If you eliminated all speculative posts/threads then BigSoccer would consist of about a dozen threads containing only pictures of scantily clad women. Hmmm... maybe that's not such a bad idea.
That's hard to say. Some of the teams in the Hex may send a developmental roster, especially the US considering that we also have the Confederations Cup. This early, I'll still have to go with Mexico or USA, and Canada as a surprise upset if the hex teams write this one off. Once the rosters come out we'll all have a better idea.
Looky here, someone being called up on assumptions... The OP is free to ask in whatever manner, after all it's speculation, but a better way would have been, "...is this going to be the worst GC yet"...we always have the future ones (one hopes not) to surpass the suckiness this one is poised to have... I think these games, + some friendlies, will be Aguirre's little experimental grounds, the US will focus on Confederations Cup, yet one of the two could still take it... but I am almost hoping for one of the teams left outside of the WQC to bring it all and get some brass out of it. I would of course prefer Mexico to win it, but neehh, wouldn't mind if Panama takes it, they are the current UNCAF champs, whatever that means, so they are "mi gallo". /p
sounds like that Guatemalan beer commercial, MI GALLO, lol Yea same here, i hope is a different team, a surprise that i would like to see is either Nicaragua or even Canada or T&T.
I heard the Gold Cup games will only be televised in English on Fox Soccer Channel? What about the semi-finals and final? I only have FOX and FSN so it looks like I'll be watching the games in Spanish. Anyone have the Spanish stations tv schedule for the Gold Cup? This tournament needs to be an every 4 years event. It's stupid having it this summer when the winner of it doesn't qualify for the next Confederations Cup and when we have to send our 'B' squad because our 'A' team will be tired from WCQ's and the Confederations Cup. MLS teams are already getting punished enough, they don't need this extra 3 weeks punishment every 2 years.
My two cents: I'd actually argue that it is better to host the Gold Cup every 2 years - mainly because national teams need to have ample opportunities to perform in "competitive" matches so that they can keep up a presence in the public consciousness. I mean, look at the other confederations and you'll see that they keep this in mind as well: UEFA - Every two years, each and every team here has qualifying games to play, either for the Euro or the World Cup, since there is no pre-elimination round for the tinier teams (of which there are plenty). CONMEBOL: In their current system, in the year after the World Cup they play the Copa América, followed by an 18-game marathon of qualifying matches. AFC It's true that they only have the Asian Cup during the year after the World Cup, followed by a qualifying campaign in which smaller teams DO get eliminated early on. But at the same time, they are already busy qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar - either through the Challenge Cups (16 of the worst teams, winner gets spot in Asian Cup finals - see India) or through the qualifying groups in which even Australia already has to participate. CAF - How would you like a continental championship during the same year as the Euro and the World Cup? Because that is what happens here. OFC - ...umm, nothing to see here, let's move on... So I feel that since our qualifying campaign for the World Cup cuts out the majority of the region before we even get to the final round, this Gold Cup is a good way for teams to have something to do other than twiddle their fingers and wait for 2011. Especially for teams like Panama (who finally got the UNCAF trophy to boot) who got surprisingly KO'ed early, or those like Nicaragua and 2nd-tier Caribbean countries (behind Jamaica, T&T, Haiti and Cuba) looking for exposure, this tournament is worth it.
Why does it only have to be 1 or 2 country? Each Central American country population is only the size of a US state. Guatemala, El Salvador Honduras and Costa Rica are roughly the size of New York(Gua), New Jersey(SLV), Virginia(Hon) and West Virginia (CRC). Let the Central American region host the tournament. This Gold Cup "Central America" would be like playing it in 4 Mid Atlantic states like the ones mentioned. If we can fly 12 teams across America for every game we could certainly have 4 teams stay in 1 city for 3 games for group play then moving to q final location. Pic below of Olimpico Stadium in Honduras , Cuscatlan Stadium in Elsalvador and Flores Stadium in Gua IT would be great to see these stadium packed with passionate fans to rise the level of intensity of the Gold Cup. This is what I want to see. There would be drama in each country between the teams and the fans. These countries like these states border each other. I say let Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador host a group and quarter final game. All these host have to do is qualify (8 of 12 make it) for the knockout round to host. We could have the top team from each group play the lowest host nation(if the host does not win group). Costa Rica has the best infrastructure and have always produces quality national teams. Costa Rica could host a quarter final, semi-final and Final game. They (CRC) would be sure to make the knockout round. This region has given CONCACAF quality teams and it is time to pay them back. The fans from these countries show up 5 hours before their World cup qualifing games. Each Gold Cup game (double headers) would be close to capacity. This would be a tremendous to the fans of each country. The last time a CA hosted was Honduras in 1981. The regional tournament has to be rotated. this will created interest in the region and throughout CONCACAF. The USA has had a great advantage of hosting and winning 4 Gold Cups. The yanks were lucky to tie El Salvador in WCQ (2-2). We can see what an advantage playing on your home field can do. My yanks lost to T&T and I know it was the B team but that is what I am expecting this Gold Cup. By playing the tournament in CA would provide a much greated "equal" playing field. The CA nations would benefit from the advantage the yanks have had in this tournament.
