Canada should play in the Central American Cup

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The Central American Cup is lacking since it only has 7 nations playing in this nice little tournament.  7 nations create an odd group of only 3 nations. The group needs a 4^th team to complete the group. I believe the Central American Cup should invite Canada to participate. This would finally complete the odd group. The odd group always created an advantage for the winners of that group. The winners, who advance only have to play 2 group games as opposed to 3 group games for the other group. Adding a 8th nation would create 2 groups of 4 teams and making for a nicer tournament.  This idea is good for Canada since they would get more competitive games, good for the Central American participants since they get an extra Gold Cup chance and extra competitive games and good for the tournament since it will complete the odd group of 3 and provide 2 brackets and draw more interest and excitement.

 Canada should offer their guaranteed Gold Cup slot as bait. Presently the CA Cup places the 4 top teams in the Gold Cup. The 5^th place team (Honduras ) plays the 5^th Caribbean Cup (French Guiana) team for the last spot. If Canada offered their spot, CA Cup would place the 5 top teams from the tournament directly into the Gold Cup.  

The tournament could have the top 2 teams in each group earn 4 slots for the Gold Cup. They would play in a knockout round for the Central American Championship so nothing would change here. The bottom 4 teams would also play in their own  knockout round. This is the huge added advantage of having 8 teams in this tournament. Every game becomes crucial. Group A 3^rd plays Group B’s 4^th place and Group B’s 3^rd place plays Group a’s 4^th place finisher. The 2 winners of the consolation knockout play each other for the last guaranteed spot. The Champion of this bracket now have something to play for. The winner receives Canada's guarantee Gold Cup spot. This creates so much more interest for this bracket. 
The loser of this consolation round would still get to play the 5^th place Caribbean nations for the last spot for the Gold Cup. This will not change.

Good for Central American Teams

The arrangement would guarantee at least 4 competitive games for every nation which is badly needed in CONCACAF. The 4 teams would get 5 competitive games, and the other 4 team are guaranteed 4 competitive games.  Presently there are only 12 matches. Adding Canada would increase the total matches to 18 competitive games. The loser of the 3 team group only get to play 3  games and the nations fans are left empty. They have to wait 2 more years for this tournament. The loser of the 4 team group also only get to play 3 competitive group  games and does not participate in the 5th  place finish game. These less talented teams (Nicaragua, Belize and whoever) needs more games to get better. Adding an 8th nation would provide these badly needed games.
The top teams will not have a negative effect since they will still play in the knock out rounds, still get their guaranteed 4 spots for the Gold Cup and still crown a Champion for this regional tournament. I think if the Gold Cup and CONMEBOL Championship can add teams to increase the tournament then the Central American Cup should also. 

Good for Canada

            First of all Canada badly needs competitive national team games, especially before the Gold Cup. They just do not get enough. Playing in another tournament to warm up for the Gold Cup is a great idea. Playing against teams that are about your equal is even better. The Central American Cup is a perfect tournament that meet both these needs.  These teams are great with the soccer ball at their feet. They do not panic with the ball and are skillful dribblers. Canada was bigger, faster and more athletic however they need this type of competition to sharpen their skills. This tournament would provide 4 to 5 very competitive games that mean something. Friendlies against Iceland, Moldova and Bulgaria are just not the same.  

            As for the Gold Cup, Canada shouldn't just get an automatic bid; they should have to qualify for it. Entering the CA Cup would solve this issue. Canada did not advance out of the group stage in the 2011, 2013 and 2015 Gold Cup’s. This left Canada with only 3 competitive games for the year, for their national team. The 2009 Gold Cup was only one better they advanced but lost in the opening game of the knockout round, thus playing in only 4 competitive games. This give the Canadian faithful an empty feeling after only watching your national team play only 3 games. The Canadian fans had to wait 2 more years only to see their team fail yet again. The Central American Cup would be a great measuring stick as to how far your nation has advanced. t 
         The teams in the Central American Cup are almost the same teams they face in the Gold Cup. Playing in the Central American Cup as a guest would provide the Canadian faithful with a nice competitive tournament before the Gold Cup. Since Canada doesn't make the World Cup, a tournament like this would do great to raise the interest of the sport in Canada and improve the national team. Qualifying for the Gold Cup would draw more interest to the Canadian national team. 

            I think Canada should offer their guaranteed slot to the Central American Cup to entice the nations (tournament) to invite them.  As for those of you who say this is crazy, why miss out on the Gold Cup….I say if Canada cannot get at least 5^th place in the Central American  Cup then they don’t deserve to go anyway.

This is how things could work. The top 2 teams in each group get the coveted 4 Gold Cups spots. These top 4 teams then play in the Championship knockout rounds, just like it is now. Tjhe winner is the Central American Champion.

Group A	Group B
Costa Rica	Honduras
Panama	Guatemala
Canada	El Slavador
Belize	Belize

              Lets say Costa Rica, Panama, Canada and Belize are in group A and finish that way. Costa Rica and Panama make the knockout round. Group B of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua finish this way. Honduras and Guatemala  proceed to the Championship knockout rounds. These 4 nations will get the 4 guaranteed spots for the Gold Cup. So nothing new here. 

What will be different and better; will be the bottom 4 teams will enter their own MEANINGFUL knockout rounds.  The winner will get Canada's automatic spot for the Gold Cup. The bottom 4 teams enter their own knockout round for Canada’s extra Gold Cup spot. Here is an example. Canada will play Nicaragua and El Salvador will play Belize and the winners play each other for the Canada's automatic spot.
This way all nations in this tournament will play a minimum of 4 competitive games and the 4 others will  get to play 5 competitive games. This increases competitive games for all most every team for this tournament. 

            Lets now say Nicaragua hosted the next tournament. Nicaragua would still have the fans at the games since they would be fighting for the last Gold Cup spot. This would or should increase attendance and interest to ANY host nation and their fans even if they don't participate in the Championship bracket. 

Bad for Canada: Not really

Now let's  Canada doesn't win the final of the losers bracket. They still have a chance to play in the Gold Cup by qualifying for the Central American v Caribbean playoff spot.  They would do this by losing in the Championship of the losers bracket.  This now would give Canada 5 competitive games in the Central American Cup and 2 more games in the playoff against the Caribbean nation 5th place finisher. Qualifying this way would be the best of all cases for Canada. Why?
Well First of all if Canada can not place in the top 4 of the Central American Cup, nor make the final of the losers bracket then you can be assured they could be losing these games in the Gold Cup against better competition. 
OK....you say! i make a good point but why is it the best. IT become the best since Canada would maximize their competitive games in the Central American Cup with 5 games and then have the huge advantage of playing 2 more games against a quality Caribbean nation like Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana or even Dominican Republic. This would give Canada 7 quality, confidence building games leading up to the Gold Cup. This would give the Canadian team such a huge advantage to work as a cohesive team and finally advance out of the group stage of the regional tournament. 

