An Independent California Mens' Team in CONCACAF

Discussion in 'CONCACAF' started by shinpath, Aug 29, 2017.

  1. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    'Calexit,' the peaceful exit of California from the United States, creating an independent nation of 40 million, is, at the moment, quite improbable. It won't happen any time soon, no matter what Trump does. However, it might be fun at this time to speculate what a California team (The Bears/Los Osos, after the Bear on the state flag) might look like. At any given moment Californians make up 20-35% of any USMNT roster. For this weekend against Costa Rica six have been called up and at least two may start. They are:

    Paul Arriola MF DC United hometown Chula Vista CA
    Nick Rimando GK Real Salt Lake hometown Montclair CA
    Cristian Roldan MF Seattle Sounders hometown Pico Rivera CA
    Jorge Villafana D Real Salt Lake hometown Anaheim CA
    Chris Wondolowski F SJ Earthquakes hometown Danville CA
    Bobby Wood F Hamburg hometown Irvine CA

    Other Californians who were on previous 2018 WCQ and the Gold Cup 2017 roster in the past year:

    David Bingham GK SJ Earthquakes Pleasanton CA
    Benny Feilhaber MF Sporting KC Irvine CA
    Michael Orozco D Club Tijuana Orange CA
    Sasha Klejestan MF New York Red Bulls Huntington Beach Ca
    Joe Corona MF Club Tijuana Chula Vista CA
    Sebastian Lletget, MF LA Galaxy, San Francisco CA
    Chad Marshall D Seattle Sounders Riverside CA
    Chris Pontius MF Philadelphia Union Yorba Linda CA
    Gyasi Zardes F LA Galaxy Hawthorne CA

    I would suggest that a California team would immediately compete for the #3 spot in CONCACAF after USA and Mexico, giving Costa Rica a run for its money. It's creation would mostly likely weaken the US player pool initially but the Yanks could recover over time. This is true fantasy football, but when I remember how Wales came out and supported their team's run in the Euros last year, it is the stuff of dreams for this San Diegan. 'Build it, and they will come...'
     
  2. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sure thing boss.
     
  3. edcalvi

    edcalvi Moderator
    Staff Member

    Olimpia
    Guatemala
    May 1, 2005
    US
    Never gonna happen. Take your political fantasies elsewhere.
     
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  4. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    Harsh the mellow, dude. Let's see if any Californians start on Saturday.
     
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  5. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No way. I think Rimando is a better goalkeeper than most CONCACAF teams have, while Wondolowski and Wood are a better pair of forwards than most CONCACAF teams have. With the players you listed I think they could reach the WCQ Semifinals and possibly the Hexagonal, but not qualify.
     
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  6. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    Honestly it looks like they would be on Canada's level definitely not third in the region
     
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  7. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    Not at first but it would depend how much investment was put into team development. Most of California's good players are Southern Californian, which speaks much about the state of youth leagues down there.
     
  8. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    Even the full USA squad isn't an automatic top three your hypothetical would be much worse
     
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  9. LaMascara

    LaMascara Member+

    Apr 11, 2013
    Club:
    Pachuca CF
    No mames, primero ganale a Costa Rica con todo el equipo.
     
  10. SaltyCatter

    SaltyCatter Member

    Feb 16, 2009
    The West
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Agreed. Canuck-level. Probably should be better---even in this hypothetical---but then so should Canada. They got work to do.
     
  11. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    If USA crashes out of WC Russia 2018 expect some mileage on this.
     
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  12. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    Yeah the only thing California needs to pull away from the USA is a poor World Cup performance.
     
  13. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Not necessarily the best team, but this would be my preferred 23.

    Goalies: Frei, Seitz, Vom Steeg
    Defenders: Lima, Hollingshead, Marshall, Birnbaum, Glad, Marquez, Villafana, Vincent
    Midfielders: Larentowicz, Gonzalez, Jacobson, Kljestan, Feilhaber, Arriola, Lletget, Brizuela, Perez
    Forwards: Wright, Wood, Ramirez

    Frei
    Lima-Glad-Marshall-Villafana
    Larentowicz
    Gonzalez-Lletget
    Feilhaber
    Wright-Wood

    Thats a pretty good side, I think they would qualify for the World Cup out of CONCACAF via the playoff.
     
