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‘Signals’ From The Football Confederation

SIGNALS/SENALES/SIGNALS FROM THE FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION SENALES/SIGNALS/SENALES DE LA CONFEDERACION DE FUTBOL News and events from around the Football Confederation. November 2, 1999. FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION TEAMS EMBARK ON ODYSSEY TO NEW ZEALAND: TARGET – WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE FIFA TOURNAMENT OF 1999 Having conquered the FIFA Women’s World Cup (USA) and the FIFA Confederations’ Cup (Mexico), the Football Confederation now takes aim at winning its third world championship of the year: The 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The FC will field arguably its best set of competitors ever to this edition of the U-17 FIFA event. The Confederation will be represented by FC champions Mexico, an experienced USA and exciting newcomers Jamaica. Mexico will face an enormous challenge having been placed in “The Group of Death.” Mexico is in Group B, competing with European champions Spain, African champions and two-time tournament winners Ghana, and Asian champions Thailand. Armed with experience, skill, solid coaching and confidence, the Mexicans are among the select candidates to the title. The United States, the only team to have competed in all six previous FIFA U-17 championships, is in Group A. The Americans will be challenged by hosts New Zealand, Poland and Uruguay. The USA will bring what has been qualified as perhaps its best team ever, including standouts Landon Donovan and Raul Palomares (both signed by German clubs), and DeMarcus Beasley (signed by MLS). “We’ve looked at a lot of players over the past two years and the U-17 player pool is very rich in talent. This is a squad that respects everyone they play but fears nobody,” said U.S. U-17 head coach John Ellinger. “There are 16 teams going into the world championship, all of which have a chance of winning the title. We have just as good a chance of winning it all as anyone else does.” Like their elders at World Cup, France 1998, the junior “Reggae Boyz” of Jamaica will make their first ever appearance in a world championship of this age category. Their inexperience at this level is offset by the confidence they gained having performed superbly in regional qualifying. The team went undefeated, having notched wins over Costa Rica and Honduras and earning a draw against the talented USA. The West Indians were drawn in Group D with Burkina Faso, Paraguay and Qatar. Defending champions Brazil, are in Group C with Germany, Australia and Mali, completing the 16-team pool of competitors. FIFA U-17 World Championship schedule of matches PRESIDENT JACK WARNER TOPS THE LIST OF FC OFFICIALS FORMING PART OF THE FIFA DELEGATION HEADING TO NEW ZEALAND The Football Confederation President Jack Warner, Chairman of the FIFA Youth Competitions Committee, is one of six FC officials that will form part of the FIFA delegation organizing the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. FIFA Youth Competitions Committee members Anthony James (Jamaica) and Sunil Gulati (USA) are also part of the FIFA delegation. They are joined by FIFA Disciplinary Committee member Captain Horace Burrell (Jamaica), Assistant to General Coordinator Patricia de la Sierra (Mexico) and Media Officer Carlos Giron (USA). FIVE FC OFFICIALS NAMED FOR NEW ZEALAND Three referees and two assistant referees from the Football Confederation have been named by FIFA to officiate in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand from November 10 to 27. The referees are Carlos Batres Gonzalez of Guatemala, Edgar Rangel Perez of Mexico and Noel Bynoe of Trinidad and Tobago. Assistant referees chosen are Paul Tamberino of the USA and Heinrich Mackay of Aruba. FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION IN FIFA U-17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY Egypt 1997. Participants: Mexico, United States and Costa Rica. Teams did not advance to the second round. In first round play, Mexico beat New Zealand, 5:0, and the United States defeated Austria, 4:0. Ecuador 1995. Participants: Costa Rica, the United States and Canada. Teams did not advance to the second round. In first round play, Costa Rica beat Guinea, 2:0. Japan 1993. Participants: Mexico, the United States and Canada. The United States advanced to the Quarterfinals, losing to Poland, 3:0. In first round play, the USA beat Qatar, 5:1, and Mexico defeated Italy, 2:1. Italy 1991. Participants: United States, Mexico and Cuba. The United States advanced to the Quarterfinals, losing to Qatar 1:1 a.e.t. (1:1,1:1), 4:5 penalty kicks. In first round play, USA beat Italy and Argentina by identical scores, 1:0, and China, 3:1. Also in first round play, Mexico beat Qatar, 1:0. Scotland 1989. Participants: United States, Canada and Cuba. Teams did not advance to the second round. In first round play, the United States beat Brazil, 1:0. Canada 1987. Participants: Canada, United States and Mexico. Teams did not advance to the second round. In first round play, the USA beat Ecuador, 1:0, and Mexico defeated Nigeria, 1:0. China 1985. Participants: United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. Teams did not advance to the second round. In first round play, the USA beat Bolivia, 2:1, and Mexico beat Qatar, 3:1. NECAXA OF MEXICO IS GUARANTEED $2.5 MILLION IN PRIZE MONEY AT THE FIFA WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP The Football Confederation’s representative at the 2000 FIFA World Club Championship, Necaxa of Mexico, will secure a minimum $2.5 million in prize money for competing in the historical inaugural event. The ambitious Mexican team is determined to win the tournament in what would surely constitute a major upset, considering the caliber of the field of competitors. Such an upset would earn the Mexican team $6 million in prize money, the amount the winner of the tournament will receive. The losing finalists will get $5 million and the third-placed team $4 million. Every club in the eight-team competition is guaranteed at least $2.5 million. The tournament, which runs from January 5 to 14, kicks off in Sao Paulo with a Group A clash between Spain’s Real Madrid and Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia. Rayos de Necaxa open Group B action against European champions Manchester United in Rio de Janeiro on January 6. Because of Millennium celebrations, all eight teams will be required to arrive in Brazil on January 2. FIFA also said that a roster of 23 players must be submitted 10 days before the start of the competition. Only players who have been under contract with their clubs before November 15 this year will be eligible. FIFA Club World Championship schedule of matches MLS PLAYOFFS. DC UNITED AND THE LA GALAXY ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE FINAL OF MLS CUP 1999. DC United and the LA Galaxy are one win away from reaching the final of Major League Soccer following victories in the opening round of their respective best of three league semifinals. DC United defeated the Columbus Crew, 2-1, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to take the lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference semifinals, the LA Galaxy beat the Dallas Burn by an identical score at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. While no one knows who the champion will be this year. One thing is certain: it will be a new champion. Defending champions Chicago Fire fell to the Dallas Burn in quarterfinals action. The league final is set for November 21st at Foxboro Stadium in Massachussetts. MILUTINOVIC AND NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY METROSTARS PART WAYS Veteran coach Bora Milutinovic ended his run as head coach of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer after one full season with the team. Milutinovic, 54, was the fifth head coach of the MetroStars, the most of any team in the four-year history of MLS. The Serbian coach earned international fame after guiding four different nations, Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States and Nigeria to World Cup berths. Milutinovic also helped Mexico (1996) and the United States (1991) win CONCACAF Gold Cup titles. The MetroStars were last in the MLS with 15 points and a 7-25 record. Three of those wins came in the last four games of the season. “My only regret is that we were unable to meet the objectives that both the team and I had in mind when we started this project,” Milutinovic said. The Football Confederation is one of six FIFA world Confederations serving as the governing body of soccer in North, Central America and the Caribbean. It is composed of 38 members, spanning from Canada in the north to Surinam in the south. For the latest information about the Football Confederation please visit our official web site: www.FootballConfederation.com. Also visit the Confederations news section in FIFA On-Line, the official FIFA web site: www.FIFA.com. Issued by the Football Confederation’s Communications Department. Carlos Giovanni Giron, Press Officer.