Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: BBL on March 15, 2017, 04:13:15 PM
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New competition: CONCACAF Nations League. A new tournament is to be introduced next month.
http://www.concacaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/XXXII-CONCACAF-Ordinary-Congress-Agenda-English-3.6.17.pdf
15. Other matters for which due notice has been given
Not much is known about it. It's to replace some friendlies according to Gordon Derrick.
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Some more details:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-americas-league-idUSKBN1791QA
"There has been overwhelming acceptance that it is a great idea and the way we need to go. There are a few formats that we have looked at and we have had various members coming back with ideas. We have a format that we have landed on and we will show it to our members first,
"What people need to realize is that the world of friendlies is going to change, with Europe changing to the Nations League, it is going to get harder to get friendlies," said Montagliani who believes that will be no great loss.
"The truth of the matter is that a lot of the friendlies our nations play, including the bigger nations, are a waste of time, let’s be honest, a lot of them are not quality. You are better off playing a game that actually means something (even) against an opponent, that on paper anyway, may not be as good," he said.
"We need to develop our own competition in our region to make everybody better and then you need to do it at club level as well to raise the standards of our professional leagues and the clubs in them. This is the only way that our countries will get better -- it’s not about playing friendlies against England," he said.
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Exclusive: CONCACAF close to agreeing new 'League of Nations'
By Simon Evans.
Plans for a new league competition for national teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean are set to be agreed on this weekend, the region's football chief has told Reuters.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has been privately sounding out the 41 federations within the region regarding the 'League of Nations' plan, which would effectively eliminate friendlies.
Saturday's CONCACAF congress in Aruba will finalize the structure of the competition, which will include regional powerhouses the United States and Mexico.
The idea is similar to UEFA's plan for a Nations League in Europe, which will replace friendly games and is due to start in September, 2018.
"There has been overwhelming acceptance that it is a great idea and the way we need to go. There are a few formats that we have looked at and we have had various members coming back with ideas. We have a format that we have landed on and we will show it to our members first," Montagliani said in a telephone interview.
The Canadian said once that format had been agreed on then the organization would look to bring in sponsors and broadcast partners.
"We need to look at what needs to happen in the next little bit for us to be able to monetize this and execute it in a timely fashion," he said.
"From a football and technical side for me it is a no-brainer, but now the next evolution is the business side of it. But at the congress we want to finalize the technical side of it."
The new UEFA league means that top teams in CONCACAF will have little or no opportunities for friendly games against European opposition.
"What people need to realize is that the world of friendlies is going to change, with Europe changing to the Nations League, it is going to get harder to get friendlies," said Montagliani who believes that will be no great loss.
"The truth of the matter is that a lot of the friendlies our nations play, including the bigger nations, are a waste of time, let’s be honest, a lot of them are not quality. You are better off playing a game that actually means something (even) against an opponent, that on paper anyway, may not be as good," he said.
CONCACAF is expected to have a three-nation bid to host the 2026 World Cup, involving Mexico, Canada and the United States, and the expansion of that tournament to 48 teams means the region will get six automatic slots in the finals.
Montagliani believes his plan will allow some of the smaller nations in the region to become more competitive.
"We need to develop our own competition in our region to make everybody better and then you need to do it at club level as well to raise the standards of our professional leagues and the clubs in them. This is the only way that our countries will get better -- it’s not about playing friendlies against England," he said.
Montagliani said all nations in the region, including the U.S. and Mexico, would have to play in the competition.
"Once this is an official competition it is not like you will have a choice to opt-out," he said.
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This is going to be interesting.
There is some talk that another monster tournament similar to 2016 copa americano is being discussed between Conmebol and Concacaf for 2020. Perhaps this league of nations might become the qualifying tournament for Copa 2020.
For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo.. So this can be a good qualifier for the possible copa 2020.
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For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo
As long as the money is on the table, anything goes. And as long as this L of N don't sideline the small nations. These bloody Euros want the WC to a be a Euro nations cup with a couple of outsiders. I don't trust them at all.
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For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo
As long as the money is on the table, anything goes. And as long as this L of N don't sideline the small nations. These bloody Euros want the WC to a be a Euro nations cup with a couple of outsiders. I don't trust them at all.
Well that is it. I feel UEFA did this to strengthen the teams in their confederation. The rest of the world is slowly catching up.