  14. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    Please the whole of the USA squad is just barely above qualifying via playoff. That watered down team is Canada. You American fans define arrogance. Of course you think Vermes, Porter or some other overhyped American coach is what is missing from Making America Great Again so you are on a different level of delusion
     
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  15. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Whats so funny is the Mexico fans acting like you guys are now so good because you are going to win the Hex. What happened to all those years of us winning it and it not meaning anything? We won the most recent Gold Cup, you guys didn't. You guys do a ton of bragging about Gold Cup's and discrediting winning the Hex, yet somehow the opposite matters now.

    As for that team, its not completely an MLS team. 7 of those 23 don't play in MLS, and the ones that do are for the most part very good MLS players or at least above average MLS players. The difference between that and Canada's team is that Canada has some players starting for them that are MLS back ups, they only have one really good MLS player (Larin), meanwhile that team has multiple of them. I think that team is more comparable to Honduras or Panama than Canada.
     
  16. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    The full US squad at the moment is comparable to Honduras and Panama at the moment so this make belief team isn't going to outperform them. Several positions are a downgrade no Pulisic, Howard, Dempsey, Cameron means it would be worse.
     
  17. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    But you are adding another component into it. We can't account for how a team will play together, the coaching, etc. With this question, we can only compare the rosters.

    Comparing USA to Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, even Mexico squads is very favorable for the USA, but in this series of matches, we haven't done well. There's no telling how well that California team would do because we are only comparing the roster. I think thats a given, you are adding a component into it that we can't account for.
     
  18. slaminsams

    slaminsams Member+

    Mar 22, 2010
    We can't account for it because it will never happen. However the attitude that a single state would even make the hex let alone succeed in it is pure arrogance in the face of a very average USA team at the moment. The whole attitude is flawed beyond this just being make believe
     
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  19. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    California's population is almost as big as all of Central America, really not that far-fetched.
     
  20. edcalvi

    edcalvi Moderator
    Staff Member

    Olimpia
    Guatemala
    May 1, 2005
    US
    Yes but what percentage of Californians actually follow football (soccer) as their favorite sport and are actually passionate about it?? Because even Mexican-Americans like football (the American type) more than our football (soccer).

    For Central America at least 70% if not more are passionate and love football (soccer) more than any other sport.

    The problem with Central America is the lack of proper infrastructure and poverty thanks to government corruption. Costa Rica is the only exception, then after them Panama to some extent but they also have corruption problems as well.
     
  21. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Thats probably all true, although I think if you put together a team with the best Central American players, it would probably be the best team in CONCACAF, so I do think the talent is there, its just that these are some very small countries compared to the USA and Mexico. As you said, only reason Costa Rica competes better is due to infrastructure and money.

    But saying that, I think there's a very real difference between that culture, the one in California and the one in Canada. So while per capita the California area might not be anywhere near as good as the whole population of Central America, I think that area is probably one of the better pockets in the United States, one of the best teams in the region, for football.
     
  22. edcalvi

    edcalvi Moderator
    Staff Member

    Olimpia
    Guatemala
    May 1, 2005
    US
    Yes I agree on that.

    If you had to field a NT from one state out of the whole country, then California will have the most competitive NT.

    This state produced Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, Cobi Jones, etc... I can't name any recent players besides Landon Donovan.
     
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  23. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    Who would be interested in California 'National' Team gear, shirts, etc? Please DM me.
     
  24. Owen Thornhill

    Dec 22, 2012
    Club:
    Cork City
    Form a team and play the Cascadian team in the non fifa competitions. Cascadia vs California would be a great qualification for the non fifa officiate world cup.
     
  25. Californian81

    Californian81 Member

    Chivas
    Mexico
    Oct 26, 2017
    You're not alone Shinpath. As a fellow San Diegan and Californian myself, I dream of the day we become our country and have our own team.

    I've had this conversation with a few Californians before. Always get positive feedback.

    I would love to see this happen in my lifetime. I'm a die hard El Tri fan, but can see myself cheering on a California squad 100%. Being objective, we have the population, the money, but not the soccer culture to compete on the world stage. Doesn't mean we can't. If Iceland can...

    California, imo, would be at the level of the U.S., Honduras, Panama (barely), but not Mexico or Costa Rica. We would elbow our way in for a decent fight for the 4th playoff spot perhaps.

    As to your question about gear, I'm afraid our California gear would just resemble Cal Berkeley athletics.
     

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