Would CONCACAF be better off if the Caribbean nations became one association like the West Indies?

[scmcbride21]

Would it strengthen CONCACAF if Caribbean nations became West Indies just like they are in cricket?

You'd have 11-13 teams left, but most teams would be relatively equal. It would take a lot of the cluttered schedules out of those nations. Touch travel would be reduced. And the West Indies Premier League would be better than the 20 some odd leagues that currently come from the Caribbean. I'm just throwing it out there, this is not my idea, but I thought it was a good question to pose.

[EvanJ]

The Caribbean clubs couldn't financially afford to form a Premier League with constant island-to-island travel.

[scmcbride21]

In a franchise league format it would be a lot more likely. But the real reason I posed the question was to strengthen CONCACAF on a national team basis rather than club one.

[L.D.11]

i do believe that a west indies team would be interesting. but i don't know how the west indies team did in cricket to see how effective it is.
But in terms of clubs i don't think its affordable for those small teams.

[scmcbride21]

i do believe that a west indies team would be interesting. but i don't know how the west indies team did in cricket to see how effective it is.
But in terms of clubs i don't think its affordable for those small teams.

I did a little breakdown of what would be left. In cricket some of the Spanish West Indies weren't a part of the West Indies team. I know Cuba still had a confederation. But say all West Indies teams united. For club level I wouldn't do a West Indies league, just because of travel converns and affordability. But I think a West Indies Champions League would be pheasable and then the CONCACAF Champions League would have 16 teams total. The semifinalists in the West Indies Champions League, top 4 from Mexico, top 4 from USA & Canada (MLS), and top 4 from UNCAF or Central American.

As for national teams you'd have the 3 North American teams USA, Canada, and Mexico, then 7 central american countries, West Indies, plus the 3 South American CONCACAF members and Bermuda. I'm not sure if Bermuda is a West Indie or not. Basically for all tournaments you'd have 11 automatic bids and then the 3 South American nations and Bermuda would fight it out for that final 12th spot. Gold Cup format would be the same 12 team competition. CONCACAF qualifying would start at what now is the second phase or the first group stage with three groups of 4 making twelve teams. The top two in each group advance to the Hex.

Possible Hexagonal
- USA
- Mexico
- Honduras
- Costa Rica
- West Indies
- Panama, El Salvador, or Canada

Does anyone have any insight on what a West Indies national team would look like player for player wise.

[SocaWarrior23]

As a caribbean i dont like the idea because in soccer we have already developed as individual countries i would hate to see this happen, this would never happen. I understand that there is a standard there from cricket, and the west indies would be a stronger team than the indivdual countries however i dont think this is a fair question because if any 3 countries football teams merged then most likely theyed be better, if El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize mergered i think theyed be a stronger team too ,but ask them weather theyed want too and theyll tell you no.

[ja2ny]

As a caribbean i dont like the idea because in soccer we have already developed as individual countries i would hate to see this happen, this would never happen. I understand that there is a standard there from cricket, and the west indies would be a stronger team than the indivdual countries however i dont think this is a fair question because if any 3 countries football teams merged then most likely theyed be better, if El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize mergered i think theyed be a stronger team too ,but ask them weather theyed want too and theyll tell you no.

I agree with you 100% Jamaica and TnT are developing well why would we want to that do when we already been to a world cup in the last 11 years. Now we are trying build up better and bigger infrastructure so we can go to the World cup on a consistant basis.

[scmcbride21]

I agree with you 100% Jamaica and TnT are developing well why would we want to that do when we already been to a world cup in the last 11 years. Now we are trying build up better and bigger infrastructure so we can go to the World cup on a consistant basis.

To go to a World Cup on a consistent basis is why you'd do it. Would you root for the West Indies national team or would you only root for players that come from your island. I know this is apples and oranges, but Americans don't just root for players from their home state, they root for the country as a whole. The question posed was not whether they'd do it, the question was would it strengthen CONCACAF.

[scmcbride21]

As a caribbean i dont like the idea because in soccer we have already developed as individual countries i would hate to see this happen, this would never happen. I understand that there is a standard there from cricket, and the west indies would be a stronger team than the indivdual countries however i dont think this is a fair question because if any 3 countries football teams merged then most likely theyed be better, if El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize mergered i think theyed be a stronger team too ,but ask them weather theyed want too and theyll tell you no.

