Czech Republic Team Page
Squad
Coach: Miroslav Soukup
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Ludek Frydrych, Tomas Frystak Radek Petr
Defenders: Tomas Cihlar, Jakub Dohnalek, Michal Held, Lukas Kuban, Ondrej Mazuch, Jan Simunek, Marek Suchy
Midfielders: Marcel Gecov, Petr Janda, Lubos Kalouda, Ondrej Kudela, Jakub Mares, Tomas Micola, Tomas Oklestek, Jiri Valenta
Forwards: Martin Fenin, Tomas Pekhart, Marek Strestik
Scouting Report
Strengths: The Czechs only conceded seven goals at last year's UEFA European U-19 Championship, a sure sign that its steely defence, marshalled by Marek Suchy, is in good hands. The team also has quality attacking options in midfielders Kamil Vacek and Marek Strestik and striker Martin Fenin. The Czechs also come into the tournament with a great deal of momentum after surprising the field to reach the semifinals of the European U-19 tournament.
Weaknesses: The Czech Republic will be in tough in a group with five-time champions Argentina, Asian youth champions North Korea and an underrated Panama side. The Czechs can also be inconsistent at times – impressive wins over Denmark and Ukraine at the UEFA U-19 tournament was followed by a shocking loss to Switzerland and Belgium.
Player to watch: Brimming with talent, Marek Strestik is an attacking midfielder who makes sure to be involved in every move going forward. The midfielder possesses a scoring talent which he showed with three goals at the UEFA U-19 Championship that helped the squad to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Strestik's proficiency in dead-ball situations is sure to draw plenty of attention from opposing players.
Prognosis: The Czech Republic has to be considered one of the outside favourites to win the title, even if they've been drawn into the "Group of Death." Defensively stable, hard-working in midfield and a star striker in the making in Fenin, the Czechs are a sure bet to advance from their opening-round group (although they may to settle for second place behind Argentina). The Czechs couldn't build on their quarter-final appearance in 2001, as they bowed out in the first round in 2003 and failed to qualify in 2005. This team has several stars in the making, so expect the Czechs to put the memory of recent failures behind them and make a strong run in this tournament.
ROAD TO THE U-20 WORLD CUP
2007 qualification route: Czech Republic qualified to go to Canada by finishing first in the final group stage of the UEFA European U-19 Championship in Poland.
Qualifying record: 7 games played, 4 wins, 3 losses, 0 draws
Goals for: 12 Goals against: 7
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Marek Strestik and Martin Fenin (4)
Qualifying results:
UEFA European U-19 Football Championship 2006 elite qualifying round (group 4) in Donetsk, Ukraine
May 24, 2006 – Czech Republic 2, Denmark 0
May 26, 2006 – Czech Republic 3, Ukraine 0
May 28, 2006 – Switzerland 1, Czech Republic 0
Group finals (group A) – all games in Poland
July 18, 2006 – Belgium 4, Czech Republic 2
July 20, 2006 – Austria 1, Czech Republic 3
July 23, 2006 – Czech Republic 2, Poland 0
Semifinals
July 26, 2006 – Czech Republic 0, Scotland 1
U-20 World Cup 1st round matches (all times local)
June 30 vs. Argentina in Ottawa (Frank Clair Stadium) at 19:15
July 3 vs. North Korea in Ottawa (Frank Clair Stadium) at 17:00
July 6 vs. Panama in Montreal (Olympic Stadium) at 17:00
U-20 WORLD CUP HISTORY
The Czechs have appeared in four U-20 World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals on two occasions. In its first two appearances, it competed as Czechoslovakia. However, following the split in 1993 that created two separate countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, each nation has fielded its own team.
Number of previous U-20 World Cup Appearances: 4
All-time record: 15 games played, 5 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses
Goals for: 18 Goals against: 19
Biggest victory: 4-0 vs. Austria in 1983
Biggest defeat: 1-4 vs. Brazil in 1983, 0-3 vs. Japan in 2001
Hosted the U-20 World Cup: never
Czechoslovakia
1977 to 1981 – Did not qualify
1983 – Quarter-finals
1985 – Did not qualify
1987 – Did not qualify
1989 – First round
1991 – Did not qualify
1993 – Did not qualify
Czech Republic
1995 to 1999 – Did not qualify
2001 – Quarter-finals
2003 – First round
2005 – Did not qualify
