Signals
7.12.2011  
 
    
 
 Mexico wins Under-17 World Cup
 U.S. Women advance to World Cup semifinals against France
 Dominican Republic, USVI, Bahamas advance in World Cup qualifying
 

Mexico wins Under-17 World Cup

Mexico won its second Under-17 World Cup title in six years on Sunday, getting goals in both halves to beat Uruguay 2-0.

Antonio Briseño scored with Mexico's first shot on goal in the 31st minute, and Giovani Casillas added the clincher in the second-minute of injury time to give Mexico a seventh straight victory at the biennial youth championship by a combined score of 17-7.

The title comes two weeks after the senior Mexican team won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Pasadena, California, and adds to the U-17 crown won in Peru in 2005.






U.S. advances to Women's World Cup semifinals against France

Abby Wambach equalized in the 122nd minute and Hope Solo blocked Daiane's penalty attempt to give a 10-player United States a 5-3 shootout victory over Brazil on Sunday and send it to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup.

The result after a 2-2 draw assured the Americans of reaching the final four at the women's quadrennial championship for the sixth straight time and sent the United States to a Wednesday semifinal against France.

The United States, which competed the final 25 minutes of regulation and the entire extra time with 10 players, advanced to penalties where Solo dived to thwart Daiane's attempt with an extended right hand on Brazil's third attempt. The United States will face France on Wednesday.






Dominican Republic, USVI, Bahamas advance in World Cup qualifying

The U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic joined Bahamas in the first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, winning their respective second-leg matches Sunday to complete aggregate victories in the preliminary round.

The Dominican Republic won for the second time in three days, defeating Anguilla 4-0 in San Cistobal, Dominican Republic. In Road Town on the island of Tortola, the U.S. Virgin Islands defeated the British Virgin Islands 2-1 to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory, the first time the U.S. Virgin Islands have advance past the first stage in World Cup qualifying.

Bahamas won its preliminary round series on Saturday, winning 6-0 to complete a 10-0 aggregate win over Turks and Caicos Islands.

The three will advance to the World Cup qualifying draw on July 30 in Rio de Janeiro, where they will be drawn into one of six, four-team groups. The six group winners will join the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba in the semifinal round of qualifying.

Belize to play home qualifier in Honduras

Belize will play the home leg of its preliminary round World Cup qualifier against Montserrat on Sunday in th Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, after FIFA provisionally lifted the suspension of the Central American nation on Thursday.

FIFA's Emergency Committee put in abeyance its suspension of the Belize Football Federation, and the decision was subsequently acted upon by the World Cup Organizing Committee. The World Cup panel ordered the match be played outside of Belize "in order to avoid the risk that the Belizean authorities do not provide security guarantees," FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke wrote in a letter to BFF President Bertie Chimilio.

FIFA suspended Belize on June 17, three days before the originally scheduled match date in Belmopan. Valcke wrote to Chimilio at the time that the decision was due to a dispute between the BFF and the government that that resulted in authorities failing to assure the safety of the "visiting team and officials."

Belize won the first leg of the series 5-2 on June 15 in a match played in Couva, Trinidad.






Dominicans reach CONCACAF women's finals

Betzaida Ubri scored her second goal in as many games and led the Dominican Republic to a 1-0 upset of Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday, sending the Dominicans to the finals of CONCACAF's women's Olympic qualifying.

The result also earned a spot for Cuba in January's eight-team finals in Vancouver while eliminating the Trinidadians. Haiti was the first team to qualify from the Caribbean, winning Group A with seven points.

Cuba also finished with seven points in Group A but was second on goal difference. However, with seven points, it qualified for the third Caribbean berth in the CONCACAF finals over Trinidad.

The Dominican Republic, which didn't allow a goal in three games, Haiti and Cuba will face the three North American qualifiers: host Canada, the United States and Mexico; along with two Central American sides in the January 19-29 CONCACAF qualifying finals.






Costa Rica finishes third in Copa America Group A; Mexico looks for first points

Costa Rica is awaiting the results from Tuesday's and Wednesday's matches to learn if it will advance to the quarterfinals at the Copa America in Argentina.

The Ticos finished its first-round play in third place in Group A, losing to host Argentina 3-0 Monday after an opening loss to Colombia and a win over Bolivia.

CONCACAF's other representative, Mexico, lost its first two games in Copa America to Chile and Peru and will face Uruguay Tuesday night.