The worse case is Canada doesn't qualify as a top 4 Central American participant and lose the losers bracket against lowly Belize or Nicaragua. I don't think Canada would have advanced in the Gold Cup (only 3 games). So Canada would still play one more competitive game this year. That is the worse case. 
Every other scenario Canada benefits and that is why they should offer their automatic Gold Cup spot as bait to play in the Central American Cup.

CONCACAF Round 2 review

I referred to this group as El Salvador’s group because they were the team to beat. They won every game and dominated in the stats category. They scored the most goals with 20 and let in the least (5). There was never a question as to who the best team in this group was. El Salvador will advance to Round 3 in a formidable group which will have regional rival Costa Rica, CONCACAF power Mexico and newcomer Guyana.

The other nations we will not see until the next Caribbean Cup in 2012. The second place finisher was a surprise here. The Dominican Republic had quite a successful World Cup Qualifying campaign. They had to play in round 1 against Anguilla. The won is easy fashion 2-0 and 4-0. The Dominican Republic was then the last seed in this group. They were supposed to finish last, however this nation took a giant leap forward. They only lost 2 games and they were to El Salvador. Both games were 1 goal games. The Dominican Republic also scored 12 goals and let in 8, leaving them with a +4 goal differential. They also shot up the FIFA ranking are are presently the 18th ranked CONCACAF nation, outpacing Bermuda, Belize, Nicaragua and rival Puerto Rico.
Suriname had a chance to advance in their last 2 games. The problem was they had to beat El Salvador. Suriname play as I expected and wound up in 3rd.

The Cayman Islands did not embarrass themselves. They played competitive the whole tournament. This tiny island has been encouraged and now they are interested in hosting the next Caribbean Cup 2012.

The CONCACAF draw

A quick look at Round 2

Group A  El Salvador's Group
( El Salvador, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic.)

          This is the group of 3's. El Salvador, Suriname and Dominican Republic were all #3 ranked teams in their Pots. Cayman Isl were 5th. El Salvador plays great at Cuscatalan Stadium. They will difficult to beat there. Mexico and Costa Rica both lost in Cuscatalan Stadium. They are my clear favorites in this group. Suriname is the South American nation that could surprise us with the South American flair and attitude. They will be new to World Cup qualifying since they do not have much history here. I do not know much about Cayman Islands. Dominican Republic has been a favorite of mine to follow. They did play in the preliminary round and have not been scored on yet. Their hopes rely on Jonathan Fana (PR Islanders). I am hopeing they can keep things interesting for their fans and the group.
Prediction El Salvador easily win the group. followed by Suriname is a close fight with the Dominican Republic.

Group B     The Rivals Group 
(Trinidan & Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda)

        T&T is not the Caribbean power that dominated for a decade. T&T does not have the influence of Jack Warner overlooking the team and the games. The favorable calls for T&T will not be there this qualifying cycle. With that said I still like T&T as the favorite of this group. They have better players overall and experience. This island nation keeps going deep in the Caribbean Cups, playing many times in the Gold Cup and playing in the World Cup. They have the best domestic league in the Caribbean.
     There is a good rivaly brewing between Guyana and T&T. Many players on the Guyana’s national team play in the T&T league. This will be interesting how they play and interact when they play each other. Guyana recently lost to T&T in the Caribbean Cup 2010 but the game was in T&T. The score was 2-1. Guyana will be quite excited to play T&T in Guyana finally. Barbados did not advance in the Caribbean Cup 2010 but they did tie St Kitts and St Vincent all with 5 points. They could not advance because of GD. Barbados will keep thing tight. Bermuda is the mystery team. Not only did they not play in the preliminary round of this World Cup qualifying, they did not enter in the Caribbean Cup 2010. They are a great unknown and they may be biding their time for this WC Cycle. There will not be a huge gap in points when this group is done.
Prediction...T&T first followed closely bu Guyana

Group C      Panama and the rest
 (Panama, Nicaragua, Bahamas, Dominica)

      Panama is the strongest nation in Pot 1 and they got the easiest draw. They got the last seed in Pot 2 Dominica. They then got the last seed in Pot 3 (Nicaragua). They followed this up with Bahamas a #5 seed. Panama should dominate from start to finish. Their fans are already looking at their seed in the next round. (Panama if they win would be placed with Honduras, Cuba and the winner of Group Group D..Canada possibly). Dominica is a weak Caribbean nation and I do no see them advancing here. Nicaragua fans are very glum with drawing Panama. I think they would have liked anyone but Panama in this draw.           Nicaragua has slowely been building Nicaragua soccer, from the national team, the new national stadium, their youth programs and the Nicaragua national league. This building process is being undertaken by Enrique Quique Llena Leon, who is from Spain. If he can implement anything like the Spanish U-19 youth teams then Nicaragua will be great fun to watch progress. This qualifying cycle was suppose to jump start the country away from baseball and into soccer. I think they end up the #2 team after all games are played. Bahamas have not been scored on yet however they drew 2 Central American teams. The party is over here. Prediction Panama then my upset for #2 ..Nicaragua

Group D            Canada vs the Caribbean
 (Canada, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and St Lucia)

It will be fun to listen to the Canadian media critique their team as this group progresses. The Canucks expect to win and I expect them to win also. St Kitts was a # 4 seed on Pot 2 but Puerto Rico was a #1 seed from Pot 3. Canada can practice their ball control philosophy against the weaker Caribbean opponents in this round. The Canuck fans are estatice with their semi-final grouping also. The winner of this group will not have to face Us nor Mexico in the semi finals. Puerto Rico could challenge for the 2nd spot. Puerto Rico could even challenge for the top spot but not win it. They have a few players who play for the Puerto Rico Islanders so they will be use to the travel, international games and the professionalism. St Lucia will not make this group easy. They may make it miserable for the group with their tough play.
Prediction Canada followed by another upset...Puerto Rico

Group E           Central America vs Caribbean
(Guatemala, Belize, Grenada, St Vincent).

    This will be interesting how the Central American nations stakc up against the Caribbean nations. Grenada is ranked above Guatemala and St Vincent is ranked above Belize. I think Guatemala will get more points than Grenada and Belize with win with more points than St Vincents.                                                     The top seed Grenada does not look like the favorite here. Guatemala, the Central American nation will be to hard to beat at home. Guatemala also just demolished Grenada 4-0 in the Gold Cup 2011. Guatemala in my mind is the clear favorite. I am very glad they were not grouped with Panama nor El Salvador. However they did draw fellow Central American foe Belize.  All of Guatemala is celebrating with this draw. Grenada has played well over the last few year, qualifying for the Gold Cup 2 times in a row. This is a great accomplishment. This group will not be as hard as the Gold Cup groups however they will have to prove themselves here. Belize, I feel sorry for. The governement is interfering to much and the federation FBB is not that good. They do however finally have a home pitch to play on. St Vincent has earned the nick name the "giant killer". This small group of islands can put togather a good team. They will not win the group but could come up with intersting results.
Prediction Guatemala then Grenada however Belize and St vinny will not be far behind Grenada


