Chile, Egypt, England and Iraq form a rather unique group in the FIFA U-20 World Cup with England being under massive pressure to perform.
Chile’s football is on the up- they have been performing well for a while now; their youth has earned some plaudits for their excellence. Chile will be a tough competitor for every side in their group. Iraq is perhaps the weak link in the group. Egypt is always strong; they are going to be a favorite to emerge from this group. England meanwhile cannot be labeled a favorite due to their poor history in the competition.
Iraq has qualified four times for this tournament. Their best came in 1989 when they reached the quarterfinals. They are back in the U-20 World Cup for the first time since 2001. In 2001, they beat Canada handily before being thrashed by Brazil 1-6 and beaten by Germany 1-3. England’s best finish came in 1993 when they finished third. They reached the semifinals in 1981 as well, eventually finishing fourth.
Chile’s record mirrors that of England. In 2007, they took the bronze medals. In 1987, they finished fourth. Egypt has a decent record in the tournament, having taken third place in 2001. They reached the Round of 16 in both 2009 and 2011. The tournament was held in Egypt in 2009.
Despite the caliber of all the sides, England will be under most pressure to perform. Stuart Pearce was finally let go after six years in charge by the English FA recently due to his team’s poor performances. Pearce’s reputation was mainly built on his first tournament; in 2009, his England U-21 side reached the finals of the Euro U-21 championship only to lose out to Germany 4-0. Much of that Germany side went on to make waves in the 2010 World Cup. Some members of that team are now treble winners of course.
England’s abysmal performance however led to further abysmal performances including the ones at this year’s Euro U-21 championship where the team lost all three games in what was a manageable group. These poor performances are leading to further poor ones at senior level. The English national side has underachieved for many years. These days, they have almost become a laughing stock in the world game.
England has to perform in this tournament. They cannot afford to continue failing at the grassroots level.
Fixtures:
23rd June:
Chile vs. Egypt (11:00 am EST)
England vs. Iraq (2:00 pm EST)
26th June:
Chile vs. England (11:00 am EST)
Iraq vs. Egypt (2:00 pm EST)
29th June:
Iraq vs. Chile (2:00 pm EST)
Egypt vs. England (2:00 pm EST)
Iraq has qualified four times for this tournament. Their best came in 1989 when they reached the quarterfinals. They are back in the U-20 World Cup for the first time since 2001. In 2001, they beat Canada handily before being thrashed by Brazil 1-6 and beaten by Germany 1-3. England’s best finish came in 1993 when they finished third. They reached the semifinals in 1981 as well, eventually finishing fourth.
Chile’s record mirrors that of England. In 2007, they took the bronze medals. In 1987, they finished fourth. Egypt has a decent record in the tournament, having taken third place in 2001. They reached the Round of 16 in both 2009 and 2011. The tournament was held in Egypt in 2009.
Despite the caliber of all the sides, England will be under most pressure to perform. Stuart Pearce was finally let go after six years in charge by the English FA recently due to his team’s poor performances. Pearce’s reputation was mainly built on his first tournament; in 2009, his England U-21 side reached the finals of the Euro U-21 championship only to lose out to Germany 4-0. Much of that Germany side went on to make waves in the 2010 World Cup. Some members of that team are now treble winners of course.
England’s abysmal performance however led to further abysmal performances including the ones at this year’s Euro U-21 championship where the team lost all three games in what was a manageable group. These poor performances are leading to further poor ones at senior level. The English national side has underachieved for many years. These days, they have almost become a laughing stock in the world game.
England has to perform in this tournament. They cannot afford to continue failing at the grassroots level.
Fixtures:
23rd June:
Chile vs. Egypt (11:00 am EST)
England vs. Iraq (2:00 pm EST)
26th June:
Chile vs. England (11:00 am EST)
Iraq vs. Egypt (2:00 pm EST)
29th June:
Iraq vs. Chile (2:00 pm EST)
Egypt vs. England (2:00 pm EST)
