Canada qualifies for FIFA U-17 World Cup in dramatic penalty shootout win
BRADENTON, Fla. — Defender Gianfranco Facchineri converted his spot kick to give Canada a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Costa Rica on Sunday to reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship and qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The four semifinalists at the CONCACAF tournament advance to the world championship later this year in Brazil.
The Canadians will play the U.S. in Tuesday’s semifinal. The Americans won 3-2 when they met in group play earlier in the tournament.
Canada failed to qualify for the 2017 and 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cups. It has participated in six of the 17 editions of the tournament, but only twice since 1995 (in 2011 and 2013). It hosted in 1987.