Group F               The Caribbean Group
(Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands)

This group has all Caribbean nations playing. The favorites Haiti are in disarray after their earthquake. FIFA is restoring their playing pitch and stadium for the qualifying rounds but the team will be hard pressed to overcome the dismay that still exists in the country. I believe this group has the weakest teams overall. Antigua and Barbuda was the #1 seed in Pot 2 and Haiti was the #6 seed in Pot 1. So these two nations should battle for top spot.  I am going to go for the upset here and believe A&B can win this group. Curacao will take over the previous records of the Netherland Antilles and will keep pace with Haiti and A&B. They will keep pace because I see them getting 2 wins against the USVI. The USVI will be cannon foder in this group. They will be lucky to win even at home.
Prediction A&B is my upset of this round. followed by Haiti. Ouch

Semi Finals
      No one wanted Cost Rica in their group since they were the best nation in their pot. Mexico was saddled with this team, thus making it unpleasant for both nations. If my prediction are correct here are the semi finals, (I will add teams that could win).
Group A
USA
Jamaica
Guatemala
Haiti / Antigua and Barbuda

Group B
Mexico
Costa Rica
El Salvador
T&T/Guyana

Group C
Honduras
Cuba
Canada
Panama

The Hexagonal "Hex"
    6 nations from the Semi-finals will advance to the Hex. The top 2 nations of each semi-final group will advance to the Hex. These nations will play a home/away series. The 3 top nations will qualify for the World Cup. The 4th place team will enter into a playoff with the Ocianic Confederation. More than likely New Zealand.

Blatter's Central American tour..El Salvador

El Salvador Tuesday when he travelled to El Salvador to attend the opening of the country’s latest Goal Project facilities. This project is very similar to Guatemala’s and Honduras’s National team hotel. Goal 3 seems to combine the national team hotel with the Elite Performance Academy. Blatter is pictures with the El Salvador emblem behind him. The second picture is Blatter walking up from a field. The playing pitch is located at El Salvador's Soccer Federation headquarters in San Salvador, El Salvador, Wednesday April 13 , 2011. It was lines with fans and flags of El Salvador. “Building for the future In 2009 FIFA’s Goal Bureau approved a second project with a view to bringing together all the country’s national teams at the hotel located at the Elite Performance Academy. That dream was finally fulfilled thanks to Goal 3, which now enables FESFUT to provide accommodation for all its teams and save on hotel costs. On Wednesday, two years after the green light was given, the FIFA President took part in the opening of the Joseph Blatter Auditorium and the residence for El Salvador’s national teams. The event, which was preceded by a meeting with FESFUT’s Executive Committee, included speeches on the development of football across the country and the possibility of embarking on further Goal projects for the construction of more facilities and the creation of a training course for technical directors.”

Central American Cuo review

Central American Cup 2011


Ok, I have been absent from my blog duties and I am very sorry. The next favorite tournament I like next to the Gold Cup is the Central American Cup. This tournament is a step up from the Caribbean Cup since it does not last 3 months like the Caribbean Cup and the play is better for the most part. IT usually has bigger crowds and interest. As we know the top 5 qualify for the Gold Cup. This year’s tournament was played in Panama’s Rommell Stadium. I was a little disappointed at first with the attendance. Panama played a friendly against Costa Rica and over 30,000 were in attendance. I was thinking this same number would turn out to support their nation in the competitive Central American Cup. I was wrong the biggest crowd was only 20,000. Taking a closer look and with time to reflect I would have to say that soccer and the national teams are progressing slowly but steadily.

Attendance:
Like I said I was disappointed in the Panama fans. Only 10k turned out for the group game against El Salvador. Only a few hundred attended Belize and Nicaragua games. This is a shame no one in Panama supported their nation in the group stage. Shame on their fans. Only 10k turned out for the knock out game against the border rival Costa Rica. I guess they(the fans)though they were going to win the tournament and were waiting for the final. Well it serves them right. Their national team needed a full stadium but only 10k came to the Costa Rica game. Any national would be inspired playing in front of a passionate, full house to spur their team to victory. Panama fans abandoned their team when the team needed them the most. Their fans no not deserve the Championship. They (Panama) had 32k turn out for a friendly (Costa Rica) but only 10 for the Central American Cup. I do not know why but this is a reason why the Gold Cup will not be hosted in a Central American nation. No one is interested in other nations….including Panama. Honduras and El Salvador had much better turn out for their national team. 20k turned out for every group game in Tegucigalpa and 20k turned out for the one knockout game Honduras played. This was more that twice the attendance Panama produced.
First we have to congratulate Honduras for winning the tournament away from Home. Honduras won the hard group consisting of Costa Rica and Guatemala. They then proceeded to beat El Salvador 2:0 in the knockout round and Costa Rica in the final 2:1. It had been 15 years without this Championship. That is a long time for this nation to celebrate. No doubt that this national team came in confident after playing in the World Cup in South Africa. They took the experience of playing against the best in the world and applied their experience to win this tournament. After beating Costa Rica in the Hex and beating them again in the Central American Cup we can say they have overtaken Costa Rica as the top team in the region.

This is not only good for Honduras but good for the tournament and good for the region. Let me explain. Honduras becomes the 3rd different nation to win this tournament for the 3rd time in a row (Costa Rica 2007, Panama in 2009 Honduras in 2011). These 3 nations have created a little separation form the rest of Central America. This is a positive sign that none of this nation was the home team in the tournament they won. I am glad there were no outrageous calls and non calls favoring the home team that we see in other tournaments. Having 3 different Champions just make the nations more competitive against each other.

Costa Rica has again made the Championship game. The Tico’s are the most consistent team in the region. This makes 10 out of 11 tournaments they have made the final. The set the bar in the region and continue to be the team to beat. Every nation strives for the consistency Costa Rica displays. I think they would have had another Championship however a Tico was red carded during the final. The red card is the kiss of death for most teams. Costa Rica disappointment was Honduras’s elation.

El Salvador is defiantly a tier 2 team along with Guatemala in the region. They are fighting to make the top tier but are just not there yet. They beat the teams they were suppose to beat (Nicaragua, Belize) and lost to who they were suppose to lose to (Panama and Honduras). There is nothing to report here …hopefully they can field a good competitive team in the Gold Cup.

Guatemala is again a disappointment to me. They are a nation of over 14 Million (largest population) and still did not qualify for the knockout round. They use to make the final every year in the tournament. The made the tournament Championship game 5 times out of 11 (only winning one). Now they are struggling to make the knockout round. It is safe to say that Panama has taken their spot as one of the top 3 in the region. Guatemala has dipped to the second tier with El Salvador. Hopefully we will see a good team perform in the Gold Cup this summer. They certainly have the fans here in the states if they can produce a quality team…time will tell but I a not holding my breath.

