Tournament has something in common with the other three teams competing: Neither know what to expect from the hosts.

While Scotland's Glasgow Rangers are certainly the favourites and while strong challenges can typically be expected from the Canadian under-17 nationals and a United States select squad, Bermuda remain an unknown.

"We're going in blind,'' confirmed long-time youth coach Jon Beard, who has put together the tournament as a "yardstick'' to help measure the Island's progress.

"We'll find out on the night, as they say, and go from there.'' The night in this case is tonight, when Bermuda meet Canada, preceded by a game between Rangers and the US, represented by the Eastern seaboard selects.

Action continues all week at National Stadium, culminating with the final and consolation final on Friday night.

The problem facing Beard, head coach Fred Lewis and his assistants, Danvers Seymour and Mark Trott, is meshing 17 young, individually-skilled Bermudians into one cohesive unit for the first time in three years.

Training has been sporadic but Bermuda were able to get in a full week of practice, including two-hour sessions on Saturday and yesterday. Lewis and his staff have been giving the players a crash course on tactics, technique and team-work but whether that's enough to overcome teams used to playing against each other and overseas remains to be seen.

Two keys for Bermuda, Beard says, are defensive organisation -- "we've got to be able to defend as a unit'' -- and offensive patience, that is being able to build up the attack.

"Too much of our junior leagues is just kicking the ball up the field,'' said Beard, one of most experienced coaches on the Island. "And that just doesn't work in the international game.'' The last time Bermuda's youth squad competed internationally was in 1993 in Ireland, when they were thrashed 8-3 by Glasgow Rangers in the consolation final of a tournament. And, no, the game didn't go into penalty kicks.

Like this time around, that tournament was, as Beard said, a "learning process.'' But the lessons figure to be less painful in the future. Plans are in the works to bring the Bermuda youth team back together after the upcoming regular season and, thanks to the arrival of some corporate sponsorship, get them some invaluable competition.

Added Beard: "Getting the players together isn't difficult. Getting opposition is.'' Two players from the 1993 team are back again: Midfielder Joey Rego and captain John Barry Nusum. The rest of the players are mostly 14 and 15-years-old, making Bermuda probably the youngest squad in the tournament.

Among the players to watch are midfielder Jemeiko Jennings and winger Ralph Bean -- both sons of former Bermuda international players -- and sweeper Sean Simmons, perhaps the Island's best prospect.

The rest of the squad includes goalkeepers Nigel Burgess and Garon Wilkinson; Alalee Furbert, Kevin Richards, Jelani Scott, Khomeni Talbot, Deanile Jennings, Aaron Williams, Ricky Saltus, Nathan Samuels, Heyes Woolfe, Khano Smith and Omar Butterfield.

Both Bermuda and Canada are preparing for next month's CONCACAF qualifier for the 1997 Youth World Cup in Egypt.