There are 41 teams in Concacaf. So 10 groups of 4 will probably be the format. I expect the top 10 ranked teams will lead the groups. So it might not be too bad for the smaller nations. But the big nations might not get the benefit. Some groups could look like this:
USA, Nicaragua, Guyana, BVI. If you're Nicaragua or Guyana, this wouldn't be too bad. However, for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for fun? We know what the scoreline will be by half time. .
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for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for
Good point. I don't know for BVI, but Guyana could improve to TT level(or surpass TT) if their administrators and business people learn from TT missteps. Guyana is on the thresold of producing their vast offshore oil reserves. Hopefully the powers in Guy. will see the benefits in support all sports, not only football and cricket. We will see.
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For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo
As long as the money is on the table, anything goes. And as long as this L of N don't sideline the small nations. These bloody Euros want the WC to a be a Euro nations cup with a couple of outsiders. I don't trust them at all.
Well that is it. I feel UEFA did this to strengthen the teams in their confederation. The rest of the world is slowly catching up.
There are 41 teams in Concacaf. So 10 groups of 4 will probably be the format. I expect the top 10 ranked teams will lead the groups. So it might not be too bad for the smaller nations. But the big nations might not get the benefit. Some groups could look like this:
USA, Nicaragua, Guyana, BVI. If you're Nicaragua or Guyana, this wouldn't be too bad. However, for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for fun? We know what the scoreline will be by half time. .
Agreed. For more established nations like US and Mexico there is probably more to lose than to be gained. However, if/once EUFA get's it's nation's league in order, quality friendlies for these teams will be harder to come by. Alternatively, they could use the league as a means of developing talent that is on the fringes of the national team, thereby expanding the pool of players available for national duty.
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for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for
Good point. I don't know for BVI, but Guyana could improve to TT level(or surpass TT) if their administrators and business people learn from TT missteps. Guyana is on the thresold of producing their vast offshore oil reserves. Hopefully the powers in Guy. will see the benefits in support all sports, not only football and cricket. We will see.
This is going to be a game changer in all aspects of life in Guyana.
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For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo
As long as the money is on the table, anything goes. And as long as this L of N don't sideline the small nations. These bloody Euros want the WC to a be a Euro nations cup with a couple of outsiders. I don't trust them at all.
Well that is it. I feel UEFA did this to strengthen the teams in their confederation. The rest of the world is slowly catching up.
There are 41 teams in Concacaf. So 10 groups of 4 will probably be the format. I expect the top 10 ranked teams will lead the groups. So it might not be too bad for the smaller nations. But the big nations might not get the benefit. Some groups could look like this:
USA, Nicaragua, Guyana, BVI. If you're Nicaragua or Guyana, this wouldn't be too bad. However, for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for fun? We know what the scoreline will be by half time. .
Agreed. For more established nations like US and Mexico there is probably more to lose than to be gained. However, if/once EUFA get's it's nation's league in order, quality friendlies for these teams will be harder to come by. Alternatively, they could use the league as a means of developing talent that is on the fringes of the national team, thereby expanding the pool of players available for national duty.
We are probably in the middle. Sure the games against USA and Mexico will benefit us. However, the games against Haiti, Honduras and JA will bring just as much benefit.
I think a two tiered system will work best for Concacaf. Put the top 12 teams into one tier. Middle 12 teams in next tier. Then a development tier
Tier 1
USA
CR
MEX
PAN
TRI
HON
JAM
HAI
ELS
CAN
CUR
GUA
Tier 2
FGY
MAR
SUR
CUB
SVG
SKN
DR
PR
BEL
NIC
GUY
GRN
Tier (Dev)
BAR
DOM
STL
BAH
BER
BVI etc..
I think something like this will be a better buy for the big USA's Mexicos and Ticos.
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For this League of Nations to be worth the watch, there must be something to play for imo
As long as the money is on the table, anything goes. And as long as this L of N don't sideline the small nations. These bloody Euros want the WC to a be a Euro nations cup with a couple of outsiders. I don't trust them at all.
Well that is it. I feel UEFA did this to strengthen the teams in their confederation. The rest of the world is slowly catching up.
