Just a quick question for the Central American board. Would you like to see an 8th team in the UNCAF Nations Cup to balance out the groups? Edit: There's supposed to be a poll there. Not quite sure where it went. Ah well, can't add it now. 1. Yes, bring in a team from CONCACAF 2. Yes, bring in a team from outside CONCACAF 3. No, keep it the way it is 4. No, don't try to interfere with our tournament you stupid gringo! (Are Canucks included in the term gringo? I was never sure)
I wouldnt know how the 8th team would get into the tourney... (like exactly how it gets chosen to be in it.) it sucks as is, I dont think an 8th team would want to be in it anyway
The reason I ask is because I feel it would be benefitial for Canada to have to qualify for the Gold Cup. As it is right now, we miss out on qualifying matches every two years and our ranking slides because of it. Before we won in 2000, we used to qualify through the CFU, but i wondered whether UNCAF would be amenable to adding us to their qualifying. UNCAF gets an extra spot in the Gold Cup. Canada gets more meaningful matches against CONCACAF opposition instead of friendlies against Cyprus and Estonia. I don't expect that would be welcomed by most Central American fans though.
I wouldn't mind their being another team in the competition, but realistically i just don't think it could be done. I mean yes, they could throw in a random team like Canada or even a team form the Caribbean, but i really wouldn't like that. I think the best options would either be to change the tournament to one big group of seven where everyone plays each other once and the top five go through. Doing this, every team will get atleast six games as opposed to our system now where teams play a max of five and some teams are done after just three games. The downside i guess is that it would take more planning as matches would increase from 14 to 21; this would obviously also extend the tournament dates (right now it usually only lasts for 9 days), but these aren't huge problems, and could easily be handled.
I've never known, how seriously do the teams take the tournament? Do they bring in their A-team or just whatever domestic players they can scrape together? I was under the impression that Guatemala missed the Gold Cup because they sent a U-21/23 team to UNCAF. Is that right?
during the UNCAF, teams bring mediocre sides even if it is the Gold Cup that gives you a ticket to Confederations Cup. teams like Honduras or Costa Rica bring more domestic kids or some lower league kids like in the mls or china you know small leagues but mostly domestic, but teams like Guatemala they just bring domestic kids.
Given their FIFA Ranking, Canada should have to qualify for the Gold Cup. Putting them in the UNCAF tournament to make two groups of four would be fine with me. I would not want a team from outside of CONCACAF in the UNCAF tournament. I could also see Canada playing a two leg series against the fifth CFU team (or sixth CFU team in this case since Cuba qualified for the Gold Cup but not did participate) for one spot in the Gold Cup.
C. azul pretty much hit the nail on the head. UNCAF is taken seriously by the players (I would hope so), BUT b squad-lower b squad teams are brought (by CR and Honduras)
Canada's FIFA ranking at the moment isn't really reflective of reality but I take your point. Every team except Mexico and USA should have to qualify. Ideally they should have to qualify too, but that would be tedious and ultimately harmful for some of the minnows. I do think a two-leg playoff isn't really fair to either Canada or the rest of CONCACAF. We should be integrated into either CFU/UNCAF qualifying or a unified qualifying system. I can't really see it happening though since the CFU and UNCAF are run like their own private fiefdoms within CONCACAF.
I think you would probably see something similar from Canada given the timing of UNCAF; MLS/USL players and any random European and Asian based players willing to come in.
yea UNCAF is a joke to be honest, even if it is to qualify for the Gold Cup with Confed Cup incentives.
In that case, do you think people would support abandoning the UNCAF Cup in favour of unified qualifiers for the Gold Gup? You could maintain seperate qualifying for youth teams to cut down on travel/costs. As it is right now, I think CONCACAF is the only confederation that has this level of fragmentation within its federation. Even the AFC (which spans something like 8 time zones) hosts a single qualifying system for the Asian Cup. (They do regionalize the Champions League to reduce travel.) I guess what I'm getting at is: Is UNCAF still relevant? The Interclubes is gone and the Nations Cup is second rate (though still important to those in it, as YanksCatrachos23 pointed out). From an outsider's perspective it seems as though these sub-confederational entities will become increasingly less important. Just my 2 cents.
