MIAMI, Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile kicks off this weekend and all the fast-paced, heart pounding action of group stage competition will be available live and in Spanish on the networks of NBC UNIVERSO and Telemundo, as well as at NBCDeportes.com. The FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile will take place from Sat., Oct. 17 through Sun., Nov. 8. The telecast schedule of matches on NBC UNIVERSO, Telemundo and NBCDeportes.com is listed below:

The full schedule of all 52 matches is also available at NBCUNIVERSO.com and NBCDeportes.com

Calling the action for each match will be Award-winning announcer Andres Cantor along with Sammy Sadovnik, Carlos Hermosillo, Manuel Sol, Copan Alvarez, Ana Jurka and Karim Mendiburu.

Viewers can check their local TV listings, or visit www.nbcuniverso.com/encuentra, to find channel information for NBC UNIVERSO on their cable, satellite and telco systems. Subscribers can also live stream the match on the NBC UNIVERSO NOW app.

The national pride of soccer fans throughout the Americas will be on full display as they prepare to cheer for their favorite teams. CONCACAF will be represented by Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and The United States. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and host country Chile will represent CONMEBOL.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup has helped launch the careers of several notable soccer players including Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley (USA); Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez (Argentina); and U-17 World Cup Champions from Mexico Carlos Vela (’05), Giovani Dos Santos (’05) and Julio Gomez (’11).

Argentina has competed in the U-17 World Cup tournament 12 times (only Brazil and the U.S. have more appearances). This team has multiple scoring threats that are able to strike at almost any time, which makes La Albiceleste well-armed as it makes its bid to be crowned U-17 World Cup Champion.

Brazil has one of the strongest U-17 World Cup records of any nation that has competed in this tournament (14 Finals, three titles). The Brazilians have also finished runners-up twice, in 1995 and 2005, and took third place in 1985. Leading up to this year’s tournament in Chile, the offense for this squad has proven to be a scoring juggernaut. The defense for A Canarinha has raised questions at times. Coach Caio Zanardi has stated that his team will be prepared on both sides of the ball.

Host country Chile is making its third appearance in this tournament. The team’s best performance was in in 1993, when it finished third. This year’s group of young players is looking to “shock the world” with a performance that will be worthy of a champion.

Soccer in Costa Rica has continued to get stronger and now its U-17 team has a chance to make history on one of the biggest stages in sports. This will be the team’s eighth trip to the U-17 tournament and it is hopeful for a better outcome than in past years. According to head coach Marcelo Herrera, the team’s confidence is growing and his squad is making progress.

This is the fourth year that the team from Ecuador will play in the U-17 World Cup. Heading into this tournament, the Ecuadorians conceded fewer goals (8) that any other side in U-17 World Cup qualifying competition. The experience of coach Jose Javier Rodriguez will be critical for his team to be ready to take on the many of the world’s best squads.

This year marks Honduras’s fourth time participating in the U-17 World Cup. During its first two tournaments, Los Catrachos did not advance past group stage competition. Its third year in the tournament resulted in playing in a quarter-final game in which the team suffered a close loss. Having now qualified for back-to-back World Cup, the Honduras coach believes his guys can go all the way.

For Mexico, the expectations of its nation are high. El Tri has made 11 appearances in this U-17 tournament and has won it twice (2005, 2011). The two-time champion is ready to go, according to the team’s head coach Mario Arteaga. He has stated that Mexico’s past success in this tournament should not provide added pressure for this group of young men to take home the trophy, as they are already committed to succeed and achieving something big. During the most recent U-17 World Cup, Mexico made it all the way to the finals before losing to Nigeria 3-0. 

The Paraguay team has plenty of optimism and talent, as it prepares for its third U-17 World Cup. However, La Albirroja has not been as consistent on both defense and offense this year as coach Carlos Jara Saguier would like. His team went undefeated in its group stage competition (scoring more than any other team), but faltered during subsequent match play during the South American U-17 Championship.

The United States has competed in 14 of the 15 U-17 World Cups. But, it has never won. For the Stars and Stripes, success is not automatic. This squad made getting to this tournament more difficult than what was expected of it – securing one of the last two spots with a win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF U-17 World Cup Qualifying Tournament. But, for head coach Richie Williams the focus has long shifted from qualifying for this World Cup to now winning it.

About NBC UNIVERSO:
NBC UNIVERSO (www.nbcuniverso.com) is a modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, bringing the world’s top sports franchises and edgy programming to more than 40 million households in the U.S. As one of the most widely available modern cable channels for U.S. Latinos, NBC UNIVERSO delivers a thrilling mix of exclusive sports action – including FIFA World Cup™, Liga MX, Premier League, NASCAR Mexico Series, NFL and The 2016 Rio Olympics – along with signature series, blockbuster movies, music, must-see live events and strategic acquisitions, on TV, online and mobile devices. NBC UNIVERSO is part of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal (www.nbcuniversal.com), one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (www.comcastcorporation.com). To find the NBC UNIVERSO channel number in your area, please visit www.nbcuniverso.com/encuentralo.

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