There are 41 teams in Concacaf. So 10 groups of 4 will probably be the format. I expect the top 10 ranked teams will lead the groups. So it might not be too bad for the smaller nations. But the big nations might not get the benefit. Some groups could look like this:
USA, Nicaragua, Guyana, BVI. If you're Nicaragua or Guyana, this wouldn't be too bad. However, for USA how does playing Guyana or BVI support their development? Who is going to tune in to watch USA play BVI for fun? We know what the scoreline will be by half time. .
Agreed. For more established nations like US and Mexico there is probably more to lose than to be gained. However, if/once EUFA get's it's nation's league in order, quality friendlies for these teams will be harder to come by. Alternatively, they could use the league as a means of developing talent that is on the fringes of the national team, thereby expanding the pool of players available for national duty.
We are probably in the middle. Sure the games against USA and Mexico will benefit us. However, the games against Haiti, Honduras and JA will bring just as much benefit.
I think a two tiered system will work best for Concacaf. Put the top 12 teams into one tier. Middle 12 teams in next tier. Then a development tier
...
I think something like this will be a better buy for the big USA's Mexicos and Ticos.
With promotion and relegation between the tiers. Liking this idea!! :beermug:
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@Mose. If they do go with different tiers, I am almost certain they would incorporate a way to move between the different tiers. So a promotion/relegation system will be likely.
I think the different tier format is the only way for this thing to work.
If Concacaf tries to mitigate the disparity in quality between the teams, then this idea might be good.
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If this format is to replace friendlies then if South America was included in this then it will be beneficial for both regions. The countries in SA already play each other in WC qualifying, I'm sure they'll like to seek opponents outside their region. Instead of USA playing BVI, it will be beneficial for the likes of USA, CR and Mexico to play the powerhouses like Brazil and Argentina and countries like T&T, Jamaica and Panama can get quality games against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, etc.
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Doesn't tennis has a tier system?
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I was speaking to a coach of a club team in the Caribbean. He also has an administrative role with his national team program. Can't reveal his identity, just out of respect for him. Here are some developments regarding the League of Nations so far. Of course this is subject to change according to him.
- There will be a 3 or 4 tiers
- The bottom tier will be development
- 9 to 12 teams per tier.. depending on the number of tiers
- Promotion and relegation between the tiers
- Because the French overseas departments dont get a Fifa Ranking, Concacaf is unsure if they will use the FIFA ranking to determine or seed the teams into the tiers.
- Mexico, USA and Costa Rica will be in the top tier
- Canada might be in the top tier by virtue of having better development/infrastructure than many other countries in CFU and UNCAF
- There is a possibility that this 2017 Gold cup might be used to seed the teams for the 2018 league of nations Concacaf
- Another possibility is that the CFU and UNCAF might be asked to rank the teams in their own region/confederation
- Some of the small islands are concerned about how it's going to be funded.. the costs to travel outside the Caribbean regularly for games might be out of their budget.
Now for the real kicker..
Based on what is floating around, TT might not be starting in the top tier.. It's still early and again this might change
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I was speaking to a coach of a club team in the Caribbean. He also has an administrative role with his national team program. Can't reveal his identity, just out of respect for him. Here are some developments regarding the League of Nations so far. Of course this is subject to change according to him.
- There will be a 3 or 4 tiers
- The bottom tier will be development
- 9 to 12 teams per tier.. depending on the number of tiers
- Promotion and relegation between the tiers
- Because the French overseas departments dont get a Fifa Ranking, Concacaf is unsure if they will use the FIFA ranking to determine or seed the teams into the tiers.
- Mexico, USA and Costa Rica will be in the top tier
- Canada might be in the top tier by virtue of having better development/infrastructure than many other countries in CFU and UNCAF
- There is a possibility that this 2017 Gold cup might be used to seed the teams for the 2018 league of nations Concacaf
- Another possibility is that the CFU and UNCAF might be asked to rank the teams in their own region/confederation
- Some of the small islands are concerned about how it's going to be funded.. the costs to travel outside the Caribbean regularly for games might be out of their budget.
Now for the real kicker..
Based on what is floating around, TT might not be starting in the top tier.. It's still early and again this might change
Is Jamaica in the top tier?
TT not being in the top tier is deliberate to prevent us from having better competition on a more consistent basis, which in turn would strengthen our program...
