CONCACAF (soccer)

group 2 is the hardest, if there is such a thing

How many qualify from each group? Or is it more complicated than that?

Ah, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(CONCACAF). One per group + a runner up gets a play off with South American runner up.

It's all kinds of complicated for what boils down to USA, Mexico, who-the-fuck-cares 1, who-the-fuck-cares 2(optional)

Surprised to see Jamaica ranked below Honduras and Panama. Have they got really shitty in the last few years?

I will be supporting Jamaica because of Sheffield United's Luton Shelton.

the big news here ("big") is that the US might meet Cuba at some point.

will Canada suck or not suck?

Depends on whether there's a stunning return to form for Paul Peschisolido.

You still got Craig Forrest in goal?

Lol Paul Stalteri.

So, Mexico, USA, Costa Rica then.

Mexico and the USA really should play in the South American tier, then just send all the other CONCACAF nations over to play what's left of Oceania, winner gets beaten 7-1 over two legs by, I dunno, Iran or someone afterwards to stop them qualifying.

"Barbuda"?

Hahaha, the Montserrat national team's head coach is RUEL FOX!

Mexico and the USA really should play in the South American tier, then just send all the other CONCACAF nations over to play what's left of Oceania, winner gets beaten 7-1 over two legs by, I dunno, Iran or someone afterwards to stop them qualifying.

OTM really.

Is this the sort of gerrymandering that basically gives Australia a bye into the finals then?

Dear piss-poor Honduras FA,

I'm writing to tell you that you are now required to spend lots of money flying your players half way round the world to play frankly pointless qualifiers against the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea.

I know you can't afford this, but hey, it might stop the USA qualifying, which I'm sure you'd agree would be lolololol.

Yours,

Sepp Blatter

Honduras are ranked #46 in the world! They have recently beaten Mexico, and held Denmark to a draw.

Ie: David Suazo on his own is better than all-but-two entire CONCACAF teams.

oh it's "Antigua AND Barbuda"

Barbuda itself "has a population of about 1,500, most of whom live in the town of Codrington."

I see the US has it tough as ever

Uruguay to beat Canada or Jamaica in the play-off

Group 2 actually is a bit of a group of death.

I hear the British Virgin Islands are on fire at the moment

... quide liderally

The final line there should be "Haiti vs winner of Nicaragua v Netherlands Antilles", shouldn't it?

Yes. And the final line of Group 2 should be simply "Canada v St Vincent and the Grenadines."

Or, rather, every line should have "Winner of" in front of it just like the Canada line, since each of the three groups will consist of four teams when they get to the actual group stage.

(OK, that might be confusing without parentheses such as "Winner of Jamaica vs. (winner of Bahamas v British Virgin Islands)")

(Or have I misunderstood?)

I think it'd be cool if Canada could pull off qualification, if only for De Rosario's sake.

big game tonight

No takeout for USA fans.

I better keep a low profile when I pick up my cemita tonight.

Well, you people watching this?

i wish!

without cable i've got to figure out this live-tv-online thing

US scored a header, Mexico got the equalizer, US got another header all in the last 10 minutes ( minutes 30-40 of primer tiempo)

And now another goal from the US. But a flag!

se acabo. la pelota no juega mas

Some kind of glitch made the screen freeze on some studio shot.

I think I'm going to have to start watching this telenovela "Amas de Casas Desesperadas."

And Mexico gets the equalizer at minute two of segundo tiempo.

a draw

well played or disappointing?

The first half was great, the second had its moments. I'd say it was a fair draw in the end. USA's defense looked iffy a lot of the time. Altidore's goal (the second header) was a thing of beauty.

i'm still confused as to why dempsey's goal was disallowed. he looked completely onside to me and the univision announcers. (i couldn't handle the espn 3 screen cut outs to show the duke game)

I'm going to have to go to some bar somewhere to watch any of this. Freddy's??

ESC boys go to Stout, near Penn Station.

That could be hilarious.

Drew Moor = shit. Nice cross, but as far as I can tell his piss poor marking allowed two identical goals.

John Harkes kept talking about the youth and inexperience of the team, and for some reason gave Ramiro Corrales as an example. Hell, I watched Corrales lose his defenders eleven years ago when he started with the Metros, and he hasn't exactly gotten faster or smarter in the interim. As for his right foot: has anyone actually see that it's not, in fact, a prosthesis molded from cast iron? Once the Mexicans figured out he was exclusively left footed, they forced him to use his right foot to play the ball, and we got to see some very unusual trajectories.

Convey looked terrified most of the game. He doesn't have any idea how to figure out his passing options when counterattacking, which should be priority A for any USA midfielder.

Dempsey's non-goal was Bergkampesque. I guess he really was barely offside, but how did the ref not see the flag for fifteen seconds?

Totally undeserved 2-2 draw. Thank you Jozy and Tim Howard.

<3 Tim Howard

Kekeke was in work elevator with someone this morning who kept trying to explain to a basketball goon that he didn't really follow sports other than soccer. Goon kept asking, "So uh do you PLAY soccer? Not much going on for you this time of year, eh? Hey, are you gonna go out for the company softball team?"

