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Last day of action in Group A means last chance to see...well, all the teams in Group A except the USA (who will progress to the Qualifying Stage as Group A’s winner unless something very extraordinary happens in their group-stage finale against Suriname).
In the case of this match, that means the last chance to see MetroStars legend Amado Guevara urging on Puerto Rico from the sidelines. Guevara took on the job of coaching the Puerto Rico men’s national team earlier this year, and he’s extended that responsibility to guiding the U-20s through this tournament.
Puerto Rico started out slow in Group A, losing 7-1 to the USA and 5-1 to Trinidad and Tobago. But the team found its feet in its third game, grabbing a 2-1 win over Suriname thanks to a late brace from Jaden Servania.
Servania bagged a hat-trick in his next outing, as Puerto Rico put eight goals in against US Virgin Islands. A win over St Vincent and the Grenadines would see Guevara’s U-20s exit the tournament having won more games than they lost: a very positive record for a team that was seeded fourth in the six-team group.
But St Vincent and the Grenadines get a say in this game too. SVG has been more consistently competitive in this tournament than Puerto Rico, but less successful. The team opened with a 3-2 loss to Trinidad and Tobago - a game only lost in stoppage time, when T&T scored twice to flip around the score. That was followed by a 2-1 loss to Suriname. Even the team’s lone win to date - over US Virgin Islands - was modest: merely 3-0 against an opponent that has twice (so far) conceded 13 goals in a game in this competition.
Against the USA, SVG conceded six goals, but held the Americans scoreless for the entire first half - which no other opponent in Group A had yet managed to do.
Puerto Rico has the greater momentum, SVG has repeatedly proven itself competitive in this tournament: both sides will like their chances of finishing their 2018 championship with a win.