Belize and Nicaragua. Ok these 2 nations are the 3rd Tier in the region. They are not that good or very deep. Neither has a strong domestic league. These nations use to be on lopsided games like Honduras 10-2 Nicaragua and Costa Rica 4:0 Belize in the 2001 event. Since 2003 these nations have been in the same group to avoid the discrepancy in play. Nicaragua finally made the Gold Cup in 2009 but Belize is still looking for their first win…this is patheric. Nicaragua has potential with the hiring of Spaniard Enrique Llena. Llena is managing the entire Nicaragua soccer operation (aka Sunan Galati for the USA). He oversees the soccer leagues, he set up a web site and I only now realize there are 3 tiers in the Nicaragua pyrament, he is involved in teaching the coaches how to coach everything. The federation is committed to make soccer the number 1 sport and over take baseball. I think it will take about 4 to 5 years when the youth teams develop some quality players….I hate waiting… but will haveto for Nicaragua.

Belize the only English speaking nation in Central America is struggling mightily to keep pace in the region. They are a nation of only 300,000 people. They have not won a game in this tournament ..EVER! They did beat St Kitt and Nevis in the opening round of WCQ 2010. They ended up playing Mexico and playing their home game in the states. They played in the states to get badly needed $ to run their federation. This did not sit well with the president of Belize and the riff between the Federation and politics widened. I do not see Belize getting anybetter quickly and I do not have much info on their domestic league. Just to say something positive for their fans... They have cool looking uniforms.

All in all it was good a different nation won the event. Panama did host the same event in 2003 and there was hardly a few hundred at each game. Now Panama is getting 10k for bigger games. I want to see a full house. Why on earth did the Federation spend 19 Million to remodel Rommell when they can not even sell out for this TOURNAMENT!!!!!!! Shame on their fans !!!!!! They should have invested 2 million on each little stadium around Panama to grow the sport.....Bad decision in my opinion. OK I am still a little upset at the lack of attendance.....

I just want CONCACAF nations to be more competative in the Gold Cup. My hope is having 5 quality teams from CA but I guess 3 will do.............

Central American video to promote cup is pretty good

This is the best add I have seen for the Central american cup. It highlights Panama national stadium and a few of the teams.

Ok the games have started and so far no big surprises. Panama the host beat Belize 2-0, El Salvador beat Nicaragua 2-0 in Group A. More than likely Panama and el Salvador will go through and qualify for the Gold Cup 2011. I am happy Belize has fielded a competative team unlike past tournaments....They still have a long way to go. Their GK put on a great show with his many saves.

Costa Rica let the 3 points slip away surrendering a goal to Honduras thus having a 1-1 tie. This hopefull will give guatemala some inspiration and Honduras and Costa Rica play thigh. The 2 best teams sre still Costa Rica and Honduras in this group.....
No one wants to be third and miss the knockout phase...

Attendance:
The stats indicate this was a trible header. The earlier games only has 2000 but the Panama has 10,000 spectators.....Well Panama has to have a better showing in the Gold Cup is ever to be rotated to the Central American region....just thinking...

Central American Cup- Nations

The Central American Cup


I enjoy following the Central American Cup. This tournament
was previously called the UNCAF Cup, which nobody could follow. Now the name reflects the tournament, The Central American Cup. This tournament has been dominated by 2 nations in the past. Costa Rica (28 wins) and Honduras (24 wins) have been the 2 best in this tournament. However it has been the Tico’s who have the Championships. Then Guatemala and El Salvador who have 19 and 15 wins respectively. There has been a big gap between the top teams and the middle teams in the past. Panama and Nicaragua trail the bigger nations win 10 and 4 wins respectively. Belize is still searching for their first win.
We could say this tournament has been dominated by Costa Rica. Costa Rica has been in every championship game except one (1995). The Tico’s have won a record 6 Cups. This is more than all the other Central American nations combined. They have the best national team (IMHO) and the best domestic league. Costa Rica has a population at roughly 4.5 Million and they consider soccer their number #1 sport. Costa Rica is not only a Central American power but one of the top team in CONCACAF. They are the only Central American and for that matter Caribbean nation to make the hex each of the last 4 cycles. The Tico’s set the bar in Central America. They are coached by Argentine Ricardo La Volpe. La Volpe has coached at least 10 of Mexican top clubs and was the Mexican national coach 2002-2006. He has a wealth of experience and will look to get a Championship under his belt in Panama this month. The Tico’s will want to reestablish their dominance over Central American since they lost the last Cup. This did not sit well with the Costa Rican fans. They believe they should win every tournament.
Honduras (Los Catrachos) has won the Central American Cup in 1993 and again in 1995. They reached the final again in Guatemala but lost to their rival Costa Rica. Honduras has seen great stability from 2006-2001 when Rinaldo Rueda (Columbian) coached them on their most successful run in history. Los Catrachos not only reached the Hex but qualified the first World Cup since 1982 Spain. Los Catrachos will be coming into this tournament with loads of confidence. They played the best in the World and now believe they should be the top team in the region. They will have to do it with a new coach. Mexican (Juan de Dios Castillo) has coached the top teams in Honduras and know a lot about Honduran soccer. He will be in charge to lead this talented group in Panama.
Guatemala has over 14 Million in its population which is about double the other Central American nations. Guatemala has reached the final 5 times but only winning one Championship. Their Championship was against Costa Rica and it was played in Honduras. That was 11 years ago. Guatemala has a good domestic league but it is top heavy. Communications and Municipal dominate the league. This is not good for the league however these teams do very well in the Champions League. 2005 was Guatemala big chance to win the Central American Cup when they hosted. However they did not make the final game. Their coach now is Ever Hugo Almeida (Paraguay). Almeida took over in 2010, like many other coaches throughout the region and the World. He will try to get Guatemala back on top in the region. They are in the hard group with Costa Rica and Honduras.

Panama is the best story for me. They busted onto the soccer scene in the 2005 Gold Cup. Los Canaleros knocked off South Africa and Columbia in that Gold Cup. They reached the final and tied the host (USA), they only lost in the shootout. Then there was the $19 Million investment into Rommell Stadium. The entire country is proud of this huge stadium and look to host a great tournament. Panama, finally is the 4th CA nation to play in the final. The final games had only 3 nations (Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala) in the Championship game prior to 2007. Panama wins their first ever Central American Cup in 2009. This was great for Central America to have another quality nation that has raised the competition in the region and with in CONCACAF. They will be playing at home and their fans will surely turn out. They are in the easiest group of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Belize. I expect them to make the final again.

Nicaragua is a slowly improving nation. They do not have the resources as the other Central America countries. They are doing it the right way. The coach was Ramone Olivas (Nicaragua) but now he is an understudy. The head coach is a Spaniard named Enrique Llena. Llena was also put in charge at the beginning of 2010. Llena is in charge to organize the entire Nicaragua soccer structure. He will overlook all aspects of the Nicaragua Soccer Organization. He oversees the pro league, the national team and the youth teams. He is trying to install professionalism throughout Nicaragua. Nicaragua did beat Guatemala in the last Central American Cup however they will not be taken lightly this year tournament. It will be an upset if they make the Gold Cup but than again anything can happen.

