2020 National Team Thread [R]

Also if we do manage to win our group thn will likely have to face Trinidad and Tobago to go to the final 8. That’s probably the only positive about this since imo they are for sure the weakest team out of the possible six.

 

How? Honduras has a bye to the final round in this new format.

The original plan was to use the CONCACAF ranking index ... so it looks like Guatemala got f'ed over to me, if these July 2020 numbers are right - https://www.hypercube.nl/Concacaf/ranking.php - as would have been first seed in their group.

Also looks like Canada got f'ed over too, as they are now ranked 7th using FIFA instead of 6th with CONCACAF, so face the second-lowest top seed (Trinidad and Tobago) instead of the lowest (Curaçao).

El Salvador did particularly well ... with CONCACAF rankings they'd have been the 5th seed and would have had to have face Haiti, and now are the first seed and get Trinidad.

 

From a Salvadorian perspective we went from being in the hex to being the only team tossed out of it.

Now we have to play world cup qualifiers in a few months when our league has been suspended for several months. Concacaf could have at least waited until our airport to open before it scheduled our games. COVID isn’t easy for developing nations my guess is several will not be able to participate.

I had high hopes for the new concacaf president but his previous World cup qualifying was terrible and this new one is also bad. Just make everyone play their way in to the hex. The hex was also better given how many World Cup spots we get this cycle. They just insured several more countries will be eliminated by the time we get to the last few games which throws some of the competitive nature off

 

The only team tossed out - how?

The original plan was to use the CONCACAF ranking, with the top 6 being in the hex. El Salvador is 10th in the July 2020 CONCACAF ranking - which is not where near the top 6. Which means Canada was tossed out of the Hex from the original format.

Going to this new format, El Salvador is now the top seed in round 2, and will play the sixth seed (assuming that the top 6 seeds get through their group). If they'd stuck to CONCACAF rankings, they'd have been the fourth seed, and played the third seeded Guatemala.

Guatemala isn't even seeded using the whacky FIFA rankings - being in 13th place, rather than 9th place.

 

Everyone from the start said they would be using the FIFA rankings and to this point it still has El Salvador at sixth. I’m not sure what site it is you are using that has them listed at tenth but it is incorrect.

 

They have not. CONCACAF said from day one they were using the CONCACAF rankings, not the FIFA rankings.This was widely reported in early July 2019, when they announced they were instead using FIFA rankings.

In 2018, CONCACAF clearly said they would be using CONCACAF rankings for future international tournaments.

This was discussed in the media - such as https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...rfect-nations-league-campaign-world-cup-hopes

 

Now more importantly the issue arises or how are these guys going to be in game shape with the league currently on hold and most of these guys out of footballing shape due to lockdown restrictions.


If I’m FESFUT I’m talking with the govt. about setting up a bubble like the NBA and getting the local players and whatever players abroad (that have finished) that I can and start training. Also I would enforce that DLC calls in different crops of players not the same old same olds.

I say that but I can already picture FESFUT having issues with getting test to begin with and cost of not only test, accommodations for players if they went the bubble route.

 

So I was incorrect okay that’s on me.

But Slams point still stands that El Salvador was hurt with the switch to this new format, they went from sitting in the Hex alongside the five to having to play games now when they weren’t expecting too.

 

Concacaf did change this wcq a few times but before this most recent change they said fifa rankings now they changed again and tossed us out. Not sure where the disagreement is?

Are you defending this system of qualifying? Really everyone should play there way in

 

Life is unfair ... I wasn't expecting to be in lockdown for almost 5 months this year, with no reason to leave the house.

We don't even know what the final June FIFA rankings would have been at, had international play not been cancelled in March - and they certainly weren't anywhere close on the originally planned Concacaf rankings.

They've been handed an easy path, in a group with 4 minnows, and then having to play Trinidad (or their minnows). And the 4th place game is gone as well.

It's surely all moot anyway ... is it really realistic that there's going to be October games in most covid-ravaged Concacaf countries?

 

I’m Honduran/Salvadoran dude I support this team too even if I have preference towards Honduras, El Salvador got screwed because we were already in the top 6 and are the only ones is said six that still has to fight for qualification.

A better option would have been to have Panama, Haiti, Canada and Curacao face each other for the two spots for the final 8.

 

I know they are lower in rank but Bermuda would be one I would have thrown in that conversation of given a chance.

 

Disagreement is you said that El Salvador was only team tossed out of hex. And yet Canada had also been tossed out of Hex. I'm surprised there is so much more whining over this though, than the previous change that elevated El Salvador by about 5 spots. As if El Salvador was the only country to have ever been Concacafed!

I prefer an oct to a hex. But I've been vocally opposed to this new process, which is completely unrealistic, given there are many CONCACAF countries that have not only, not dealt with Covid yet, but area still seeing cases rising - which means there's no way they'll be playing internationals in November - let alone October, without some bubble that doesn't fit into this schedule.

Again ... it's not true it's only El Salvador ... they were only in that spot because Canada had been screwed in their favour.

And this all assumes there'd have been no further ranking changes in the four months after matches were suspended in March - the point in which the old format became moot.

 

There is no need to come to our forum and say we are whining for reacting to something that just happened. That is what this forum is for to write what you feel like writing. I am not going to call you a whiner for your post I expect the same in return

What happened to Canada was also bad and I went on the Canadian forum and said so especially given that there is a golden generation emerging. When I said just El Salvador I meant given the last version CONCACAF proposed. We don’t seem to be disagreeing about that it was just a misunderstanding moving on...

Concacaf has completely messed up this qualification cycle and it isn’t because of Covid-19 they had done so already. It’s fine if you like it but strictly from a sporting standpoint there is a reason most athletic competitions don’t change the criteria for qualifying to an event once it is announced. It might be tempting to fall back on this is because of Covid but again they had messed up the process before this.

Do you feel this is the best sporting way to determine who goes to the hex?

 

Dude literally comes here complaining in our thread about us complaining lmao, it's fine if he feels that Canada got screwed too but idk why he feels the need to come here. It's not our fault that the format was changed to Fifa Rankings or that Covid happened, we earned that 6th place by playing by the rules.

 

@SamKnight @slaminsams

I’ll say what I told Pájaro on twitter. I believe they did it because they felt El Salvador was gaming the system to stay in sixth.

Considering the fact that Canada was actively setting up match dates while we kept “trying” and either games were cancelled or talks fell through we were sitting put. The only other nation that you could argue had a chance was Curaçao who was set to face the Canucks IIRC, forget Panama they needed to beat a S.A. nation in order to make up ground so they were dead in the water.

Also considering the current pres is Canuck hmmm... I do find it interesting we’ve seen nations game the system for a long time in this region yet zilch on those ends until now.

 

Sadly the easiest road for you guys is through El Salvador, wether that be being grouped with us or landing in the Trinidad and Tobago group and facing us in the second round.

Either way good luck.

 

I kind of hope Guate ends up with Canada since they really want to avoid traveling to Central American.

 

Central America*

 

If the top Ranked teams would go on to win their groups it would be Canada vs Haiti, Panama vs Curacao and El Salvador vs Trinidad and Tobago. Canada and Haiti are the toughest groups imo and Curacao is overrated even if they have improved and Panama have lost their "Golden Generation".

So the easiest way Guate to make it to the Octagonal would be through a Central American team, also no team wants Guate in their group because you guys are the Wild Card.

 

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Here’s the road for ES starting in October, keeping in mind we play the winners of Group F (T&T?)