Uruguayan forward Abel Hernandez, right, plays professionally for Italian club Palermo. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images) Was it really only two short years ago that the eyes of the soccer world were on Canada when it hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup?
Time flies when you're having fun, because the biennial event is back, with the tournament kicking off this week in Egypt.
With that in mind, CBC Sports soccer commentators Nigel Reed and Jason de Vos peer into their respective crystal balls and offer their analysis and predictions.
GROUP A: Egypt, Italy, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago
Nigel Reed: As Canada discovered to its embarrassment two years ago, hosting this tournament does not always translate into home advantage. Egypt faces a tough task to satisfy local expectations and needs to win the tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago to have a realistic chance of progressing to the second round.
Italy and Paraguay appear to be the teams to beat in Group A. The Italians lost in the finals of the European qualifying tournament, while Paraguay beat powerhouse Brazil en route to clinching the runners-up spot in South America.
It has been 18 years since Trinidad and Tobago last qualified for this tournament. In 1991, they left Portugal without scoring a single goal. Expect another early flight back to the Caribbean.
Prediction: 1) Paraguay 2) Italy 3) Egypt 4) Trinidad and Tobago
Jason de Vos: Being the home team, Egypt has a distinct advantage going into the competition. They also have the luxury of opening their campaign against the weakest of the three teams in their group, Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago finished fourth in CONCACAF as the host nation for that region's qualifiers, and they will be keen to cause a few upsets in Egypt. Expect them to be quick and athletic, but the group of underdogs will have a difficult time on their hands advancing past the likes of Paraguay and Italy.
Paraguay finished runners-up to Brazil, beating the champions in their final qualifying game to clinch a World Cup berth. They are capable of going far in this tournament, as they have numerous players who can find the back of the net. Hernan Perez and Robin Ramirez notched five goals apiece in qualifying, while Federico Santander chipped in with four. If they can rise to the occasion, they could very well finish first in Group A.
To do so, they will have to overcome Italy, a team with a modest record at this age level. Don't be deceived by that though, as Italy will still be a team to watch in Egypt.
The Italians had an unblemished qualifying campaign before losing in the final to Germany 3-1, and came through some difficult groups to get there, overcoming the likes of Croatia and France along the way. Expect to see the traditional catenaccio from the Italians - a well-drilled defensive mindset with the ability to transition quickly onto the offensive foot.
Prediction: 1) Paraguay 2) Italy 3) Egypt 4) Trinidad and Tobago
GROUP B: Nigeria, Spain, Tahiti, Venezuela
Reed: A case of the haves and have nots surely separates the wheat from the chaff in Group B. Nigeria and Spain are undoubtedly the dynamic duo in this section with Venezuela and tiny Tahiti just happy to be part of the proceedings in Egypt.
The Nigerians are arguably the strongest African nation at the tournament, although a disappointing showing in qualifying has raised doubts about their pedigree. Similarly, the Spaniards struggled to ensure their passage via the UEFA qualifiers and both have re-jigged their coaching staff in preparation for this competition.
The best four third-placed teams will accompany the group winners and runners up to the knockout stages but I don't expect either the South Americans or the Tahitians to be moving on.
Prediction: 1) Nigeria 2) Spain 3) Venezuela 4) Tahiti
De Vos: First place in Group B will come down to a battle between Spain and Nigeria. The Nigerians have a strong crop of players, some of whom won the U-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007. That championship game finished 0-0 after extra time, and the Nigerians won the penalty shootout 3-0. Who were their opponents in that game? Spain, of course.
The Spanish boast one of the rising stars of this tournament in Arsenal's Fran Merida. The talented midfielder has already made his debut in the Arsenal first team, and if he plays well in Egypt, Spain could very well pip Nigeria for top spot in their group.
