Thomas Rongen's U-20 United States national team will need to be ready for the CONCACAF Championship a week early.
Orginally scheduled to take place from April 3-17, CONCACAF officials have decided the tournament will be played from March 28 to April 10 instead.
CONCACAF press officer Ben Spencer told MLSsoccer.com the dates were altered due to conflicts at Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores, one of the two venues that will be used for the tournament in Guatemala.
The draw for the tournament will take place on Friday in Guatemala City. The 12-team affair will feature four three-team groups, with the winner of each advancing to the U-20 World Cup. The US will be placed in a pot with hosts Guatemala, Canada or Mexico and, therefore, cannot be paired with any of that trio.
It's been a busy week for CONCACAF officials. On Feb. 4, they announced that Costa Rica would replace El Salvador at the regional championship after determining the latter team used an ineligible player at the UNCAF qualifying competition. Dustin Corea, who netted both goals for El Salvador in the country's 2-1 aggregate playoff victory over the Ticos, appeared for the US squad in the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 tournament but failed to change his affiliation.
Noah Davis covers the United States national team for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @noahedavis.