Moor and the other outside back really did look terrible.

jajajajaja yeah I figure there will be a flood of cheapos on stubhub now, que lastima

I'd still like to go! But convincing them to go see their most hated team vs. the team that just knocked them out (and played like little bitches the whole time, too) is gonna be a hard sell, even if we already got the tickets - it's still about a 3 hour drive each way. And I admit that part of me is relieved that I won't have to go to a US/Mexico game.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kenbensinger/the-rise-and-fall-of-chuck-blazer-the-man-who-built-and-bilk

Fantastic article

Montreal up 1-0 at Aztecs in the champions league final. Long way to go.

Azteca

Just when I was thinking the referee was being uncharacteristically good for a concacaf final, an arguable last man red card on America is only given as yellow.

Guess if it's arguable it isn't a red but

#ilx4montreal
u23s crushed mex tonight. jordan morris is the deal

What a week for USA/Mexico... Blue lives matter flag in AO smh.

think how much fun the commentators can have when the US make a wall

I am watching over the air en Español bc fuck Trump.

Congratulations to Curacao on their first Caribbean Cup title. They beat the holders, Jamaica, this morning.

They have strikers called Jimbertson Vapor, Jafar Arias, Rangelo Janga, Felitciano Zschusschen and Elson Hooi, which is a wonderful collection of names.

Florent Malouda currently playing in a Gold Cup match despite being ruled ineligible, so French Guiana will forfeit.

The most Concacaf thing ever?

It's goalless at half, but with the ineligible Malouda on the field for #GUF, we know how this movie ends... #GoldCup2017 pic.twitter.com/hRQpCrWAPw

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 12, 2017

Chuck Blazer dead

Does anyone know the best way to get hold of Mexico vs Trinidad tickets for the Azteca? I'd imagine the away allocation is unlikely to sell out but i'm not sure if you can just roll up on the day.

I'm resisting making a Jack Warner joke…

Truth is I don't know. Friends of mine have gotten away tix for US games at Aztecs but they knew people who work for the federation. That's my only guess, actually, to get in touch with the Trinidad FA. (And resist making Jack Warner jokes.)

Thanks! Would have been easier when Jack was my aunt's MP but still might be something I can do.

Is anyone watching this particular tournament this year?

canada look good!

I only saw the first USA match because my wife and I were gifted tickets, but I just saw that Haiti won all their games and their group, including beating Costa Rica, which is absolutely noteworthy imho.

I was surprised at how many of the Martinique players are home based. They gave Mexico a decent scare.

Excited to see if we can score our first goal since September 2018 tonight.

champions league semifinal tonight between LAFC and Club America was bonkers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgU3o6AZ45o

Just gonna keep posting this nonsense

CONCACAF a Soccer Odyssey.#LAFC #MLSpic.twitter.com/B6qP3OqStr

— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) December 20, 2020

JFF President Michael Ricketts confirmed all of these players (except Max Aarons) listed + Michail Antonio have or are in the process of acquiring passports for Jamaica MNT

via @SportsMax_Carib 🇯🇲 #jff pic.twitter.com/MzIaZDPzO0

— chris bowerbank (@chrisbowerbank) March 3, 2021

Wild, what's the situation that led to this?

Brexit?

this is the great lengths some players will go to - to avoid Jamie + Rebecca Vardy

Puro CONCACAF

So…the Vice President of Suriname, who is 60 years old, is PLAYING in Concacaf League against Olimpia tonight, captaining the team he owns. pic.twitter.com/Ktij4FiOoZ

— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) September 21, 2021

Can the story get more CONCACAF? Yes, yes it can.

https://wired868.com/2021/09/23/concacaf-investigates-brunswijk-the-61-year-old-inter-owner-player-and-convicted-drug-dealer-for-potential-integrity-issues/

oh yes

i've been following canadian soccer since i was a kid. so, incredibly proud of canada. this is the best team we've ever had. and now leading the pack!

Top of the table! FULL TIME IN EDMONTON#Iceteca#CANMNT #WCQ #ForCanada pic.twitter.com/wPObqc2riK

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) November 17, 2021

Canada dos, USA cero

Canada reminds me of the US teams of the 00s

https://www.twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN/status/1487925951182815233

I know this is a much improved Canada team, but there's something hilariously US about starting to regularly beat Mexico again after years of futility against them only to now not be able to beat Canada anymore

they need to call Dike up again, nuff said

Crazy how Herdman took the women's team to this level and now he's doing it again. Such a positive guy.

this CONCACAF Champions league match between CF Montreal and Santos is embarrassing

Santos played Orlando last year and I was equally unimpressed by them then. yet Kamal Miller is such a shit defender that they managed a goal after all

Montreal meanwhile have a counter attack akin to playing FIFA on Playstation, where they just blast through balls long and hope their dude catches up to it, and he never does, or he's miles offside

This tournament is always disappointing for MLS teams in this phase.

The field for the El Salvador v US match just got a shout-out from the broadcasters as being one of those concacaf things you have to explain to folks who don't follow qualifiers etc here closely

it's a muddy mess btw

These Hot Nations League Nights

A Cinderella story. The Dominican Republic has qualified for the U-20 World Cup after defeating Jamaica 1-0. It is the first FIFA tournament at any level that the Dominican Republic has qualified for. Congratulations to them. The players are overjoyed in their celebration

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) June 30, 2022

That Concacaf lyfe

Referee Fernando Hernandez gets a 12 game ban for kneeing a Club Leon player in the junk during a Liga MX game. I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner with the amount of ref swarming you get. Not saying what he did was right, but he was driven to this pic.twitter.com/wiJDCKHBvo

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) April 6, 2023

refs very much in character