Bermuda’s Xahvi DeRoza has been named as one of the players to watch in the Under-17 Concacaf Championships in Guatemala.

The midfield playmaker has been identified as integral to Bermuda’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup and features in an article on the Concacaf website naming the 11 future stars set to showcase their talent in this month’s tournament.

DeRoza will be joining up with his team-mates on island later this week as they prepare to fly to Florida for a couple of warm-up matches before heading to Guatemala, where they will play their first match on Sunday, February 19.

With the United States, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Honduras entering the competition at this stage, there were plenty of players for the tournament organisers to select, but DeRoza’s reputation in the region has continued to grow after he scored a hat-trick against Saint-Martin in the qualifying stages.

Other players predicted to take the competition by storm include Micah Burton of the United States, who is one of the leading Academy players in Major League Soccer with Austin FC and has already scored for the under-17s in matches against Uruguay and Portugal.

Mexican Stephano Carillo is a striker who hails from the Santos Laguna Academy, which has produced a host of professional players. Noted for his hold-up play and strength in the air, Carillo could be a good bet for the tournament’s top scorer.

Bermuda’s first game in the tournament could well be against Honduras if, as expected, the Central American country top a group featuring Haiti, El Salvador and Surinam. If that is the case, Bermuda’s defenders will be well advised to keep a close on Roberto Osorto.

Having already left his first club Luz y Vida to join professional side Real Espana, who have won 12 Honduran league titles, Osorto has scored 11 goals in 25 games for his national side.

The championships start on Saturday with the opening games featuring Mexico taking on Curacao and Canada taking on Trinidad and Tobago.