Subject: I think it's certainly second only to the World Cup
Posted by: HoosInLondon? on Thu Aug 7 2008 2:37:16 PM
Message:
World Cup, then the Olympics, then the U-20s, then the U-17s. Pretty
simple, really, as far as global competitions go. Every team plans to
send their very best U-23s. And eligible star players don't skip out on
the Olympics the way they might the U-17s or U-20s if their clubs balk.
Just look at Lionel Messi. I believe he was eligible for the U-20s last
year but didn't play. And Freddy Adu has skipped out on the 2005 U-
17s even though he cleared the age limit by 18 months.
If you toss in regional competitions, only the European championships
surpasse the Olympics in prestige, in my opinion. The Copa America
used to, but it's slipped significantly in the past decade-plus. I would
say that the Olympics edge out the African Nations Cup, too, and
easily beat out the Asian and CONCACAF championships for prestige.
And the Olympics beat out any regional youth tournament in prestige
for sure.
