I'm no expect on CFU teams, but isn't Group 1 the weakest of the three groups? Why isn't their winner the one to be paired against Valencia?
Valencia (HAI): 2013 CFU Club Championship Group 2 Winner; Best CFU performer in 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League to qualify for this edition; Won 2013 Haitien League Regular Season and Runner Up in Playoff table (1st Overall). AS Mirebalais (HAI): 2013 Haitien League Regular Season 6th; Winner of Playoff stage (2nd Overall). Harbour View (JAM): 2012-2013 Jamaican League Champions; Currently 1st in 2013-2014 standings. Waterhouse (JAM): 2012-2013 Jamaican League Runner Up; Currently 3rd in 2013-2014 standings. Defence Force (TRI): 2012-2013 T&T League Champions; Currently 6th in 2013-2014 standings. Caledonia AIA (TRI): 2012-2013 T&T League Runner Up; Currently 3rd in 2013-2014 standings. Inter Moengotapoe (SUR): 2012-2013 Suriname League Champions; Currently 3rd in 2013-2014 standings. SV Notch (SUR): 2012-2013 Suriname League Runner Up; Currently 7th in 2013-2014 standings. Bayamon (PUR): 2013 Puerto Rico League Regular Season Champions; Playoff Runner Up. Alpha United (GUY): 2012-2013 Guyana League Champions; Currently 1st in 2013-2014 standings. Centro Dominguito (CUW): 2013 Curacao League Regular Season Champions; Playoff Champion. Bodden Town (CAY): 2012-2013 Cayman League Champions; Currently 3rd in 2013-2014 standings. Saint Rosienne (GPE): Finished 5th in 2012-2013 Guadeloupe League; Currently 1st in 2013-2014 standings. Not to sure Saint Rosienne have qualified!!
X-D Another reason to think group 1 is rather weak! But I was asking more in the sense of which countries tend to do better in international play anyway. I was under the impression that, ever since the demise of the PRIslanders, the footballing powerhouses in the Caribbean were TRI, JAM, and HAI. Just seems weird to me that you're forcing the top see to play someone that's not from the weakest group in the SFs.
In my opinion, I think too that Group 1 is the weakest. However, Bayamon have had some moderate success in the CFU Club Championship (this is their 3rd straight appearance, and finished 4th in 2010). But remember, these groups are decided and announced, not drawn as far as I am aware.
From a Haitian football fan's perspective: eh, I'm not mad. The CFU did Valencia a huge favor by seeding them directly in the semifinals - one win in two games and they're back in the CCL, so I'm not complaining. Worst case scenario, they lose the semifinal, then pummel the Group 1 winner in the third-place match. Two other things: 1) Wow, so W Connection missed out entirely on this tournament...as the most successful Caribbean team not named the Puerto Rico Islanders in the CCL era (they would've made the quarterfinals in the 2009-10 Champions League if Comunicaciones hadn't beaten Pumas on the last matchday), their absence will be felt. 2) So Inter Moengotapoe are back...any chance their owner Ronnie Brunswijk will suit up again? I'll try to do him justice with a brief summary: he's a Surinamese gold magnate, political heavyweight, amateur rapper and possible drug lord in his early 50s.
Unfortunately, W Connection finished 3rd in the 2012-2013 T&T Pro League, 4 points away from qualification. The last time they failed to qualify was in 2011. They finished runner up the edition after. But on the bright side, they are currently unbeaten in the league at roughly the 1/3 stage, leading by 12 points.
Out of the two CFU clubs in the 2013-2014 Champions League and the 2014 Club Championship, it was very close in the 2013-2014 Champions League between Valencia and Caledonia AIA. Both clubs finished with 0 points and a -11 goal differential. Valencia scored more goals, 4 to 2. Rather than all three groups playing on March 21, 23, and 25, I would have liked only one group playing per day with something like this: Group 1 on March 21, 24, and 27 Group 2 on March 22, 25, and 28 Group 3 on March 23, 26, and 29
On the other hand, the Dominicans are probably not too pleased to see Moca missing out on this tournament, right @brentgoulet ? Another notable absence is CFU President Gordon Derrick's Antigua Barracuda, owner of an astonishing 0-26 record in the USL-Pro last year before disaffiliating from the league.
Not all dominicanos support Moca FC, though it would be good for the devellopment of dominican soccer to participate of course
I am delighted that we know all about this tournament more than a month before it starts and that there are more leagues and countries represented than last season (9 now, 5 last year). If Caledonia AIA fail to win it's group (will be tough, they look bad in current T&T league, 11 pts in 14 games and they are in [what it seems to be] toughest group), we will see another debutant in CCL. BTW, I like "new winds" blowing in CFU (website, information, new logos...).
According to this article from the NPSL, group 1 will be played at the Estadio Nacional Juan Ramon Loubriel in Bayamon.
Hang on... reading the article... Bayamon FC are being renamed Puerto Rico FC and will transfer to the NPSL... I think the NPSL are considered to be the 4th level of soccer in the USA (approximately equal to the USL-PDL) There is an article on Bayamons website. Sadly, my spanish is none existent and I can not copy over to google translator. Many thanks in advance for anyone who can translate this.
Article on NPSL site is English translation of article from Bayamon site (that one in Spanish). It's nice to see pro football in Puerto Rico again.
I wouldn't exactly call it professional...MLS, NASL and USL-Pro are the only pro divisions in the US Soccer pyramid (see: the current US Open Cup format). NPSL, however, is generally grouped in with the semi-pro/amateur leagues.
NPSL allows players to retain college eligibility, so I think the league as a whole would be classified as non-professional. Whether it gets "amateur" or "semi-pro" probably depends on the team.
I just repeated what the club said in statement (El equipo es el conjunto profesional del Bayamon). Anyway, operating in NPSL will be on much higher level than in PR amateur league.
Just a correction! Union Sainte-Rosienne finished 4th in 2012-3013 Guadeloupe league. USR applied to enter the competition after both CS Moulien and Etoile de Morne-à-L'Eau, the league champion and runner-up respectively, decline the enter. Gauloise de Basse-Terre who finished 3rd, wasn't even aware of the existence of this competition. Group 1 is may be weak on the paper but on the grass the result may be different.
Not so fast: the Puerto Rican Football Federation (FPF) are apparently none too pleased about a club "marketing itself as if it were the national team", and are waiting for an acceptable solution to the naming issue before green-lighting its participation in the NPSL.
Game, set and match, FPF: the Federation shot down the name Puerto Rico FC. The NPSL side followed by submitting a new moniker for consideration: Puerto Rico Bayamón FC. No, I am not making this up.