The last time Canadian men competed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup was when Canada hosted the event in 2007.

The country has failed to qualify for each of the six subsequent World Cups since it welcomed the world 11 years ago, a record of futility that has become an embarrassing blemish on the program. The Reds have another chance to end the drought this year, but first they’ll have to navigate their way past the best teams in North America.

Here’s what you need to know about this month’s Concacaf U-20 Championship, which serves as the qualifying tournament for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Poland.

How does the Concacaf competition work?

The 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship runs from Nov. 1-21 in Bradenton, Fla.

Thirty-four teams are divided into six round-robin groups. The six group winners advance to the next round where they’ll be put into two groups.

The two semifinal group winners advance to the final and qualify for the World Cup. The two second-place teams will also earn a World Cup berth.

Canada previously won this Concacaf tournament in 1986 and 1996. The United States are the defending champions.

Who is in Canada’s group?

Canada will compete in Group D with Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique. The Canadians’ first game is against Dominica on Nov. 2, and they will play all five of their Group D matches over a nine-day period.

“We’ll need wins in all of our [Group D] matches. After the first three games, we’ll know where we’re headed, and what the possibilities are for the last two,” Canadian coach Andrew Oilivieri told Sportsnet.

What are Canada’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup?

It’ll be tough, as only one nation from each of the six groups moves on to the next round. Panama is one of six seeded nations in the competition, so they’ll be the favourite in Group D.

If Canada does make it out of Group D, it would be placed into a semifinal group where it would potentially face seeded sides Mexico (if it wins Group B) or El Salvador (if it wins Group F).

“Panama is going to be a quality opponent. They’ll be a very challenging side, and this is a program that’s coming off the back of their senior team qualifying for the [2018] World Cup. So, quite a bit of money went into that program, and they’ve done a lot with their under-20s,” Oilivieri said.

“They’re the top seed in the group, and it’s going to be an important match for us. But we’re not overlooking the other teams in the group. Guadeloupe has brought in some players from France, so you’ll know they’ll have some quality there… You can’t look past the first game against Dominica because that’ll be the first match together for this [Canadian squad].”

Who is on the Canadian roster?

Olivieri has assembled a 20-man squad that includes Alessandro Busti, an 18-year-old goalkeeper with the Juventus under-23 side. Born in Toronto but raised in Italy, Busti earned his first cap for Canada’s senior team in a 5-0 win over Dominica in a Concacaf Nations League qualifying match last month.

“He’s a young boy, but you get the impression that he’s a well-seasoned veteran, and a real stable and solid player. On the pitch, that’s what you want to see from a goalkeeper. He’s very assertive, very commanding in what he does,” Olivieri offered.

Here’s the full roster…

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Busti (Juventus U-23/Italy) and Thomas Hasal (Vancouver Whitecaps Academy).

Defenders: Emile Legault (unattached), Daniel Kinumbe (Ottawa Fury), Michael Baldisimo (Vancouver Whitecaps), Julian Dunn, (Toronto FC 2), Yohan Le Bourhis (Montreal Impact Academy), Dante Campbell (Toronto FC 2), Terique Mohammed (Toronto FC 2), Benson Fazili (FK Metta/Latvia) and Antonio Rocco Romeo (Toronto FC II.

Midfielders: Clement Bayiha (Ottawa Fury), Noble Okello (Toronto FC 2), Mathieu Choiniere (Montreal Impact), Noah Verhoeven (Vancouver Whitecaps Academy) and Steffen Yeates (University of Connecticut).

Forwards: Theo Bair (Vancouver Whitecaps); Jose Hernandez (Vancouver Whitecaps Academy), Adonijah Reid (FC Dallas) and Jordan Perruzza (Toronto FC 2).

Where’s Alphonso Davies and the other young stars?

It’s interesting to note that while Busti was named to this Canadian roster, other age-eligible players who have senior team experience were not called up.

Alphonso Davies (age 17), Jonathan David (18), and Ballou Tabla, Zachary Brault-Guillard and Liam Millar (all 19) won’t compete at the Concacaf U-20 Championship.

Part of the problem is that the FIFA window doesn’t open until Nov. 12 (11 days after the start of the tournament) before closing again on Nov. 20, one day before the final.

Pro clubs are not required to let their players go for national team duty outside of the FIFA window. Olivieri revealed that a few clubs turned down his request for Canadian players to be released for this competition.

“With pro players at age 18, 19 and 20, to [have access to them] outside of FIFA windows will always be challenge,” Olivieri admitted.

There’s also the question of whether there’s any value in giving U-20 games to senior team players such as Davies who have clearly graduated from the youth program to the senior team.

And then there’s the fact that Canada’s senior side will play Saint Kitts and Nevis in a Concacaf Nations League qualifying match on Nov. 18, so Davies et al will be saved for that game.

“We don’t have the entire squad that we could, but it’s a chance to look at more players and give them some valuable experience and an opportunity to progress through the national team program,” Olivieri said.

“Some of the young kids, we see them as senior team players now. We don’t see the as youth team players, and we have to prioritize them for senior team duty.”