Belize is the smallest Central America country. Belize also has the smallest population at about 300,000 people. Belize is the only country that speaks English as its national language. Records indicate Belize has never won a game in this Cup. However they have only started playing recently. They have only played 17 games compared to over 40 for Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. They are coached by

Central American Cup 2011

The Last few Central American Cups




The 2007 Central American Cup was in El Salvador. El Salvador put on a good tournament at Cuscatlan Stadium. El Salvador was placed in a group with Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize. El Salvador won its group for the first time in history with 7 points. Unfortunately they went against powerful Costa Rica and were knocked out in the semi-finals. When they played for 3rd place they were again beat at home by Guatemala 1-0. This however was a good sign for El Salvador soccer. They are playing the powers of Central American in a lot closer than in the past. This tournament was an awakening for Panama. This was the first time a nation other than Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala made the Championship game. Panama changed the dynamics of the entire tournament. Panama tied Costa Rica in the final but lost in the shootout.
The 2009 tournament was suppose to be played in Panama but the remodeling of Rommell was not finished. Costa Rica was ready but Honduras and Guatemala placed the bids to host again. Honduras won and the tournament was staged in Tegucigalpa. 20k turn out to watch the host play which is a record in attendance. It is a record since no other records for attendance existed. Honduras was knocked out by Panama. Panama went on to win their first ever international tournament. Now Panama can contend and beat the heavy weights of the region.
The 2011 tournament will be played in Panama. Panama invested $19 Million to renovate Rommell stadium in Panama city. It is a beautiful stadium and ready to host the largest event they can. This stadium will only sell out for World Cup qualifiers and this tournament. Panama is an up and coming soccer nation that is adajacent to South America where soccer is almost a religion. Panama has been playing some top competition to get ready for this. They want to reach the final again and show off Rommell.

32,000 at Estadio Rommel, Panama City

Panama played it's Arch-rival to a 2-2 tie in Panama City. This was a good result for Panama to tie the perenial power in the region. What was more important was the turn out of over 32,000 for the game. Cnn reported this attendance figure which is huge.

Rommel Stadium in Panama City is hosting the Central American Cup in January 2011. Panama could break all records for attendance in the UNCAF Cup aka Central American Cup next year if the supporters again show for this event.

Panama has been on an upward trojectory since they busted onto the seen in 2005 Gold Cup.

Guatemala hosted in 2005 and did not reach theFinal so attendance was sparse. El Salvador hosted in 2007 and attendance was better at Cuscatalan Stadium. However they did not reach the final. 2009 Honduras had over 20,000 spectators when they played in Tegulsigalpa but they were knocked out and attendance dropped to only a few hundred each game. Central American nations prove that they are only interested when their nation is playing. Central American do not travel to watch their team play other nations.

Panama could be the first host to reach the final since Costa Rica did it in 1999 when they won the event. Panama could set the attendance record (not recorded) since over 30,000 showed for this friendly. The fans were hanging on the fence celebrating goals against Costa Rica. Fans will turn out for their national team if they play well and Panama is playing well right now.

Panama beat Venezuela 2-1 in South America them beat them again 3-1 in Estadio Rommel this year. This latest tie bodes well for a record setting Central American Cup in January 2011.

El Salvador Stadiums

El Salvador stadiums

These are some of the top Stadiums located in El Salvador.

This first picture is of Cuscatalan stadium located in San Salvador. This stadium has the capacity of 50,000. The Club team is Alienza FC

This Stadium is also located in the Capitol city of San Salvador. This stadium is called Estadio Magico Gonzales. The Club team that plays here is

Data:
Construction: 1935 to the Central American and Caribbean Games in the period of President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez and remodeled in 2002.
Name: It was founded originally under the name "National Stadium Flor Blanca San Salvador" on 13 April 1935 and renamed in 2006 as Estadio Jorge Magico Gonzalez "in honor of the player.
Location: 49 Avenida Norte, Colonia Flor Blanca, San Salvador.
Capacidad: 35,000 espectadores. Capacity: 35,000 spectators.







This next 2 pictures are of the same stadium at different angles. Estadio Flor Blanca -Gonzalez 32,000 Club Atletico San Salvador Marte.jpg

The team from San Miguel El Salvador play in Estadio Barraz pictured here. They have bright new orange seats

El Salvador 2009 season in review

The soccer tournament with a national classic just between two of the top teams in our country, in a meeting that brought together two of the biggest bars and faithful of our round: the orange of the Eagle of St. Michael and the ocelots of FAS.
horrible de nuestro fútbol. But as is tradition, we get to light what we consider good, the bad, the ugly and the ugly of our football.
. We started with the FAS Santaneco team, who won his crown number 17, how good was the arrival at the lair of the Engineer Byron Rodriguez, president of the entire wild cat, who looked back to the table Western mysticism with the arrival of players who were included in the past, as the case of Williams and Alejandro Reyes Bentos.
To many fans of FAS, the former team president Santaneco, Reinaldo Valley, was driving badly the team, even it was clear to see in the matches at the stadium Quiteño placards against the manager. Furthermore, poor head to let go of players who became figures in their new teams, it was common (as the case of Paraguay Nestor Ayala, or the Uruguayan Paolo Suarez, or as it was Williams Reyes in Metapán). FAS has always been a leader in the table and his numbers say it all with twelve wins, two draws and four losses, with 38 points.
As good opening tournament 2009, we must add to the team Atletico Marte, a modest club that did not hire big-name players, but the very basis on which climbed to the first division of the hands of Argentine Ramiro Zepeda, as demonstrated throughout the capital , youth and skill took possession throughout the tournament in the first four places in the table, and giving good football in every match. Unfortunately not able to reach the semifinals but deserved to be on one of the four posts.
As a third point of the good of the tournament is the Eagle and Firpo, clubs you directly involved with football, in Wil Salgado, Josef San Miguel Arguedas in boxers. Ambos clubes se armaron con buenos jugadores y buenos y técnicos, tuvieron protagonismo en el torneo y el Aguila llegó hasta la final, quedando fuera del título por los tigrillos del FAS. Both clubs were armed with good players and good and technicians, had prominence in the tournament and the Eagle came to the final, losing out the title for the ocelots of FAS.
The trouble is we give the whole Metapán, a team that was decimated with the departure of key players such as Paolo Suarez, Williams Reyes, Dagoberto Portillo, among others, giving as a result always be below the top of the table, and suffer thrashings both the local football and the CONCACAF tournament.
Another bad point was the economic problem and Nejapa Balboa to players, a problem that was evident on the court when these teams did not show good sporting level product of economic motivation suffered. . The ugly is undoubtedly the Alliance, a team of tradition, by name, who is president a "Mercenary Deportivo," that knows little football and plenty of know that you're looking for income without having come by love the team or sporting purposes, but clearly interests outside the sport and what is worse the team.
The Athos remained in eighth place in the standings with 17 points, winning three games, tying eight and losing seven, numbers that show the little red head that Mr Lisandro Pohl to hire foreigners of low quality (no doubt paquetasos) , and Mr. Nelson Ancheta removing the technical direction of the team, a decision-sporting, showing again that is a man who is governed by our football-sporting interests.
He also leads Horrible, no doubt, Mr. Lisandro Pohl, misnamed Alliance team president, who under his leadership has made two short tournaments albos not raise his head and is at the bottom of the table positions.
. It's a shame that a team like the Alliance is run by a guy like Lisandro Pohl, a man who has turned the capital's set an embarrassment at a club sport and has put aside his mystique and tradition in the courts.
Good for all ocelots another crown that achievement either by the feathered and Firpo Boxers, we hope to continue reaping successes and good meetings in the next tournament, and we hope that Mr. Polho understand that it is best to put aside and leave a club like the Alliance to people who love football who identify with the Alliance and who understand and know the sport so cute.

