[NYTr] Cuba's Soccer Team to Play in Florida for the First Time

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles


Cuba's Soccer Team to Play in Florida for the First Time

Havana, Dec 26 (acn) The Confederation of North, Central American and 
Caribbean Football (CONCACAF) announced that for the first time Cuba's 
under-23 men's soccer team will play in Florida. The island's squad 
will debut March 11 against the US squad, favorites to win the Olympic 
qualifying tournament.

The tournament schedule was announced over the weekend in New York, 
reported Granma newspaper.

Group A will play at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, where 
Cuba will debut against the US at 8:00 p.m. March 11; then take on 
Honduras (5:30 p.m.) March 13 and Panama (4:30 p.m.) on March 15.

Group B, made up of Mexico, Canada, Guatemala and Haiti begins action 
on March 14 in Carson, California.

The semifinals and finals are scheduled for March 20 and 23 in 
Nashville, Tennessee. The two finalists will earn tickets to the 
Beijing Olympics.

Cuba has played in two Olympics, Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980, both as 
last minute substitutes for other teams that declined to send their 
teams. In 1992, the Olympic tournament was fixed at the under-23 age 
category; following it was agreed that each qualified team could 
include three players of any age.

Antonio Garces, of the National Soccer Commission, said the under-23 
team will begin practicing on January 11, although players will 
continue to play in the Cuban league which renews on January 5.