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From the start of the 2017 CONCACAF Men's U-17 Championship, it seemed Mexico and the USA would meet in the final - and that is what has happened.
The two stand-out U-17 squads in the region met in the group stage, and the USA's 4-3 win was a little more comfortable than the score suggests (Mexico's third came too late to really raise any doubts about the result). The US has won every game it has played in this tournament to date; El Tri has lost one, and the final is its chance to avenge that defeat.
The current USA U-17 cohort gives every appearance of being exceptional, good enough even to have an impact on the U-17 World Cup later this year. But first it has a CONCACAF title to try to win. Prior to the group stage of this tournament, the USA had never beaten Mexico at a CONCACAF U-17 Championship - it will now seek to do so twice in the same competition.
For its part, El Tri had a 25-game unbeaten streak at the CONCACAF U-17s snapped by the Americans in the group stage. It has since won three games to get a new streak started. Losing to the USA at this level is no longer unimaginable for Mexico, but that may prove additional motivation for a talented squad.
The last tussle between these teams produced a lot of goals, and it will be a surprise if this one does not follow the same pattern.
Note: if the game is tied after 90 minutes, it will proceed straight to a penalty shoot-out.
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