Douglas Alvarenga, from Fairfax, Va.

Tier 2

Tier 2

1. Trinidad and Tobago 2. Panama 3. Canada

4. El Salvador 5. Jamaica 6. Cuba

The Tier 2 nations are always my favorite to do. This year I am adding 2 team to this group to make 6 nations. Honduras has graduated to Tier 1 but El Salvador and Cuba has joined this prestigious group. Here is how I rank each nation. Remember I am looking at World Cup Qualifying, the Gold Cup and then either the Nations Cup or the Caribbean Cup to rank the national teams. Then I will take a quick look at the domestic and see how it stacks up against other domestic leagues. I am making my judgment on the representative performance in the Champions league.

The top team in Tier 2 goes to the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago. I have not been a huge fan of Warner and that has affected my judgment of this great little soccer playing nation. Soca Warriors have participated in the last 3 hexagonal campaigns which is more than any other team in Teir 2. They also qualified for 1 World Cup Germany 2006. This aspect alone places Trinidad and Tobago on top of Tier 2. Trinidad and Tobago has also qualified for 7 of the last 10 Gold Cups. They have also dominated the Caribbean winning 8 of the last 14 Cups.
They also have a competitive domestic league. Joe Public is Warner’s team that plays in the domestic league. The Trinidad and Tobago team Defense Force has 2 CONCACAF Champions Leagues titles to boast about. These titles came back in 1978 and 1985. Most recently 2 Trinidad and Tobago club teams made the group stage in 2009-10 Champions League. San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection.Trinidad and Tobago gets the top spot in Tier 2 because of their consistent strong national team and Club teams.

Panama remains my second slot because the region of Central America is much better than the Caribbean region. Panama has to battle Costa Rica, Honduras and now El Salvador and Guatemala in the Nations Cup. Panama however has only qualified for 1 Hexagonal campaign out of the last 4. They came in dead last in Hex-06 with no wins 2 draws and 8 losses. They also had a -17 goal differential. This is what is keeping them out of Tier 1. They have had a bad overall record in the Nations Cup however thing are changing in Panama. They have qualified for the last 3 Gold Cups in a row. They even made it to the final in 2005 losing to the host. They won the last UNCAF Nations Cup in 2009 beating their rival Costa Rica in the Final. They also made it to the UNCAF final in 2007 losing to regional power Costa Rica. This strong showing of the national team places them second in Tier 2. They have recently investing $19 Million to refurbish their national stadium. Their domestic has been very poor for decades but there has been a huge upturn in both the national team and the Domestic league over the last 10 years. Tauto has the most Titles with 7. Arabe Unido is this years Champions League 2009/10 participant. They beat Honduran titan Olimpia in the Preliminary round. They surprised everyone by getting by MLS power Houston Dynamo and El Salvador rep Isidro Metapan.

Canada is my third team in Tier 2. I can only judge the national team by their performance in the Hex and the Gold Cup since they do not participate in UNCAF or Caribbean Cups. Canada has only made one hexagonal campaign out of the last 4. That campaign was in the 1998 qualifying and they came in dead last winning only 1 game. They have faired much better in the Gold Cup. They have qualified in 9 out of the last 10. They made the finals and won once in 2000. They made the semifinals twice in 2002 and 2007. They play very well in the States against the other CONCACAF teams.
They have built a national soccer specific stadium in Toronto called BMO Field ($65 Million) which opened in April of 2007. Canada does not have a domestic league but has Toronto FC and now Vancouver Whitecaps (2010) play in MLS. The Montreal Impact is also a very successful team in Canada. They had the most fans of any team during the 2009 Champions League topping over 50,000 in a league game. Toronto FC continues to be a leader in attendance for MLS. Even though they do not have the top team in MLS fans support their club in Toronto.

El Salvador make the jump from tier 3 last year into the 4th spot in Tier 2. Los Cuscatlecos have made the Hex 2 of the last 4 cycles. The beat Panama in the preliminary round then got by both Haiti and Suriname in the semi-finals. They were in the last Hex and had a very good showing for themselves. They beat both their top regional rival Costa Rica and Mexico in Cuscatlon Stadium. El Salvador was 8 losses and 1 tie since 2003 against Costa Rica. The last 2 games whey won in the important World Cup Qualifying and Gold Cup matches. These were 2 significant victories for El Salvador against their regional power, a team they could never seem to beat. These victories are what propelled El Salvador into this group.
The have also participated in the Gold Cup 6 of it 10 times. They have not faired that well playing in the States. Their domestic is evolving and we are getting more exposure to the teams in El Salvador. What we do know is that there is more of an equal distribution of talented teams like Mexico and MLS. They do not have a few dominant teams like Honduras and Costa Rica. This should keep the competition going in El Salvador.

Jamaica remains in Tier 2. They remain here after a strong showing in World Cup Qualifying. They beat Mexico, Honduras and Canada in World Cup Qualifying. They also had an outstanding Caribbean Cup winning the 2008 Caribbean Cup Championship. Jamaica is one of the top Tier 2 teams because of the hardware. They have won the Caribbean Cup 4 times of the last 13 Cups. Since 1990 they are the only other Caribbean nation (besides Trinidad) to quality for a World Cup spots this coming in France 1998.They have qualified for the Gold Cup 7 of the 10 times. Jamaica however underachieved in the last Gold Cup 2009. They team had plenty of talent but floundered and did not mount a cohesive attack. This is the reason I place them behind El Salvador.
They have a competitive domestic league however there is no dynasty like other nations. This makes for great seasons have new faces in the Championship. A very popular team is Harbor View.



Cuba moves up out of Tier 3 to join this very competitive group in Tier2. I consider Cuba one of the 3 powers in the Caribbean. There is over 11 Million people who live on this island nation. It is to bad there players will defect when they play abroad. I believe this is the reason why they back out of the last Gold Cup. Players would have left the team and the nation politically looks bad. They have qualified for the Gold Cup 6 of the last 10 Cups.