If you can put that together and get all those countries to agree and work together on it, more power to you! And the comparison with US states ends at size and population. Don't even get us started on infrastructure, etc.
so because they dont have pretty stadiums they dont deserve anything,is that what you are trying to say ?, besides its not like the gold cup is something to be proud of,lets face it gold cup is a pile of crap,first concacaf needs to gain credibility for the tourney and then they can get picky about who tehy choose to organize it.
I'd still like to see the Gold Cup in the Caribbean some day. The faciliites are there. TnT Barbados Grenada Cuba Haiti Puerto Rico Jamaica Martinique
There's a lot more to infrastructure than stadiums. In fact, I wasn't really thinking of stadiums at all. But it really doesn't matter because it's never going to happen.
. i know there is more to it than stadiums. and for the good of the game in this confederation i hope it happens some day. i hope some day this sorry excuse of a confederation actualy starts acting like a real one,because as it is the ones that celebrates winning this crap called gold cup, are only fools who dont know nothing about real tourneys.
infrastructure such as hotels/motels, training grounds/fields, food establishments..make sure the public/private transportation can handle the mass of people..facilitating visa requirements so fans can travel btw countries rather easily .... etc etc etc.. but I do hope it happens some day,
The problem with rotating the Gold Cup isn't infrastructure. It's the fact that outside of the US or Canada no one would show up for matches that don't involve the host country. Look at how poorly attended the UNCAF is. It's a complete joke. I don't want to see matches in empty stadiums. Until Central American countries can host a successful an UNCAF tournament they don't deserve anything else. Personally I'd like to scrap the Gold Cup completely and let the 6 hex qualifiers go directly into Copa America. I don't think the US and Mexico should have to provide welfare for developing nations. Let Warner organize their own tournament and stop messing with us.
first, the reason why outside of usa and canada people would not show up for this tournament is because here in mexico we have already organized the best tourneys there are to organize(except copa america), and concacaf cant sell a crappy tourney without credibility to mexicans who know about futbol,also central americans know very well the game and nobody can sell them crap too,the reason the copa america works very well in USA is because CONCACAF preys on the poor inmigrants that misses their home countries, and i supouse they tend to buy anything that reminds them of home. i dont know where you get your ideas from, but last time i checked mexico is still a developing country.
Ok, so the tournament is a joke, a sham, not to be taking seriously and one of the reasons for this is because it's held in the US every time. Yet because it's a crap tournament no one in CA or Mex will go see it if they were to host it. So it's pointless to let them host it, so it gets hosted in the US again which makes it a joke. Because it's a joke no one in CA or Mex cares. See what I'm getting at here?
Yeah I agree with this. It's kind of a catch 22. 1- The tourney is a piece of shit, and gets hosted in the US pretty much by default as nobody else is trying to get it. 2- Since nobody else is interesting in getting it, CONCACAF just takes the easy way out and keeps it in the US all the time. Which is why I think if there was really a will in CONCACAF to make this tourney more prestigious (which absolutely requires that it's not always hosted by the same country), they have to start by making it attractive for the other nations to host. In other words, they have to get out of their asses and actually do work to try to improve things. Right now everyone is just content with having a couple of weeks of glorified friendlies in the US every other year.
i never said no one would go,but you guys always say that there would not be the same amount of people in the stadiums, of course, cause in other countries you actualy are looking for futbol fans and not only preying in the poor hardworking class inmigrants that misses their home countries,let other countries organize the tourney a few times,even if it means to sacrifice a little money (after all jack and company have already steal enough), and once the tourney gains credibility and prestige, then concacaf will have at least a real tourney to offer to the other big members.