Guatemala was banned during the Qualifying process. They're in League C iirc of the newly formed CONCACAF Nations League, if not I'm they'd probably qualified for Gold Cup and League A.
Guatemala is horrible too. But they have a much, much, much better following and support than the Caribbean teams in the USA so that might have given them some more fighting spirit and inspiration. They would have showed up in droves in Pasadena for sure.
Looks like lambs to the slaughter now but I think the high-level of play and exposure will only be good for those federations in the years to come. Without it now, I don't see much way for them ever getting there on their own in years to come. They will never be world-beaters, or in my mind even close to winning the Gold Cup, but any increase in their team abilities better prepares the other CONCACAF teams for higher-level play.
Bermuda gave my Haiti side all it could handle, and should've been 2 or 3 up at halftime. Then Etienne Jr. completely changed the face of the game coming on for the 2nd half, and Haiti were the ones who should've been up by multiple goals at the end.
We defeated Costa Rica with their A team back in March. I think "horrible" is kind of harsh when you compare them to some Caribbean teams playing in this Gold Cup.
I loved that Haitian set piece of yelling at one player while the other player being yelled at took a quick free kick as the defense went to sleep. Clever school yard stuff that makes me smile.
Horrible when compared to most teams in the upper level of CONCACAF. But yes better than most Caribbean teams.
I don't think the Costa Rican Federation wanted more than one game. Attendance was not as good as it could have been and it is cheaper to just fly to the USA and let them handle the costs of hosting.
It was bare! The only reason why CR opened up with Nicaragua at home is cuz CONCACAF thought they'd sell out by pitting two rival neighbors together. Theres a lot of Nicas in CR but that plan backfired.
I know I was really surprised. Empty! Nicaragua has never been a traditional rival of Costa Rica and most ticos probably consider them minnows. They were totally uninterested.
In a futboling sense CRs closest rival imo is Panama. At least now it is.. Their last two WCQ campaigns have been heated when they travel to each others country. In a social and culture aspect, Nicaragua and CR have been rivals for centuries. Just ask who made gallo.pinto lmao!
TRES JUGADORES EXPULSADOSFENIFUT en consenso con el Director Técnico de la Selección Nacional, Henry Duarte ha decidido expulsar del equipo a tres jugadores por FALTAS GRAVES A LA DISCIPLINA, razón por la cual Nicaragua competirá, a partir de ahora, con 20 jugadores en Copa Oro pic.twitter.com/HtfiEU5zzl— FENIFUT NICARAGUA (OFICIAL) (@Fenifutnica) June 17, 2019 Los expulsados que no harán el viaje a Estados Unidos son el volante de contención Marlon López, el defensor central Carlos Montenegro y el volante ofensivo Carlos Chavarría. pic.twitter.com/nRkzhPK2PW— FENIFUT NICARAGUA (OFICIAL) (@Fenifutnica) June 17, 2019 Las faltas en que incurrieron los jugadores se produjeron en el hotel de reconcentración la noche del domingo 16 de junio, solo cuatro horas después que Nicaragua pierde 0-4 contra 🇨🇷 , por lo que la nueva administración de FENIFUT ha notificado a CONCACAF sobre estas sanciones pic.twitter.com/asYWb6AMsS— FENIFUT NICARAGUA (OFICIAL) (@Fenifutnica) June 17, 2019
Looks like Kingston ended up being a fantastic venue Although Honduras could rightly feel aggrieved over having to play an away game as the top seed in the group...
Honduras usually is the "home team" in the USA against most of the Group stage teams they face in the Copa Oro. It was nice to see a Caribbean team host for the first time. It will get very interesting as things go to Houston. El Salvador will definitely be the "home team" against Jamaica in that stadium
It's no secret that the Gold Cup format is fixed in favor of the US and Mexico...but it's good to hear Panama's coach call it out.
I honestly think it's fixed to generate the most revenue. I couldn't play the video on my mobile phone. I'm unaware of what he said.