Round 7 -8

The top 4 teams are emerging in the HEX. The Yanks, The Tico’s. El Tri and Loc Catrachos. The most intriguing game in Round 6 was El Salvador losing 1:0 in Trinidad. Had El Salvador won they would have made the HEX very unpredictable until the end. The loss leaves El Salvador tied for last with the Soca Warriors with only 5 points. The group leaders want to avoid the 4th place finish. They realize an easier path to the World Cup is the automatic qualification as opposed to coming in 4th and entering into a home and away series with a South American power.

Let’s start with the leaders. The Tico's have to start taking the games serious again. They were slaughtered in San Pedro Sula 4:0 against Los Catrachos. Getting beat is one thing in qualifying but the 4:0 ..it seems that the Tico’s defense collapsed. The Tico’s have to correct this issue to stay in the top stop. The good thing for the Tico’s is they return to Saprissa stadium and that God awful field turf. The bad news is they face a very confident Mexican team that is technically savvy to hold the ball and pull off the win. This will be one of the better games watch.
The Tico’s then travel to Central American neighbor El Salvador. This is a great local trip for the Tico’s to assure themselves a spot in South Africa but they can not look past El Tri in San Jose. The next game in Cuscatlan will be very intense with regional bragging rights at stake. We will see just how good the Tico fan’s claim they are. The Tico’s games are the most difficult to predict but I see them getting 4 points here after these 2 games.

The Yanks are also in good shape with 10 points. They play El Salvador in Rio Tinto Stadium then travel to Port of Spain. There is always a question as to the partisan crowd when games are played in big cities like NY, Chicago and LA but Utah will be a very pro USA crowd. Rio Tinto is a brand new stadium that has an intimate feeling with 20,008 capacities. The field is a grass surface so all the European based players will not be bitching about the surface. I see the Yanks playing a very offensive attacking game right from the start. El Salvador has to go into a shell and stay on defense. The longer the Yanks do not score the better for the El Sal. I see the yanks rolling in this game and winning soundly.
The next games yanks go on the road to Port of Spain. This is where they scored the famous goal to propel them to the 1990 World Cup in Italy. They know if they get a win on the road they will virtually assure themselves a World Cup spot. T&T is the most likely place where the Yanks can get their road points. Since the Yanks would have played the week before their game will be much more fluid and decisive in Port of Spain. I see the yanks finally getting a raod win in Port of Spain. Yanks get 6 points with these next 2 games.


Honduras is tied for second place and can smell blood. They next play T&T in San Pedro Sula then travel to Axteca. They just pounded Costa Rica 4:0 and the Soca Warriors are not as good. They will not take their foot off the gas and go all out to get the home win against the Soca Warriors. Honduras has 2 very imposing figures up front in Costly and Pavon and talented midfielders who can slow the game down.
I see them going into Azteca very confident. Honduras knows they can beat Mexico but to do it in the Azteca is a bit more difficult. Honduras will play for the tie in Azteca and hope to get a point on the road. I see Honduras getting 3 points with the next 2 games to keep pace.


Mighty Mexico is back. Mexico has gained tremendous confidence in the last few games. They won the Gold Cup against the Yanks 5:0 then they again beat them 2:1 in Azteca Stadium last week. They will need it since they will be playing the group leaders in Saprissa then travel home to face the second place Honduras team. Saprissa will be a challenge for any team to win. Saprissa Stadium will be loud however Mexico is a team that always faces pressure. They will try to keep the ball just as they played keep away in the Gold Cup. This will keep the Tico’s from advancing on offense and keeping the crowd at bay. This should be a very tight game with a very memorable goal scored.

El Tri then travels back to the confines of Azteca. Here they go on offense and rarely does another team beat them. I see them beating Honduras here to really keep the top 4 teams close on points. I see El Tri getting a home win and possibly a point on the road. 4 point is reasonable.

Like I said El Salvador chance was lost in Round 6 in Trinidad. They only lost 1:0 but they need a point to keep within striking distance. They did not get it and now only have 5 points and have to travel to the States (Utah)then play group leader Costa Rica. I see them losing in the States and losing confidence as the World Cup opportunity slips by.
If they play well in the States they just might beat Costa Rica again. They beat the Tico's in group play in the most recent Gold Cup. They went all out to establish a tone for this huge game in San Salvador. El Salvador will give everything they have for their home fans in Custcatlan Stadium. 50,000 will be screaming at the top of their lungs. If they want to remain the player they have become recently and to do this they have to win at home. I only see them getting 1 point over the next 2 games.

T&T travels to Honduras and will have to get very opportunistic goals. I do not see them winning here however they have added 2 new players. These players could be just what T&T needs for confidence to win. San Pedro Sula is a very difficult place to play so T&T will rely on the long ball here.
After this game the get the Yanks in Port of Spain where they have already beat them 2:1 in World Cup qualifying in October 2008. I do not see T&T winning in San Pedro Sula so they will hold back on their offense until they return to Port of Spain. I do not see T&T getting any points here so any points will surprise me. By the way I love how the Soca Warriors play the game. They are tactically sound with talented players on offense. They attack the weakest part of the opponents defense and they do not play the thuggery game most home teams deploy. That said....I always have to question Jack Warner and the angles he has to make money. He has been out of the spot light which is good for CONCACAF and great for T&T.

All this being said I see the top four creating distance between the bottom 2. The Yanks will get an automatic spot. Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras will try to avoid the dreaded 4th place finish. Since I see the Yanks and Honduras winning their home games easily. The big games to determine the 4th place finisher will be played in San Jose (CR vs Mex) and Mexico City (Mex-Hon). These will be historic games so stay tuned.

Review of game 2 of each group.

Gold Cup 2009 (Game 2)

Group A

Columbus Crew stadium has a capacity of 22,500 however only 7,059 showed up for the double header of this group. In contrast in 2005 22,529 showed up for game 2 in Miami, Fla. and all 3 games were played there. This figure in Columbus is about 1/3 of the last Gold Cup .El Salvador fans again outnumbered all the fans of the 4 teams. The last game will be played in Miami so we will see if it location or just the fact that this Gold Cup is not as important or interesting as the 2007 version.
Again Canada surprised me. They are now 2-0. Ali Gerba the future Toronto FC player now has winning goals in both games he has played. Much credit should go to the coach from Trinidad and Tobago - Stephen Hart. Hart was the coach who coached them to the very successful 2007 Gold Cup semi-final. His style is to keep the ball away from the opponent as much as possible to limit their chances. His team is physically bigger and stronger than most Central and Caribbean teams. His team is not as tactically gifted with creativity however they are tactically organized and hard to break down. The again won 1:0 against El Salvador and now sit atop group A.



Central American power Costa Rica only scraped by with a 1:0 victory against Caribbean Champion Jamaica to stay alive. I say scrapped by since Jamaica went down a man in the first half with a red card. Remember A3 (possibly Costa Rica) could play B1 winner (USA) in the opening quarterfinal. That would be a great quarterfinal to see. Costa Rica will have to score against the stingy Canuck defense to overtake El Salvador for the coveted 2nd place.
Jamaica, loaded with quality players, looks like they will bow out of this tournament with a whimper. I had high hopes for this star studded team that looked to be the first team not from North America region to win the Gold Cup. The Reggae Boyz will hear it from their fans who have called them Raggae Toyz in the past for sub par performances. Jamaica will be playing for respect and respect is what this team needs now.