Venezuela pulled off an upset just qualifying for the World Cup, as they are competing in Egypt at the expense of powerhouse Argentina. Their goalkeeper, Rafael Romo, is widely regarded as their best player, and he will certainly need to be on form in order for Venezuela to have any chance of advancing to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Tahiti, on the other hand, will play three games and then get on a plane. They have two chances of making it through the group stage: slim and none. Beating New Zealand to qualify was regarded as a shock, but unfortunately there won't be any more shocks in store for the Islanders in Egypt.
Prediction: 1) Spain 2) Nigeria 3) Venezuela 4) Tahiti
GROUP C: Cameroon, Germany, South Korea, United States
Reed: If you're looking for a Group of Death, perhaps Group C is the one for you. The European champions from Germany will do battle with an American team where the youth policy is beginning to pay dividends, a highly rated, if unpredictable Cameroonian contingent and a speedy, hard working squad from South Korea.
The Germans, at this age group, do not enjoy the same respect as their senior counterparts and didn't even qualify for the 2007 U-20 tournament staged in Canada. Yet, within a year, the next crop of youngsters triumphed in the Czech Republic with an unblemished record and I expect them not only to top Group C but also to, at least, make the quarter-finals.
I fancy Cameroon to edge out the U.S. for the runners-up spot, but I also think the Americans will progress as one of the best third place finishers.
Prediction: 1) Germany 2) Cameroon 3) United States 4) South Korea
De Vos: The United States has a habit of producing excellent young goalkeepers, and this year's team is no exception. Brian Perk kept four consecutive clean sheets in qualifying, and more of the same will certainly help the Americans' cause in Egypt. The U.S. also has an excellent coach in Thomas Rongen. The former MLS coach of the year is in his second spell in charge of the U-20 program, and he will look to improve on the team's fifth place finish in 2003.
Cameroon will also be looking to improve on their best previous attempt at this tournament, a quarter-final finish in 1995. They lost out to Ghana in the African Youth Championships, but they have some talented players available, such as left-back Charley Fomen, who is on the books at Olympic Marseille in France.
Eleven-time Asian champions South Korea couldn't make it 12, falling to eventual runners-up Uzbekistan in the semi-finals of the AFC championships. Head coach Hong Myong Bo will be looking to emulate the success the national team enjoyed in the 2002 World Cup.
That will not be an easy task, as this is one of the most difficult groups in the tournament. Germany are the fourth team in Group C, and the European Champions from 2007 will be hoping to add a world title to their impressive trophy cabinet.
Prediction: 1) Germany, United States 3) South Korea 4) Cameroon
GROUP D: England, Ghana, Uruguay, Uzbekistan
Reed: The African champions playing on African soil gives Ghana a wonderful chance to make a considerable statement at this tournament. Whether they can go all the way to the final, as they've done twice before at the U-20s, remains to be seen but there's surely no question the Ghanaians can be a force to be reckoned with in the latter stages.
If the feel good factor emanating from the senior England team filters down to the junior squad, then Brian Eastick's side should have enough ability to qualify from this section, though the reward for finishing second in Group D is facing favourites Brazil in the next round.
Uruguay cannot be discounted after topping the scoring charts in South American qualifying whereas Uzbekistan is clearly the weak link of the quartet.
Prediction: 1) Ghana 2) England 3) Uruguay 4) Uzbekistan
De Vos: Ghana won the African Youth Championships, and they had the best player of the tournament to boot. Ransford Osei notched seven goals in that competition, and when you consider that he scored six goals at the U-17 World Cup in 2007, he has to be considered a real threat up front for Ghana.
England didn't finish in the top four in UEFA, but they still have to be considered one of the top competitors in Egypt. Martin Kelly is a defender to look out for in the years ahead for his club's side, Liverpool, having made his senior debut in the Champions League in 2008.
Uruguay finished as top scorers in the South American U-20 championships, so expect plenty of goals from them. Abel Hernandez led the way with five goals to his credit, but he has plenty of support going forward, most notably Benfica striker Jonathan Urretaviscaya and midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro.
