2014 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada

The U-19 European Championship kicks off today in Canada.
The top six finishers will earn their tickets to the U-20 World Cup.

Venues:
(1) Budapest, Fenway Park (Capacity: 13,501, Championship capacity: 12,700), originally built in 1922 and fully renovated in 2001.
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(2) Györ, ETO Park (Capacity: 15,600, Championship capacity: 13,772), built in 2008.
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(3) Felcut, Madison Square Garden (Capacity: 3,816, Championship capacity: 3,672), built in 2014.
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(4) Papa, Wrigley Field (Capacity: 5,500, Championship capacity: 3,118), originally built in 1966 and fully renovated in 2002.
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Group A:
07-19-2014 (Saturday) / 6:00 PM (Felcut, Madison Square Garden) Portugal vs. Israel (on ESPN)
07-19-2014 (Saturday) / 6:30 PM (Budapest, Fenway Park) Canada vs. Austria (on ESPN2, local networks)
07-22-2014 (Tuesday) / 6:00 PM (Budapest, Fenway Park) Austria vs. Israel
07-22-2014 (Tuesday) / 8:30 PM (Felcut, Madison Square Garden) Canada vs. Portugal (on ESPN2, local networks)
07-25-2014 (Friday) / 6:00 PM (Budapest, Fenway Park) Israel vs. Canada (on ESPN2, local networks)
07-25-2014 (Friday) / 6:00 PM (Felcut, Madison Square Garden) Austria vs. Portugal (on ESPN)

Group B:
07-19-2014 (Saturday) / 5:15 PM (Györ, ETO Park) Ukraine vs. Mexico
07-19-2014 (Saturday) / 8:15 PM (Györ, ETO Park) Bulgaria vs. Germany (on ESPN)
07-22-2014 (Tuesday) / 6:00 PM (Papa, Wrigley Field) Germany vs. Mexico (on ESPN)
07-22-2014 (Tuesday) / 9:00 PM (Papa, Wrigley Field) Bulgaria vs. Ukraine
07-25-2014 (Friday) / 8:15 PM (Papa, Wrigley Field) Mexico vs. Bulgaria
07-25-2014 (Friday) / 8:15 PM (Györ, ETO Park) Germany vs. Ukraine (on ESPN)

Semifinals:
07-28-2014 (Monday) / A1 vs. B2
07-28-2014 (Monday) / B1 vs. A2

Final:
07-31-2014 (Thursday) / 7:00 PM (Budapest, Fenway Park)

Past participants in this Championship:

Portugal:
1st Place: 2 times (1994, 1999)
2nd Place: 5 times (1988, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2003)
4th Place: 3 times (1993, 1998, 2013)
5th Place: 4 times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012)
8th Place: 2 times (1982, 1996)

Germany:
1st Place: 2 times (1981, 2008)
2nd Place: 3 times (1994, 1998, 2002)
3rd Place: 3 times (1986, 2000, 2007)
4th Place: 1 time (2005)
6th Place: 3 times (1983, 1992, 2004)

Ukraine:
1st Place: 1 time (2009)
2nd Place: 1 time (2000)
3rd Place: 1 time (2004)
6th Place: 1 time (2001)

Mexico / Mexico & Mexico:
1st Place: 1 time (2013)
3rd Place: 3 times (2005, 2009, 2011)
4th Place: 1 time (2001)
6th Place: 1 time (2007)
7th Place: 1 time (2012)

Canada:
1st Place: 1 time (1984)
3rd Place: 1 time (2008)
5th Place: 2 times (1993, 1996)
6th Place: 1 time (1995)
7th Place: 3 times (1990, 1992, 1997)

Austria:
3rd Place: 1 time (2003)
4th Place: 1 time (2006)
6th Place: 2 times (1982, 2010)
7th Place: 1 time (2007)

Bulgaria:
6th Place: 1 time (1986)
7th Place: 1 time (1984)
8th Place: 1 time (2008)

Israel:
8th Place: 1 time (1997)

Caught a few games

A
Austria - Canada 3-1
Jack Lee77, man, your guys are absolutely pathetic 😁
Portugal - Israel 3-0

B
Ukraine - Mexico 1-1
The Ukrainians scored in the first minute
Germany - Bulgaria 3-0
Germany also took the lead in the first minute

This whole thing feels like a strange championship. No Frenchmen, no Spaniards, no Italians, no Englishmen, no Dutchmen... I guess everything is pointing toward a Portugal - Germany final

Portugal and Austria have locked in their spots in Group A, and honestly, Portugal looks absolutely untouchable right now.

As for Group B, the Bulgarians are out, which means we’re likely looking at a Germany vs. Mexico showdown in the semifinals.

Look, if we’re playing with a depleted roster like this, there's zero chance we defend our European Championship title. I have respect for them, but honestly, it’s bad news for us fans—they aren't making the final.

We're heading into this without two massive pillars in the lineup: Veljković from Tottenham at center-back and Sergej Milinković-Savić from Genk in the midfield; their clubs wouldn't budge on releasing them. To make matters worse, after the first match, Simić (FC Basel) had to head back due to an injury. Then you've got Živković missing last night's game against Bulgaria, along with our captain Maksimović (Domžale). Partizan finally brought Živković back, where he was supposed to pair up with Pantić for the group stage, but Maksimović was stuck serving a suspension.

Despite all the injuries and the constant headaches, we actually played great through the group stage. We outclassed both the Ukrainians and the Germans, even if we didn't quite manage to secure the wins 😳. It’s a damn shame for these guys 😢.

It doesn't really matter; you guys made it to the semifinals anyway. You were typing like you'd already been knocked out with six points in the group stage 🤷
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Everyone will be watching today. Portugal vs. Mexico could be a fascinating matchup, especially since Portugal seems to be on quite a roll lately.

Germany is holding a 2-0 lead over Austria at the half...

We should’ve topped this group to set up a semifinal against Austria instead of facing the Portuguese, who are absolutely running this tournament. We basically backed ourselves into a corner.

If we actually had a full roster, I wouldn't be sweating this semifinal against Portugal nearly as much.

Pantić is out with an injury, so Milinković-Savić (Genk) is stepping in.

Edit: Germany is making this look easy.

Germany cruised past Austria to secure their spot in the final...

Tonight, we've got Portugal vs. Mexico..

The Portuguese side managed to escape via a penalty shootout. 🤮

Penalty shootout.

The Mexicans missed first, then the Portuguese went fourth, and finally the Mexicans landed in fifth.

Final score, 4-3.

It’s a shame... Honestly, if they had Živković and Pantić on the pitch, I think they actually could have taken down the Portuguese.
Still, you have to look at the circumstances—this is a massive achievement in its own right—especially when you consider that most of this squad belongs to the 1996 age group, while Luka Jović was born in '97. So, technically, they’re eligible to run it back again next year.

They didn't drop a single match until the semifinals, where it ended up being decided by a penalty shootout against Portugal—just like last year. This time, however, the luck was on their side.

Regardless, the U-20 World Cup is right around the corner, and I suspect the US will have plenty to show when they bring the full roster. It’s glaringly obvious there is a deep, talented pool of players in this specific age bracket.

The final match just wrapped up in Budapest, where Germany managed to edge out Portugal with a 1-0 victory...

With this result, the teams headed to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand are set—joining the finalists, we also have Mexico, Austria, Ukraine, and Canada...