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I might have misled you. I was using the information I was told to make an assumption about TT being in the top tier. Based on the formulas for picking the teams for the tiers, TT might not be in the top tier. They might not be using FIFA ranking to determine the seeds. It might be the 2017 Gold cup. Or the CFU and UNCAF might get the chance to choose the top teams in their own region for the different tiers.
To answer your question, Jamaica might be in the top tier if they go by the Gold cup performance. Even if the CFU gets to choose the teams for the top tier, I doubt Jamaica won't be chosen.
Also the number of teams per tier is also something to consider. They looking at anywhere between 9 to 12 teams per tier. Last I checked, 12 teams in the Gold cup.
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Well look at this way. If we can make tier one, the admin. Should be removed.
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CONCACAF League of Nations Confirmed
CONCACAF.com
team competition platform designed to maximize the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all Member Associations. The announcement comes following a year-long development and consultation process involving the Member Associations and key stakeholders.
The CONCACAF League of Nations will be based on a league structure in which the national teams of the Confederation’s 41 Member Associations will be included. They will be divided into three different leagues -- based on their sporting level -- with a champion to be crowned at the end of each edition. To seed teams into their respective leagues, the League of Nations will begin with a preliminary series of matches played across four different dates beginning in September 2018.
The new tournament will bring meaningful home-and-away matches featuring competition for League titles, performance prizes, and will include promotion and relegation within the system of three leagues. The Confederation’s teams will also contend -- via the League of Nations -- for the right to play in international championships such as the Gold Cup. Additionally, the League of Nations will inform a CONCACAF ranking system that will be used as the basis for future World Cup Qualifying seeding.
“This is a watershed moment for CONCACAF. By focusing on football to provide all our teams with year-round, quality competition, the League of Nations platform means everyone wins,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. “This new tournament is highly beneficial to all our Member Associations and fans everywhere, since it provides significant opportunities to play important competitive matches with increased regularity throughout the year.”
CONCACAF has worked with its Member Associations over the past year to develop a competition for national teams, with the goal of improving the quality and standing of football within the CONCACAF region. The process for developing this new competition, anchored on the key principle of providing more meaningful games to all CONCACAF Member Associations’ national teams, in order to increase competitiveness and leverage value intrinsic in the national team platform, entailed extensive consultation and discussions with all key CONCACAF stakeholders.
As a reflection of the ONE CONCACAF vision of President Montagliani, the CONCACAF nations that haven’t historically been top performers will benefit from a wider window of opportunity, not only for competitive matches but for gaining access to top level international competitions. That increased participation will spur regional development, and keep the dream of international football alive year-round for more nations.
Full details of the CONCACAF League of Nations, including schedule, full format and brand will be announced early next year.
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CONCACAF League of Nations Confirmed
CONCACAF.com
team competition platform designed to maximize the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all Member Associations. The announcement comes following a year-long development and consultation process involving the Member Associations and key stakeholders.
The CONCACAF League of Nations will be based on a league structure in which the national teams of the Confederation’s 41 Member Associations will be included. They will be divided into three different leagues -- based on their sporting level -- with a champion to be crowned at the end of each edition. To seed teams into their respective leagues, the League of Nations will begin with a preliminary series of matches played across four different dates beginning in September 2018.
The new tournament will bring meaningful home-and-away matches featuring competition for League titles, performance prizes, and will include promotion and relegation within the system of three leagues. The Confederation’s teams will also contend -- via the League of Nations -- for the right to play in international championships such as the Gold Cup. Additionally, the League of Nations will inform a CONCACAF ranking system that will be used as the basis for future World Cup Qualifying seeding.
“This is a watershed moment for CONCACAF. By focusing on football to provide all our teams with year-round, quality competition, the League of Nations platform means everyone wins,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. “This new tournament is highly beneficial to all our Member Associations and fans everywhere, since it provides significant opportunities to play important competitive matches with increased regularity throughout the year.”
CONCACAF has worked with its Member Associations over the past year to develop a competition for national teams, with the goal of improving the quality and standing of football within the CONCACAF region. The process for developing this new competition, anchored on the key principle of providing more meaningful games to all CONCACAF Member Associations’ national teams, in order to increase competitiveness and leverage value intrinsic in the national team platform, entailed extensive consultation and discussions with all key CONCACAF stakeholders.
