MIAMI, Florida – The recently concluded 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship in Honduras saw a number of young players from across the region deliver top performances for their respective national teams.
Now, many of those same players will have the opportunity to shine for their clubs in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League.
Canada FW Kamron Habibullah appeared in three matches for his country in the CMU20, including scoring a goal in Canada’s Round of 16 match with Guatemala, which ended in a 1-1 draw and a penalty shootout win for Guatemala.
Habibullah displayed his attacking verve for the Canadians and now he will aim to do the same in the SCL with Pacific FC, where he plays on-loan from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps.
Jewison Bennette has already garnered the attention of many at the international level with not only the Costa Rican Under-20 team, but the Costa Rican Senior Team. He became the youngest player to feature in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for the Ticos at age 18 and then had the assist on Joel Campbell’s goal in Costa Rica’s 1-0 World Cup playoff win versus New Zealand, earning Costa Rica a berth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
After playing three matches in the CMU20, Bennette will try his hand in Concacaf club competition with 2018 SCL champions Herediano, as the club aims to become the first team to win two SCLs.
Honduras returned to the FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup, which will take place next year in Indonesia, and a big reason for that success was FW Marco Aceituno. The 18-year-old attacker scored six goals in the CMU20, highlighted by his brace in Honduras’ 2-1 win over Panama in the quarterfinals to clinch that Under-20 World Cup berth.
With seven games and two goals already to his name for club side Real Espana, the SCL could prove to be another setting for Aceituno to show his goal-scoring ability.
The CMU20 was a historical one for the Dominican Republic, as they not only qualified for their first Under-20 World Cup, but also a first ever Olympic Games for Paris 2024. FW Angel Montes De Oca was pivotal in that success, scoring a brace in the Dominican Republic’s 5-4 win over El Salvador in the Round 16, followed by the lone goal in the 1-0 quarterfinal triumph over Jamaica.
With that in mind, Montes De Oca is poised to make more history with club side Cibao FC in the 2022 SCL, hoping to become the first player to score a goal for a Dominican side in the SCL.
Nicaragua’s time at the CMU20 came to an end after only one match as they fell 5-0 to the United States in the Round of 16, but showing well in that contest for the Pinoleros was FW Widman Talavera, who played all 90 minutes against the eventual champions.
Talavera will now get another crack at Concacaf competition in the SCL and it is a tournament that seems to suit him. Just a year ago Talavera was one of the goalscorers for Real Esteli in their 2-0 Round of 16 second leg win against Marathon of Honduras. That resulted in a 2-2 draw on aggregate and a penalty shootout eventually won by Marathon, however Talavera’s performance stood out and now after his CMU20 experience, he’ll get another crack at excelling in the SCL.