First things first, Saint-Barthélémy are actually in the process of applying to be a Concacaf member, whereas I haven't heard any movement at all from Saint Pierre et Miquelon.
Kind of a bizarre schedule to let CR host a game and Jamaica but not Mexico or Honduras. They should have named 4 countries to each host a group, with the knockout phase in USA. Oh well
Concacaf is updating its Gold Cup regulations. Main points:- No more squad replacements after group phase- Extra time is back in the knockout stage- IFAB updates will be in effectI spoke with Chief of Football Manolo Zubiria about the modifiations: https://t.co/i97xwDeezp— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) April 10, 2019
The first update was LONG overdue - of all the aspects of the Gold Cup that a detractor could point to as "bush league", that was the worst. The second, though...if the Gold Cup is going to continue as a biennial tournament (which it shouldn't, but that's an argument for another day), then I didn't mind avoiding extra time as at least a small concession in favor of avoiding player burnout. Hold up now: does that mean extra time will be back in the CL and CCL too? As opposed to the current ties-after-180-go-straight-to-penalties in effect before the Final.
I'm not gonna lie: I really, really like these groups. The Gold Cup group stage is set! 🏆The USMNT is paired with Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana 👀 pic.twitter.com/nMWOPcMjTt— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 10, 2019
As someone who is cheering for Bermuda, I really like that draw. Not playing Costa Rica at home and Nicaragua and Haiti are beatable. Come on Bermuda! they deserved this after that brutal nations league draw.
Group A: People have been trying to downplay Canadian enthusiasm for months now, saying, "Wait until you do it against a big team." Welp, Mexico is as big as it gets here. And hell, just making the quarterfinals would be a small accomplishment, considering what happened the last time they faced Martinique... Group B: I want to say I'm sick of running into Costa Rica everywhere...but the rest of the group makes up for it. Costa Rica-Nicaragua in San José should be fire, and Costa Rica-Haiti in NJ as well (honestly don't know who will have an advantage in the stands, but should be a sellout). But 2nd place in this group may well come down to Haiti-Nicaragua in Dallas, yet another showdown between us after Nicaragua humiliated us in qualifying for the last Gold Cup, and we paid them back by winning in Managua last year to kill their dreams of making League A in the CNL. As for Bermuda, I have no idea what to make of them in this tournament...but they're not going to be an easy out for anyone. Group C: The Univisión Deportes commenters are spot on: there's a non-zero chance Honduras could actually crash out in the group stage! They have to face Jamaica in Jamaica, and then finish up with a derby against El Salvador in LA. Ouch. Group D: Plenty of beef to go around here... - The US and Panama have butted heads in various Gold Cups (including 2 Finals!) - USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago - need I say more - Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guyana actually has a shout at being the most heated rivalry in the Caribbean! Don't believe me, right? Go back to 2011: Guyana shockingly punched T&T in the mouth and knocked them out of WCQ. According to several accounts on the Soca Warriors Forum, Trinibago was treated to a true derby atmosphere in Georgetown...and worse, that Guyana was coached by by the Trini Jamaal Shabazz, infamous for having participated in the 1990 Islamic coup attempt in his home country and subsequently being pardoned.
My predictions -Top 2 advance to Quarter Finals Group A Mexico & Canada Group B Costa Rica & Haiti Group C Honduras & Curacao Group D Panama & US
Not makin' any picks until I see the final squads...but I have no faith in Curaçao pulling off the upset. They got pretty much the same group as last time (switching out Mexico for Honduras), and last time El Salvador and Jamaica manhandled them.
Talk about jinxing. The original post also said that Mexico and USA will have a chance at meeting earlier than the final. Bush league as they still have them separated. By the way this is my first post in six years! I just may rejoin the Big Soccer Community
Those groups ended with the top two seeds playing each other twice in a row. Guyana beat and eliminated T&T on November 11 to go up 4 points. T&T won the meaningless game hosting Guyana on November 15 that was 2-0 on the field and became a 3-0 forfeit. Given that the YouTube highlights came from T&T and that they are dated November 16, which was after the game T&T hosted, I find it surprising that those highlights are from the November 11 game, but they must be from November because that's when Guyana won. I wish the highlights had a description including the date and score. Rejoin. There aren't many posters in the Concacaf forum and subforums.
I had to watch it in full to make sure it was the video I wanted...until I saw that Leon Cort goal, which is burned into my skull. Why? Story time! Absolutely right. That day, I went up from my apartment in Alexandria, VA to catch a ride with a friend to another friend's house up in Bethesda, since we all agreed to chip in for the PPV of Antigua and Barbuda vs. Haiti. Haiti had one foot on the ledge going in: A&B was on a perfect record, while Haiti had dropped points at home to Curaçao, so the bare minimum was avoiding defeat at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Haiti had the lion's share of possession, but played nervously and looked to win calls (that never came) rather than create scoring opportunities. Nevertheless, all good...until a second-half Antiguan shot slipped through Johnny Placide's fingers and into the net. "Oh là là!" We watched in horror as Haiti failed to get an equalizer, crashing out of WCQ in humiliating fashion. Friend #1 drove me to a nearby metro stop; half the ride was in silence, both of us internally seething, while the other half was spent yelling at any and all culprits (Placide, the coach Tavares, the refs, etc.). I got to the station, pulled out my phone to check other results...and went into a fit of laughter. T&T had screwed the pooch too! Watching the highlights at home was my only relief that evening, and the Guyanese crowd shocked me - you rarely see such passionate football crowds in the Caribbean outside of Kingston, Port-of-Spain or Port-au-Prince.
Any word on player eligibility for non-FIFA members (Martinique)? I thought their ruling last time was harsh/unfair for Martinique, French Guiana and Guadeloupe. It really makes them have to play with 1 hand tied behind their back. If FIFA's not going to recognize them as a member, they should be able to use players who have played for France. It will make for a much more competitive and better Gold Cup.
Good question - I had completely forgotten about that point. The eligibility rules on p. 18 of the 2019 regulations expand on the single point given on the same page in the 2017 regulations. Doesn't read like there is any change (i.e. Malouda would be ineligible now as well)...having said that, Concacaf directly managed the qualifying tournament this time, so I imagine that any players on Martinique's roster that were eligible to play over the last year should be good for the Gold Cup.
Thanks! Still somewhat disappointing, and something I'd really like to see changed. Think how great it would be for the tournament if Guadeloupe could have had Thuram and Henry playing in the gold cup (or we could get something similar in the future).