This would be best for CONCACAF.

Your comments are most appreciated, but on a more realistic level that will not happen. There's too much national pride in countries like Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. We as carribeans love to be competitive and CFU will never go for it. There's too much of a rivalry between Jamaica and Trinidad to begin with.

 

This topic has been dicussed before. Not one person supported this way of thinking.

 

Warlord and DominicanStrikeForce are right. We have been down this road before. It's never gonna happen. Too much national pride at stake.

As a Puerto Rico supporter, I would rather continue to be the laughing stock of the Caribbean than ever support a "Unified Carribean" team. Never. Over my dead body. I don't even want my adopted homeland of Puerto Rico's team merged with my true homeland, USA and we share citizenship, currency, etc.

If a Puerto Rico player wants to play for the US then great. I'm all for it. Same goes for a nonPuerto Rican US guy who wants to represent Puerto Rico. Great. But merging any Puerto Rican and US national teams--hell no.

The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba wouldn't want to field a team together and those three nations have a lot in common way beyond language.

Besides, FIFA would never allow it anyway. Nations must compete under the authorization of their own football associations...

Never gonna happen. People don't want it. Hell. I'm not even Caribbean and I don't want it.

 

Yank,
rep for you. Good summarization of the previous exhaustive threads. My face is still blue from trying to explain why this is such a horrible idea...especially coming from people from outside the caribbean.

Is the BS search engine gone?

 

I think the Central American Teams and Mexico should unite and then they could compete with Brazil & Argentina. Take a spot and join the South American Federation that would leave three spots for the rest of N. America and the Caribbean. That would insure the US, Jamaica and T&T world cup spots.

 

I think that CONCACAF and CONMEBOL teams should all merge and form one united Americas team, then they would have a better chance of winning the World Cup and there would not be any need for any qualification rounds Seriously though, who wants to combine countries? Same in UK. There will never be a national side if it means that Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, England cease to exist as footballing nations. Too much national pride. Antigua, St.Kitts, Barbados, even islands as small as Anguilla, all have history and national pride to play for. Hell, let's just merge the world and see what happens

 

Well Ive always wondered why they dont create some kind of caribbean soccer league, taking the top teams from each island or top two. or something of that nature, wouldnt it help to develop more players for alot of these island nations.

 

And who would foot the bill for travel costs, hotel accommodations?

 

Some of the better developed nations have a league in place and are starting to produce some decent talent. Cornell Glenn for example played for professional side San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad. Scott Sealey also played there before moving to Kansas City Wizards. I remember reading that Metrostars even toured Trinidad sometime in '04 and played 2 games against W Connection FC. so there is some level of development. There are probably more technically skilled players playing in the Carribbean than in the MLS.

 

don't worry about the CFU. Unlike the UNCAF we've had sum good teams go to the world cup, Jamaica (France 98), Haiti (Germany 74), Cuba (France 38) and now Trinidad and Tobago are trying to get to the "promised land that is Germany" in their qualifications this month. I'm not trying to hate on the UNCAF it's just i find the fact that they get so much hype in this region yet teams like Panama, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua have yet to go. But good luck to all the teams from this region no matter what part. and even though it has nothing to do with this subject, i think the ticos are going to be the cinderella team of the World Cup, remember where u heard it first

 

This as been done before. Pointless topic less players will break through to professional leagues which will send caribbean football backwards

 

i hope the US divides itself into 52 different countries so we can have the biggest confederation of all.

 

You guys don't get it. Each National Federation means a vote in FIFA. That's why CONCACAF is more politically powerful than the South Americans. So we need more countries to form football federatins, and soon we'll have five spots. Why do you really think there's not a UK team. It's a political voting block in FIFA. My original post was in jest, but in reality our regional federation has alot of political power in FIFA.

As for a regional professional league we have the MLS. It helped every country improve its players. Just look at T&T and you know we've benefited from the MLS.
Who would have known about Stern John, Avrey John, Cornell Glen except fot the MLS.

 

Bro, we got it. It was obviously a joke. I don't think that too many people took it too seriously.

 

Everyone should take things I say seriously, even when I am joking. I know that most folks knew I spoke in fun, but remember many posters are young, and do not see the big picture beyond their national team. If we think regionally about football and are successfull, then we can think regionally about other issues, but that's for another board.

 

As for a regional professional league we have the MLS. It helped every country improve its players. Just look at T&T and you know we've benefited from the MLS.
Who would have known about Stern John, Avrey John, Cornell Glen except fot the MLS.[/QUOTE]


What exactly are you saying here? You don't think none of these players' talent was enough to market them without the MLS?

