Latin Americans dominate

World Youth Championship won by Brazil but marked by defense

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Latin American teams upheld tradition by dominating the World Youth Championship, yet champion Brazil and deposed titleholder Argentina failed to light up the under-20 event.

They weren't alone.

No African team reached the quarterfinals, and European football powers such as Germany and England also failed to impress. Mexico also uncharacteristically underperformed.

Flamboyance -- often a feature of age-group tournaments -- was replaced by frugality as most teams played tactically and defensively, and dangerous players were marked heavily, putting a premium on goals.

"What is happening now is that there is a more technical approach being taken to play the game by the teams, who are playing much more carefully," Argentina coach Hugo Tocalli said Friday after his side finished fourth. "Teams are not playing as open as they did 10 years ago."

Brazil coach Marcos Paqueta agreed. Brazil struggled to a fourth title victory Friday in scoring a late goal to beat a 10-man Spain 1-0 in the final.

Paqueta said "practical football" had taken over "the beautiful things, because they don't always produce results."

Yet the tournament was a success for the United States, which showcased 14-year-old dynamo Freddy Adu, the youngest person ever to play in the U.S. Under-20 side, and teammate Ed Johnson, who received the Golden Boot and became the first American to win the scoring title in a FIFA men's tournament.

Johnson and Argentina's Fernando Cavenaghi and Brazil's Dudu scored four goals each, but Johnson won the Golden Boot on the first tiebreaker, with one assist to none for the others.

Brazil tied Argentina as the tournament's most successful nations, with four championships each in its 26-year history.

But Brazil won only once in the group phase, during which it lost 3-2 to Australia, and Argentina lost its last two matches to place behind Colombia, which finished a best-ever third.

Brazil scored the most goals in one game -- five against Japan in the quarterfinals -- and had two players -- Dudu and Daniel -- adjudged the tournament's second- and third-best players respectively behind surprise winner Ismail Mattar, the captain of host nation the United Arab Emirates.

But goal scoring was not as much a feature of this tournament compared to the past, with most games decided by narrow margins and tight defensive play.

That gave the greater experience of players from full-time soccer nations such as Argentina and Brazil the edge during the tournament, when those teams won close games in pressure-cooker situations, scoring late in regulation time or with golden goals in extra time.

Argentina's thrilling 2-1 quarterfinal win over the United States came after an equalizer scored with just seconds left on the clock in regulation, and then a golden-goal clincher.

African coaches put down their region's lack of playoff representation to a lack of funds and infrastructure available to develop their talent.

Mexico finished last in its group -- one of the tournament's weaker ones -- with only a point garnered against Ireland, Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia.

England also finished last in its group behind Japan, Colombia and Egypt, and Premier League clubs Everton and Newcastle United were criticized for failing to release Wayne Rooney and Jermain Jenas respectively.

Even so, the South Americans' grip on the world under-20 title -- a fifth championship for Brazil or Argentina in the last six events since 1993 -- didn't seem set to be loosened any time soon.

"The South American school is a very high level because there are excellent clubs that develop players to play with lots of skill," Brazilian star Dudu told The Associated Press. "And even in very tough and physical situations, teams like Brazil can still manage to succeed."