El Salvador will want to avoid 3rd place or even elimination if they lost their last game. They will want a good performance heading into the final Hex qualifying later this year. If the Cuscatlecos lose to Jamaica they could be endanger of not even advancing after their historic win over Costa Rica. So it seems all the games in group once again have been the most interesting to me

Group B

The 2nd round games were played at RFK Stadium in the nations Capitol. The capitol was picked as one of the venues because 2 main factors. There is a good MLS fans base for D.C United and many are of Latin American decent. The playing surface is a nice grass field which makes for a good game. Players prefer the grass field much more than artificial turf. Attendance was 26,079 and that is very comparable to 2007 Gold Cup Group B 2nd game (25,000) in Carson Cal. Most fans again were wearing Honduras White and Blue stripes. However the ratio was better for the Yanks at about 60-40 in Honduras favor. This is a good sign for the USA support.

The game to determine the group winner was very even game until the Yanks scored late in the second 1/2. The Yanks will take to top spot and play the least ranked opponent from Group A3 or Group C3. The Yanks did well once they inserted 2 Confederations Cup participants in Davies and Feilharber. These 2 change the dynamic of the game into the Yanks favor. The Yanks won 2:0 and have not yet been scored on. The yanks are the clear favorite now. Yes the yanks are playing their B team but other teams like Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico are resting many of their top players too.

Honduras should take 2nd place after they play lowly Grenada in the last game at Gillette Stadium. Presently Honduras would face Guadeloupe in the quarterfinal. That would be a great game after Honduras lost to Guadeloupe in the 2007 Cup 2:1.

Haitian fans now have hope. They were the Reigning Caribbean Champions from 2007 Cup. They were place in the Final round in the 2009 Caribbean Cup with Cuba, Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda. They only got to play 3 games and were bounced out in Kingston. Other Caribbean teams had been playing for some time in the opening rounds and were much more fluid. With the Yanks already assured a quarterfinal birth they may send in everyone who has not played. This is good news for les Grenadiers who hope to get stronger and more cohesive as the tournament progresses. I win here could boost their confidence and we could have the Cinderella story.




Group C review will be added after tonights games...

The first games are in the books

Well the Gold Cup is underway. The first games are in the books. There was already some surprises.

Group A

CONCACAF officials must have been very happy to see a sellout at the Home Depot Center. 27,000 fans showed up to support their nation. The first game between Canada and Jamaica the stadium was not full. The fans came to see the second game between El Salvador and Costa Rica. I would guess to say that El Salvador fans outnumber Costa Rica fans 5 to 1 in the final game. El Salvador fans were not disappointed either. El Salvador played with confidence and finally beat their nemesis to the south. This was significant since El Salvador had not beaten Costa Rica since 1997. This 12 year span included loses to the Tico’s in the UNCAF Cup and other Gold Cups. This will be a huge confidence boost for El Salvador as they play the other 2 teams in the Group of Death. Canada did crash out of World Cup Qualifying and they did not even win a game in the semi-final round. Most Canuck fans were distressed at the national situation. Before the tournament even started Dwayne De Rosario and Adrian Serious decided not to participate. Both of these players would have been starters. A sinking feeling was taking over camp but the CSA pressed on. Canada had to open against Jamaica. They could not beat Jamaica at home in World Cup Qualifying and they lost 3:0 in Kingston. Jamaica had a plethora of international stars in GK Donovan Ricketts, Ricardo Gardner (Bolton Wanders), Luton Shelton (Valerenga) and Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids). They are my dark horse to win the entire tourney. Well we all know about the late heroics that Canada had beating the Reggae Boyz.
Both of the favorites will clash in Columbus. This will be the battle for survival. The winner between Canada/ El Salvador may very well be the winner of the group. To me these will be the most interesting games.


Group B

The group so far is falling into typical shape. Both The Yanks and Honduras won. Seattle Qwest Field had the lowest fans attendance so far. This is disappointing to the USA federation. Seattle wants to be known as the soccer city in America but attendance of 15,387 is almost ½ of what shows for a Seattle FC game.
The Yanks Camp: The story so far for the Yanks is that the plan is working. They want to develop the young guns to develop depth for the national team. Bradley played 2 experienced midfielders and the creative/youth was up front and on the wings. At forward Bradley had Davies and Adu and on the wings in Robbie Rogers and Stuart Holden. All 4 of these players had youth on their side. Freddy Adu 20, Robbie Roggers 22, Charlie Davies 23 and Stuart Holden 23 all scored in the 4:0 blanking of Grenada. The yanks dominated possession with short passes to involve everyone. They changes direction of field to look for weaknesses. They dominated shots, shots on goal and goals. To me I was happy with Rogers. The left side is the Yanks national team is their weakest spot. Rogers (a pure left footer) was always dangerous with the ball. He had 7 serves from the left side in the first half...when I started counting. I stopped counting after Holdens goal. The young “Creative positions” at forward and the wings had to please Bradley. However they will get a better assessment against Honduras.
The group winner will be decided next game in D.C. Honduras beat Haiti with a Costly header late in the game. Haiti looked better than Grenada if there is a winner between the 2 …that team could advance. Other group teams (especially Jamaica and Costa Rica) will be hoping for a tie.

Group C
I was glad to see Nicaragua stayed competitive the whole game. Nicaragua stayed in form and they were hard to break down. "They made it difficult for us," Aguirre said about Nicaragua, a team making its Gold Cup debut. "They stood back and never came out of their area, complicating things. But we take perseverance out of this. This was a team that looked and looked for a solution and that first goal took off some of that pressure. I think the score is just." Just as CONCACAF is developing so are the teams. It was good to see a competative Nicaragua team perform. Again I saw the referee not call clear yellow and ever red cards against El Tri.

The stadium was empty for the Guadeloupe – Panama match up however 32,500 eventually trickled into to see Mexico play Nicaragua. The Home Depot Center was a sell out but 32,500 did beat the Home Depot Center capacity. This group now moves to Houston Reliant Stadium.

Panama will be fighting for their survival life against Mexico here.
Guadeloupe again impressed beating the UNCAF Champion 2:1. Most on Guadeloupe team play in French National leagues that have regulation. The second and third tier leagues are better top to bottom that the top tier teams in most of the Central American nations. Guadeloupe was a revelation in 2007 however they have a quality team that could take top honors not only in the Group but the entire tournament. We were confident enough that we knew we could do something interesting in this tournament," Guadeloupe captain Stephane Auvray said. "The most important thing was to get the three points, but I think we can do better in the next game. We can keep the ball much more, but for the first game it's a good start." Would this be a black eye for CONCACAF if Guadeloupe won the Gold Cup?