As a reflection of the ONE CONCACAF vision of President Montagliani, the CONCACAF nations that haven’t historically been top performers will benefit from a wider window of opportunity, not only for competitive matches but for gaining access to top level international competitions. That increased participation will spur regional development, and keep the dream of international football alive year-round for more nations.
Full details of the CONCACAF League of Nations, including schedule, full format and brand will be announced early next year.
A fella was telling me about this in the summer.
The current proposal on the table in Concacaf, is to have the Gold cup once every 4 years.. And have a "monster tournament" with Conmebol every 4 years.
The Gold cup will be expanded to 16 in 2019. And in 2020 Copa America will have 6 teams from Concacaf.
The preliminary games in September are going to be key. Each team will get 4 games. I would like to know how they will decide who plays who? Those games will determine who what league/tier we get in.
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They can have all their league of nations setup. Just when WC comes around everybody gets a chance to play. Big nation, small nation. The league of nations is design to weed countries that the so called big countries have no interest in playing.
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Nation’s League to replace Concacaf qualifiers.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
A proposed Nation’s League is set replace the Caribbean Cup qualifiers for the Concacaf Gold Cup and World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf region soon.
David John-Williams, the T&T Football Association president made this revelation during a press conference last Wednesday to announce seven local officials (referees and assistant referees) who obtained their Fifa badges. The event took place at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
The local football boss congratulated the officials and urged them to continue to lift their standard of officiating, as more matches awaited them in the future, such as at the Nation’s League that will replace the qualifiers for the Gold Cup, beginning in September of this year.
John-Williams told the gathering that a decision was made at a meeting of the Concacaf in November last year, but officials are expected to have further discussions on this initiative in the coming months, as well as the implementation of the same qualifying format for the World Cup Qualifiers.
The new format will see the composition of the Gold Cup expand from 12 to 16 teams and will enable national teams in the region more international friendly matches that will improve the quality and standing of the game.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said, “We’re looking to establish a league of nations, where we have some consistency for our countries, where they can play on a more consistent basis.”
He added, “A lot of countries struggle in getting friendlies, getting competitions. We’ve got some of our national teams, whether it be in the Caribbean or Central America or even in North America, like with Canada, where rather than playing 40 games in a four-year period, which is every Fifa date, they play like single digits or 10. You’re not going to grow or develop that way, so this League of Nations concept is for everyone to play on a consistent basis and keep the dream alive to qualify for things like a Gold Cup or obviously a World Cup.”
Montagliani also dismissed the idea of Concacaf merging its Fifa World Cup qualification tournament with CONMEBOL’s (The South American Football Confederation).
John-Williams explained that with the new League, one can see a 41-Concacaf team tournament broken into groups. Though the structure of the League has not yet been established, it is rumoured that the groups will be headed by the six teams that contested the Hex stage of the World Cup qualifiers, all being placed in seeded positions.
The League will also see all the teams in North, Central America and Caribbean merging together, and moving away from the Caribbean Cup which has been one part of the qualification process for the Gold Cup and World Cup.
John-Williams said he believes the new format will help Caribbean nations as they will have to improve their standard tremendously to qualify for both Gold Cup and World Cup.
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Hope for national teams
RACHELLE AGARD, rachelleagard@nationnews.com
Added 13 January 2018
The Barbados senior men’s football team will boast two English international players by the end of this month when Nick Blackman of Derby County and Omar Beckles from League One join their ranks.This was revealed by the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) technical director Ahmed Mohamed in a media briefing at the association’s Wildey headquarters on Thursday.
“From the national team side, we are having one or two top international players. We are awaiting their paperwork, which I should have by the end of this month,” he said.
The men’s senior team are scheduled to play several friendly games ahead of the CONCACAF League of Nations in September, beginning with Bermuda on March 25.
Meanwhile, the women’s national team will start their World Cup Qualifiers campaign in May. Before that, they will play two friendly matches: against Martinique on January 27, and against St Kitts on March 25.
Mohamed said he was looking to improve the teams’ FIFA rankings this year, after moving the senior men’s position from 181 to 150, while they got as much exposure as possible by playing as many games as they could.
“As you all see, we are improving. We are doing our work . . . . The Barbados people will see more games than before.
“We have at least seven national teams in competition. I don’t know if that happened before, you can correct me, [but] we’re looking forward to push our boys and girls, men and women to go as far as we can,” he said.
