The Bermuda Under-17 side will face defending champions Mexico at the Concacaf Under-17 Championship at the IMG Soccer Stadium in Bradenton, Florida, today.

Coach Cecoy Robinson’s team lost 3-1 to Trinidad & Tobago in their group opener on Wednesday but will look to get off the mark against Mexico, who beat Jamaica 1-0 in the other group E match.

“Mexico will be a tough match and we will have to be disciplined and organised,” Robinson said. “We were able to get eyes on them and took some notes, so we will train in preparation for that.”

Bermuda dominated possession against Trinidad but paid the price for missed chances, including a penalty in the second half with the game still in the balance. Despite the disappointing outcome, Robinson believes there are positives to take from the match, particularly with his team’s courageous second-half display.

“We started the game very slowly and were second to every ball,” said the PHC Zebras captain. “We made two mistakes that we got punished for.

“The boys responded well to the half-time talk and we came out with guts and fight but were unlucky with the penalty miss and one or two other chances.

“Ne-Jai Tucker missed a penalty right after we scored in the 75th minute, which could have tied the game and then we missed another good chance immediately after that. Our spirits are still high and we will dig deep and build on our second-half performance.”

Trinidad are top of the four-team group on goal difference ahead of Mexico, with Jamaica and Bermuda in third and fourth. Group F includes the United States, Canada, Guatemala and Barbados, with Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador and Guayana making up group G and Costa Rica, Panama, Surinam and Curaçao in group H.

The top three from each group will move on to the round of 16, where they will join the four pre-qualifiers.

The semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the Under-17 World Cup to be held in Brazil from September 17 to October 8.