, of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona B, respectively, have been called into the under-20 line-up and will be expected to feature as some of the squad's more promising prospects.
However, a roster largely filled with youngsters from Boca Juniors, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Velez Sarsfield's ranks will look to show the power of Argentina's youth production too.
Paraguay stand to be Argentina's main obstacle in advancing at the top of the group, while Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru offer threats which Grondona's boys will be expected to overcome.
Colombia
It will be of some intrigue to see where Colombia's youth is in terms of its development two years after taking its South American title, with the holders always bearing a responsibility to impress.
Last summer, Carlos Restrepo's side failed to win a game at the 2014 Toulon Tournament and despite holding England and Qatar to draws, fell short against Brazil and South Korea.
That being said, in a home climate, the Colombians may yet reproduce their best and have promising prospects in the likes of Joao Rodriguez and Alexis Zapata, the only two European-based starlets in Restrepo's squad.
Rodriguez became the first Colombian ever to sign for Chelsea in 2013 and recently cut short his most recent loan spell, at Bastia, in order to return to Stamford Bridge after not receiving enough game time.
Of the dismal three goals Colombia scored at the Toulon Tournament last year, he was responsible for two, coming on to net against Brazil and later grabbing an equaliser against the English.
Restrepo's assets are otherwise limited to players based in Colombia—save for goalkeeper Alvaro David Montero, who plays in Brazil—but South America's bigger teams may now be wiser to their threat.
Brazil
The most successful team in the history of this competition head to Uruguay with redemption in sight, having lost their title and three-tournament streak to Colombia in 2013.
The 11-time winners have been pitted against hosts Uruguay in Group B, the Charruas offering a danger of their own after placing third in 2013, the fourth consecutive competition in which they've made it to the semi-finals or higher.
Brazil are expected to challenge for the top prize again, but Alexandre Gallo must now make use of a fresh-faced squad, since many of the names who won last year's Toulon Tournament no longer present.
One player in the hunt to impress is Santos' 18-year-old Gabriel, the top scorer in 2014's L'Alcudia International Football Tournament who, as Brazil Stats shows, has been hard at work in preparation for Uruguay's contest:
"Brazil U20 star Gabriel Barbosa in training, as preparations for Copa América U20 continue to be taken seriously. pic.twitter.com/PsvPcLoAOD
— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStats) January 6, 2015"
Atletico Paranaense's Marcos Guilherme, Walace of Gremio and Corinthians attacker Malcom are also names worth watching out for as the tournament favourites look to shoulder their weighty burden.