It could be done. I think the UNCAF Nations Cup and the Caribbean Championship are important especially for the teams eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers. The current champions are Panama and Jamaica - both eliminated at the time. Both tournaments (including qualifiers for the Caribbean Championship) are played outside FIFA match dates. Let's look at the last qualifying cyle. With USA and Mexico not qualifying, there are 10 spots available and 29 teams (9 CFU teams didn't take part in the Caribbean Championship). Give 2007 Gold Cup teams a bye: CFU: Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Guadeloupe UNCAF: Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras NAFU: Canada For a final qualifying stage of twenty teams (5 groups of 4) with the top 2 going to the Gold Cup, that leaves 10 places for these 19 teams: Belize Nicaragua Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Barbados Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Martinique Netherlands Antilles Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Martin Suriname Four groups of four teams and one of three teams, with the top two going to the next stage. The pots based on Elo ratings: Pot 1: Jamaica, Martinique, Suriname, Guyana, Barbados Pot 2: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Bermuda, Netherlands Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda Pot 3: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Nicaragua, Dominica, Saint-Martin Pot 4: Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Anguilla Groups played at one venue, decided by a draw or between the teams involved in that group. Assuming the teams for the first two pots would have advanced and again using the Elo ratings, these would have been the pots for the last group stage: Pot 1: Honduras, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama Pot 2: Haiti, Guatemala, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe Pot 3: El Salvador, Martinique, Suriname, Guyana, Barbados Pot 4: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Bermuda, Netherlands Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda Group 1: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Grenada Group 2: Jamaica, Haiti, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles Group 3: Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Bermuda Group 4: Canada, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda Group 5: Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Groups played at one venue, decided by a draw or between the teams involved in that group.
Well I dont know if Id want it to be completely abolished and made into some jumbo qualifying thing immediately.. Even though it is a joke, its one of the few things central america has. But I see your point, these are becoming less important, and I geuss it can be done away with or altered.
I don't mean to say that it should be abolished completely. Within Asia and Africa you still see regional organizations holding championships (CECAFA Cup, Tiger Cup, Gulf Cup, etc) and I think the game is better for it. I love all the little regional tournaments. I'm not sure how to maintain the UNCAF and integrate qualifying but there must be a way. Maybe if CONCACAF maintained divisional qualifying for every second tournament (2011 integrated, 2013 seperate etc) or the UNCAF became a strictly U-21 thing. We already have a "major"(2007) and "minor"(2009) gold cup years, we might as well extend that to qualifying.
they should take off the uncaf because is a lame tournment the tournment not even a fifa so the club team dont give out the players to the tournment and so this become the national team going with their team b this makes the tournment lame and boring i cant remeber last yr tournment one exciting game
Not quite...yes, there is a standard qualifying procedure, but it's actually only a part of four ways to get in: - Hosts (Qatar for 2011) - Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea qualify automatically for getting 1st-3rd in the 2007 Asian Cup - Other countries participate in a traditional qualifying round (5 groups of 4, top two in each make the tournament). - BUT...they also have "Challenge Cups", tournaments for the 16 or 8 worst-ranked teams in the AFC, and the winner of said tournament qualifies for the Asian Cup as well (India in 2008, and whoever wins in 2010 gets to go directly as well).
Let this competition as it is! UNCAF has seven teams and that's how! Canada can't play in UNCAF because it's a north american country. And what about Mexico? Why not? But Mexico is above the lot!
You just answered your own question; Canada can't play in the tournament as it's a North American country, so same applies for Mexico. As for the question as a whole, i think they should leave it how it is. To be honest i don't get all these people and wanting to change each and every tournament in the region. Everything is fine the way it is, just leave it!
Canada would be a nice addition to round out the field to 8 teams. This would also give the Can national team another tournament to improve their team. Another idea would be to add the yucatan area of Mexico. The area would only have yucatan residents participate. This would put a foothold in Mexico for interest. But when it comes down to it....adding a nation outside CA would "take away' from it's uniqueness. Sorry I would have to vote against any expansion at this time.
Simple: Make the Gold Cup in the off-even years, like the Euros. That allows you to use FIFA international dates for qualifiers. Divide CONCACAF into 2 regions: North/Central and Caribbean. North/Central: 2 groups of 5, top 3 in each group automatically go through. Caribbean: 6 groups of 5, top 1 in each group automatically go through. If you want to expand the tournament from 12 to 16, then have the 4th place in N/C and the 2nd place in the Caribbean groups play a two-leg playoff series. Works perfectly.
Good Idea, but Issue 1.- Aren't some FIFA dates in the winter, would that mean playing games between December and March in the USA and Canada? Issue 2.- Wouldn't the USA and especially Mexico want to use FIFA dates to play teams outside Concacaf? Mexico makes a lot of money playing crappy teams in LA/Chicago I don't think that they would want to give that up.
There are dates in November, usually a midweek date in February, and then a couple in March. We (the USA) have no problem playing in Columbus in February, and I suspect Canada wouldn't have a problem playing in Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal then. Most official FIFA dates are generally qualifier heavy anyway. During this same period, the UEFA countries are qualifying for the Euros. As for Mexico, their first responsibility is to this confederation.