Soviet Union national under-21 football team

Soviet Union national under-21 football team
The Soviet national youth football team was the under-21 football team of the Soviet Union. Before 1978 it was known as under-23 team. It ceased to exist on the breakup of the Union.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the USSR Under-21 team was formed. The team had a good record, winning the competition twice, reaching the last four once, but failing to qualify for the last eight on five occasions.
After the dissolution of the USSR (on 26 December 1991), the senior team played out its remaining fixtures, which were the finals of Euro 92. Because the USSR U-21s had, by 26 December, already failed to qualify for their version of the 1992 European Championship, the former Soviet states didn't play as a combined team at U-21 level ever again.
Of the former Soviet states, only Russia entered the 1992–1994 competition. A total of 15 former Soviet states play international football today; 11 in Europe under UEFA, 4 in Asia under the AFC.
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. USSR's unparalleled record in U-23 competitions is also shown.
UEFA U-23 championship record
Started in Balkans as the Under-23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970, the Soviet Union did not participate.
UEFA U-21 championship record
Managers
1963 Boris Nabokov
1964 Boris Nabokov and Vasiliy Sokolov
1964 Vasiliy Sokolov
1965 Yevgeniy Goryanskiy
1965 Gavriil Kachalin
1966 Viktor Lakhonin and Yevgeniy Rogov
1966 Nikita Simonyan
1967 Boris Nabokov
1967 German Zonin
1967 Vsevolod Blinkov
1968 Gavriil Kachalin and Aleksei Paramonov
1968 Gavriil Kachalin
1968 Vitaliy Artemyev
1969–1973 Boris Nabokov
1974–1976 Valentin Nikolayev
1976 Sergei Mosiagin
1977–1979 Valentin Nikolayev
1980 Valentin Nikolayev and Sergei Korshunov
1980–1985 Valentin Nikolayev
1985 Vladimir Salkov
1985 Eduard Malofeyev
1986–1990 Vladimir Radionov
1988 Leonid Pakhomov
1991–1992 Boris Ignatyev
In 1992 it also competed as the CIS national under-21 football team coached by Boris Ignatyev. Since August of 1992 Boris Ignatyev continued already with the Russia national under-21 football team.
1990 European Championship squad
The last Soviet U-21 team
Head coach Vladimir Radionov
Notes:
All data through 31 December 1991.
Mikhail Yeremin died on 30 June 1991 from injuries he sustained in an auto accident on 23 June, less than a week after his birthday.
Rogovskoi moved to Poland (Zagłębie Lubin), Sydelnykov - Germany (SG Wattenscheid 09), Pozdnyakov - Austria (FC Stahl Linz), Tskhadadze - Sweden (GIF Sundsvall), Shalimov - Italy (U.S. Foggia), Kanchelskis - England (Manchester United F.C.), Pyatnitskiy - Russia (Spartak Moscow), Mostovoi - Portugal (S.L. Benfica), Dobrovolskiy - Switzerland (Servette FC), Kolyvanov - Italy (U.S. Foggia), Yuran - Portugal (S.L. Benfica).
National teams of the former Soviet republics
See also
European Under-21 Football Championship
External links
UEFA Under-21 website Contains full results archive
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.
НЕОФИЦИАЛЬНЫЙ РЕЕСТР МАТЧЕЙ МОЛОДЕЖНОЙ СБОРНОЙРОССИИ /СССР, СНГ/. www.rusteam.permian.ru
1963 establishments in the Soviet Union
1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union
European national under-21 association football teams
Soviet Union national football team
Youth football in the Soviet Union