Well merging El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize doesn't make sense simply because there is no precedence for it. Whereas the West Indies there is precedence for it.

How good would the West Indies team be, would they be on par with the United States and Mexico or on par with Costa Rica and Honduras, or on par with Canada and Panama. Which players would make up the West Indies National Team?

[Antonio81]

Not quite. If the islands agreed to it, they could become a CONCACAF power overnight. But too much resentment against the big two (Jamaica and Trinidad) will probably prevent that from ever happening.

[devioustrevor]

Pirate Jack would never allow it to happen. In CONCACAF most CFU nations vote as a block the way Warner wants them to. With a united West Indies there would be only one vote and I very much doubt that he has enough good will amongst Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Central Americans to remain in power.

For this reason it'll never happen. Also, it's a bad idea. If nations like Faroe Islands, San Marino, Andorra, Lesotho, Swaziland, Singapore, Cook Islands can have their own independent FAs, then there is absolutely no reason for the Jamaicas, T&Ts, Bahamas, Cubas and Grenadas of the world not to.

[scmcbride21]

I think a lot of you aren't understanding the question. It's not whether or not it would happen. It's whether it would strengthen CONCACAF. In your answer nothing, but if it would strengthen CONCACAF should be considered.

[shinzui]

It might be stronger in quality, but it would be unlikely that CONCACAF maintained 3.5 World Cup bids with fewer members.

West Indies Cricket is made up of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands. Others like Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos compete separately in cricket.

[Manhattan66]

Yes, it would strengthen CONCACAF and yes I think they should do it. There are way too many Caribbean nations that simply do not have a shot at qualifying for the world cup or even gold cup. Adding a West Indies team would give many people hope to be represented in WC plus add more competition in North America.

That being said I don't think countries like Jamaica and TnT should be involved nor do i think they would want to. They have enough talent and history to stay separate.

It might be stronger in quality, but it would be unlikely that CONCACAF maintained 3.5 World Cup bids with fewer members.

Aren't the bids based more on the quality of teams than how many nations exist in the region? If thats true, the number of CONCACAF bids would increase.

[Intru]

I think it would make it stronger but if this would ever happen, which it will never will, I could see it being two different teams the Spanish Caribbean wouldn't want to be involved with the rest of the Caribbean since we are to different culturally. The biggest possibility of this happening would be just between the smaller Island.

[TrueCrew]

Would England be better off if they played as a joint Confederation with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland under the UK banner?

Geesh. It would NOT be better off. There would only be 14 teams.

[scmcbride21]

It's not quantity it's quality.

The UK would have a better team than an England team. I wonder how they are going to work all that out come the 2012 Olympics.

[devioustrevor]

It's not quantity it's quality.

The UK would have a better team than an England team. I wonder how they are going to work all that out come the 2012 Olympics.


Which players from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are going to supplant English players on such an NT. I can't think of any that are demonstrably better. At best players from those countries would add depth to a British 'B' or 'C' team.

[scmcbride21]

I'll pick a 11 man UK National Team.

- GK David James (Although I think this position is fairly weak I considered Alan McGregor)
- RB Allan Hutton (If Micah Richards can stop eating and get in shape he'd be a lock)
- CB John Terry (He'd be the captain, just like he is for England)
- CB Rio Ferdinand (I think this center back pairing is pretty strong)
- LB Gareth Bale (Ashley Cole has proven time and time again that Euro 2004 was an aberration)
- RM Joe Cole (He'd be good on the right, especially when you see who I have lines of on the left)
- CM Stephen Gerrard (Too good of a player to keep out of the side)
- CM Scott Brown (With Gerrard as the other midfielder, you need some grit in the middle)
- LM Ryan Giggs (Giggs would play if he knew his team had a shot to win the whole thing)
- ST Wayne Rooney (Rooney is the best striker in the United Kingdom)
- ST Gabriel Agbonlahor (I considered Healy because of his great scoring record with Northern Irealand, but I couldn't pass up on GA's speed and talent.

So 3 of the 11 I selected were not from England. That would mean that most likely on a full World Cup roster 6 or 7 players would be from either Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. I don't call anyone who makes a WC roster exactly "C" team.

[CityMouse]

Most of the Caribbean nations are a waste of time and don't add to CONCACAF. I'm not saying get rid of Jamaica, T&T or even Cuba, but others need to unite and actually become competitive.