Canadian U-20s lose one, draw one in Mexico

Canada’s U-20 men’s team salvaged a draw out of its two-game closed-door series in Mexico. Real Valladolid’s Keven Aleman slotted home a second-half penalty kick to give against El Tri’s youth team on Sunday. Jesus Manuel Corona, a product of defending two-time CONCACAF Champions League holders Monterrey, scored the opening goal in the first half. The win comes after Mexico beat Canada 3-0 on Friday, even though Stefan Vukovic, of the Montreal Impact U-23 program, had a golden chance to score off a feed from FC Edmonton’s Dino Gardner. Aleman, Vukovic and Gardner are all former TFC Academy prospects. But a look at the itineraries of the U-20 clubs shows the wide gulf between the two programs. After this camp, the Canadians will return to their clubs and look forward to another camp in the future. Meanwhile, the Mexican U-20s will be jetting off to Russia, to play in the Lev Yashin Cup, where they’ll play the youth teams of SC Freiburg, Dynamo Moscow, West Ham United, Malaga and Besiktas. After that, it’s off to the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, where they will face a field that includes Northern Ireland, Chile, the U.S., Turkey and Denmark. It’s that kind of commitment to developing a national youth program that keeps Mexico ahead of the field in CONCACAF. Not only does it have the deepest talent base in the region — which puts the law of averages on its side — it puts more resources into developing its youth players. RELATED: Canada names U-20 roster for Mexican friendlies (CLICK) Dasovic takes over as U-20 coach, Aleman on roster (CLICK)