Uzbekistan certainly haven't got the history that either England or Uruguay have in the game, but they might have a slice of luck on their side. In their deciding qualifier against China, they had their goalkeeper sent off. Having already used their three substitutes, they were forced to play one of their fullbacks in goal. He produced a storming performance to lead them into the semifinals and book a place at the U-20 World Cup. Some more of that luck would certainly help in Egypt.
Prediction: 1) Ghana 2) Uruguay 3) England 4) Uzbekistan
GROUP E: Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Czech Republic
Reed: The Brazilian roster on duty in Egypt may well form the nucleus of the squad which hosts the 2014 World Cup on home soil, so here's a chance to store and file the names of the next generation of Brazilian stars. Rather like Lionel Messi, who was eligible but unavailable to represent Argentina in Canada two years ago, Alexandre Pato is still young enough to star for Brazil in this edition of the U-20 World Cup.
The Milan striker has, of course, already graduated to the senior team but his contemporaries will have little trouble coping without him and should top Group E effortlessly. The real question is which team will follow in Brazil's wake and perhaps Canada 2007 gives us a major clue.
The Czech Republic surprised many of us by making it all the way to the final and with a couple of veterans returning they'll be hungry to do well again. Costa Rica and Australia should ensure a highly competitive battle for third place.
Prediction: 1) Brazil 2) Czech Republic 3) Costa Rica 4) Australia
De Vos: Brazil won the South American U-20 championship, and they will be one of the favourites to lift the World Cup as well. Every generation of Brazilian players draws comparisons to great players from the past, and this one is no different. Expect to see slick passing, wonderful movement and a fluid grace to their play that only the Brazilians seem capable of producing year after year.
The Czech Republic finished runners-up to Argentina in the U-20 World Cup held in Canada in 2007, and some of their players are still available for this year's side. Giant striker Tomas Pekhart will lead the line for the Czechs in one of the competition's most difficult groups.
Australia is another country that is on the up in world football, largely due to the amount of players they have playing in Europe. They will be led by their skipper, James Holland, who plays in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar.
After a disappointing campaign at the last U-20 World Cup, where they failed to advance past the group stage, Costa Rica will be looking to improve their fortunes. They will go to Egypt full of confidence, having won the CONCACAF qualifying tournament by beating the United States 3-0 in the final.
Prediction: 1) Brazil 2) Czech Republic 3) Costa Rica 4) Australia
GROUP F: Honduras, Hungary, South Africa, United Arab Emirates
Reed: The final group might just be the most entertaining and unpredictable of the lot. There's no one team which stands out, nor is there an obvious whipping boy, making Group F an intriguing mix of style and culture.
The UAE are the reigning Asian champions but they will surely have to step up a notch to compete with the superior technical ability of Honduras and Hungary. South Africa's youngsters will want to prove a point less than 12 months before their country hosts the FIFA World Cup and seemingly accept their underdog label with relish.
It is going to be a real scramble for points in this section and may only be decided after the final round robin series, in which case I'm taking Hungary and Honduras to advance with South Africa a close third.
Prediction: 1) Hungary 2) Honduras 3) South Africa 4) UAE
De Vos: This could prove to be the most intriguing group in the competition. There is no team that jumps off the page at you as clear favourites, so it could produce a few surprises.
Ahmed Khalil was voted top player at the AFC U-19 championships, and he will be one to watch for the UAE. They don't have a long history in this competition, however, having only ever qualified on two previous occasions.
Honduras will look to their hotshot, Roger Rojas, to continue finding the back of the net. He netted four goals in six qualifying games, and if he can find his form, Honduras could well make it through to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Hungary have never made it through to the second stage of this competition, despite four previous attempts. They will, however, take confidence from beating Spain and Bulgaria in the European championships before going out to eventual runners-up Italy.
South Africa mirrors their senior team in that they rely on quick, counter-attacking football to get results. It seems to be working well for them, as they knocked off both the Ivory Coast and Nigeria before going down to African champions Ghana in qualifying.
Prediction: 1) Hungary 2) Honduras 3) UAE 4) South Africa