For starters Dwight Yorke NEVER played in the US. Cornell Glenn went on Trial for a team in Portugal before he went to the MLS. Avery John played in Ireland before joining the MLS, and I can name a few more players who didn't need the MLS to earn a professional contract in Europe. So to make an idiotic comment like "no one would know about players from the carribbean if they never played in MLS" is quite simply a stupid.

Talent speaks for itself. Teams send their scouts everywhere in the world when they're scouting players. Now let me ask you, how many players in MLS do you see being courted by European teams?

 

How many MLS players are courted by European teams: Donovan, Beasley, Bocanegra, McBride, Convey, Stern John, Ornady Lowe, Gibbs, to name a few.

That was not my point. I do not certify our success by European standards, because MLS teams routine beat European teams. DC United first loss to a Top division English team was to Chelsea.

But not to digress the MLS has developed many regional players, and the point was we need a league to develop our players. My response is we have one. Avrey John is a much better player now than when he first entered the MLS. I do not recall if he was on the national team before he played in the MLS. But T&T is not alone JA has benefited with the likes of Andy Williams and Tyrone Marshall. Grenada with Joseph, and St. Vincent with its Captain whose name escapes me at the moment.

Yes no one would have known about Stern John but for the MLS, and he is T&T's top striker. Cornel Glenn and Avrey John would be getting slivers in their butts on the bench in Europe. Colonialism is over stop looking to Europe for certification.

 

For all the players you mentioned there, that's about the size of it for the US team players. How is it that Twellman, Ruiz and others cannot land contracts in Europe after playing in the MLS. Why is Landon Donovan not being courted by top european sides. That argument is weak.

MLS is decent for North American standards but most of the players there would not even make the bench in an English Championship team let alone the Premiership.

Explain then how did Kenwyne Jones, Collin Samuel, Carlos Edwards get european contracts when they NEVER played in the US?

MLS is not what you seem to think it is. It is a league that takes over the hill washed up players like Youri Djorkaeff and mixes them with good young players like Carlos Ruiz and Cornell Glenn. Tyrone Marshall and Andy Williams never really developed in there careers when they played.

 

Please tell the Jamaican National team that two of its starters did not develop in the MLS. LOL Also tell Beasley, Stern John and Dimani Ralph, that they did not develop in the MLS.

Give me a break with the Eurocentric nonsense. I am happy that the Europeans scout T&T, but we would be much better off developing our players regionally on teams where they actually get to start. The only reason our players should go to Europe is for larger contracts. Please give up on Europe Dwight Yorke would have never been dumped in the MLS like he was dumped in England. If he could get a large contract here he would be better off and so would the T&T National team. Give up on Europe, they gave up on you when you could no longer work for free. Why do you think they are so great, they future is right here. "In the abundence of water the fool is still thirsty"

 

Just in case you didn't know...I happen to be jamaican so I know what I am talking about. You seem to glorify the MLS league as if it's on the standard of the Premiership, La Liga, Serie A. You are sadly misguided in your thoughts. While it's good that there's a league like MLS here in the US, that league is still rather substandard in terms of talent and players of exceptional quality. It's a given that if you have some of the best players in the world playing in your league that the standard of play will improve quite a bit.

I have a few questions for you. The MLS has been in existence for 10 years now. How many world class strikers has it produced thus far. How many world class defenders and midfielders has it produced thus far?

How good do you really think this league is? Why is it that players who are past their prime and are in the mid to late 30's chose to go and play there?

I could name several leagues that are light years ahead of the MLS this side of the world. Just take a look at the Mexican League, Brazilian League, Argentinian League just to name a few.

Oh and btw Dwight Yorke was not dumped out of England. He chose to pursue his playing career as he achieved the most in club football that NO-ONE on this side of the world has achieved. Before signing in Australia, he was courted by teams in the Championship div in England as well as in Qatar where they pay far more than your MLS pays its players. He didn't care about the money cuz he's got a shitload of it. So answer my questions, I'd like you to present the list of world beaters that your MLS has produced

 

I won't comment on the unprovable -- the subjective opinion that MLS has been important to the development of the T&T National Team, as well as that of Jamaica. But the statment above is either ignorant or malicious because there were only four players in MLS currently who are 35 or older: Djokaeff, Martin Zuniga, Tony Meola and Oscar Pareja. It is foolish to argue that MLS is a retirement league based on the facts.