Five Things to Know About the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship

Learn more about the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship ahead of Sunday’s tournament opener against Jamaica.

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The 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship serves as the regional qualifying tournament for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Running from April 21-May 7 in Panama, the tournament’s top four finishers will represent the region at October’s World Cup in India.

2017 Tournament Format

The tournament begins in a group stage, with 12 CONCACAF teams split into three four-team groups. After an initial round-robin schedule, the top two teams from each group will advance to the classification stage, featuring two groups with three teams each. There, the top two finishers in each group qualify for the U-17 World Cup and the first-place teams advance to the tournament final.

2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship Groups
Group A	Group B	Group C
Panama	Costa Rica	Mexico
Curaçao	Canada	El Salvador
Haiti	Cuba	Jamaica
Honduras	Suriname	USA

The initial group stage and classification matches will be played at Estadio Maracaná de Panama in Panama City, while the final will be played at Panama’s national stadium, Estadio Rommel Fernández.

When and How to Watch the USA

All of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship games can be watched live on Facebook via the official CONCACAF Facebook page. Univision Deportes Network will also broadcast the USA’s second and third Group C games in Spanish, against Mexico and El Salvador, respectively.

• READ MORE: U.S. History in U-17 World Cup Qualifying

The USA opens Group C play against Jamaica on Sunday, April 23 (1:30 p.m. ET), followed by Mexico on Wednesday, April 26 (6:30 p.m. ET) and El Salvador on Saturday, April 29 (11:30 a.m. ET). Should the USA finish in the top two, they’ll advance to the classification stage to play two more matches on May 3 and May 5, respectively. If the USA finishes atop its classification group, they’ll advance to the final, set to be played on May 7.

USA Group Stage Schedule
Date	Opponent	Time	TV
Sunday, April 23	Jamaica	1:30 p.m. ET	CONCACAF Facebook
Wednesday, April 26	Mexico	6:30 p.m. ET	UDN; CONCACAF Facebook
Saturday, April 29	El Salvador	11:30 a.m. ET	UDN; CONCACAF Facebook

USA Roster

The U.S. roster includes four players who signed Homegrown player contracts with Major League Soccer in 2016: midfielders Chris Durkin (D.C. United) and Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC) and forwards Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; pictured above) and Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas).

Head coach John Hackworth’s squad includes two players who are currently playing in Europe: Timothy Weah at French club Paris Saint-Germain and C.J. Dos Santos with Portuguese side Benfica.

• READ MORE: Five Things to Know About U-17 MNT Captain Josh Sargent

Nineteen of the 20 players on the roster have registered at least one season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, while 14 players have spent time with an Academy team during the current 2016-2017 Academy season.

M.L.S. club Atlanta United FC has the largest representation of players with two first-team players (Carleton, Goslin) and the rights to one player currently playing in the organization’s Development Academy (Zyen Jones).

• READ MORE: Hackworth Previews CONCACAF U-17 Championship

Born in 2001, midfielders Taylor Booth and Indiana Vassilev, and forward Bryan Reynolds Jr. are the youngest players on the roster.

Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2): C.J. Dos Santos (Benfica; Philadelphia, Pa.), Justin Garces (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (5): Christopher Gloster (New York Red Bulls; Montclair, N.J.), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City; Charlotte, N.C.), James Sands (New York City FC; Rye, N.Y.), Arturo Vasquez (FC Golden State; Mira Loma, Calif.), Akil Watts (IMG Academy; Fort Wayne, Ind.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): George Acosta (Weston FC; Hollywood, Fla.), Taylor Booth (Real Salt Lake AZ; Eden, Utah), Christopher Durkin (D.C. United; Glen Allen, Va.), Blaine Ferri (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Texas), Christopher Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Locust Grove, Ga.), Indiana Vassilev (IMG Academy; Savannah, Ga.), Adrian Villegas (Portland Timbers; Hood River, Ore.)

FORWARDS (6): Ayomide Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton, Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Zyen Jones (Atlanta United FC; Clarkston, Ga.), Bryan Reynolds, Jr. (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri; O’Fallen, Mo.) Timothy Weah (Paris Saint-Germain; Rosedale, N.Y.)

John Hackworth Looking for Third U-17 World Cup Berth

U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team head coach John Hackworth is looking to become the first coach to lead the U-17 MNT to three World Cups from two different coaching stints.

Hackworth served as an assistant to John Ellinger in helping the U.S. qualify for the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup before guiding the U.S. to the 2005 and 2007 editions. The former Philadelphia Union head coach returned to the U-17 MNT in December 2015.