However, the prized jewel of the BFA is currently the Under-17 national team, under head coach Renaldo “PeeWee” Gilkes, who last year won 20 of the 22 games they played.
“Our Under-17 is the team. Last year they really had a great year . . . . This year is another category; they are older and we are hoping and we are positive to reach at least the Caribbean Cup,” Mohamed said.
“For their preparation we are going to start with a tournament in Martinique next month from February 16 to 19.”
The technical director also said that the Under-20 boys will compete in a tournament in Cayman Islands against Cuba, Honduras and Cayman Islands, in addition to competing in the Caribbean Cup.
The younger players [from seven to under-13] will also play in their National Youth Cup, which kicks off at the beginning of April.
“Our youth will play this year at least 21 games, so every club will play at least nine games during that time. The Youth League will follow in August and end in December,” said Mohamed.
“What we are looking to do is double up more the youth football, and give them the opportunity to improve from game to game.
“The reason is simple; because when we play against other countries in the youth categories, we’re playing against players who had a long season with at least 18 to 22 games. We don’t want to have any more gaps in between Barbadian players and global players,” he said.
In addition to those plans, the Grass Roots programme has begun in earnest and will run until year end.
“We are going to select four schools in order to do a new project from CONCACAF Grass Roots,” Mohamed said.
“We also have planned this year a girl’s competition, with the primary and secondary school leagues to be started in March-April.
“Our main goal is to ensure we have enough players coming from the youth side to the senior women’s league. (RA)
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T&T seeded in League A of newly launched Concacaf Nations League
TTFA Media
By virtue of having qualified for the Hexagonal Round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Russia 2018, Trinidad and Tobago along with Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and the United States have earned the right to be seeded directly into League A, and therefore will not participate in Nations League Qualifying.
This was disclosed at CONCACAF today announced the details and structure of the Concacaf Nations League, a new centralized men’s national team competition representing a new era of national team football for Concacaf Member Associations.
The Concacaf Nations League begins in September with a one-off qualifying phase, while the group phase, consisting of three tiered leagues will kick off in 2019. The top league will end with a Final to crown the Nations League champion, and the competition will also serve to unify the qualifying path for the region’s national teams to the newly expanded Gold Cup.
The inaugural Concacaf Nations League competition will be played in the official FIFA match windows in September, October and November, 2019 with a Final Championship to be played in March 2020. All eligible Concacaf Member Associations will be assigned by sporting performance into three leagues: A, B and C.
League A of which T&T has been placed in, will contain four groups of three teams. The winners of each League A group will qualify to the Concacaf Nations League Final Championship, which will determine the champion of the new competition. The teams at the bottom of each League A group will be relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.
Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dennis Lawrence, in an immediate reaction, spoke about this development.
“It’s a massive tournament and a very important one of that for the region and it is one I am sure everyone is very excited about. As for us a country, it’s good that we are into League A as one of the teams which made it to the Hex. It puts us into a position where there’s a bit more time for planning and preparation to ensure we are adequately ready for our first point of action in the competition and one which I am sure we will be eagerly awaiting and prepared to enter,” Lawrence told TTFA Media. “It’s a great step for us and we’ll definitely be focusing on making it all the way through and participating in the next Gold Cup especially as we missed out on the last competition,” he added.
TTFA President Daviid John-Williams and General Secretary Justin Latapy-George both attended Wednesday’s launch and draw in Miami.
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani spoke about the competition creating greater opportunities for member associations.
“The launch of the Concacaf Nations League, conceived over the last two years and guided by the ONE Concacaf principles of unity and access for our region’s football, is the defining moment marking the completion of our transition into a new era for our 41-member Concacaf family,” said Montagliani. “The Nations League assures that all our members will have the opportunity to play more and compete more, which in turn will propel greater development of the sport at every level.”
Each league will be sub-divided into groups, in which the participating Member Associations will compete in a home-and-away, round-robin format over the course of the group phase. Nations League scheduling will be centralized in a fan-friendly, evenly distributed “week of football” format, allowing viewers across the region to enjoy quality international football matches at a variety of kickoff times, each day for the entire match window.
How the Concacaf Nations League Works – Watch the Video! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZo9DyHh1Zk&app=desktop)
League B will contain four groups of four teams. The winner of each League B group will be promoted to League A, and the bottom team of each League B group will be relegated to League C for the next edition. League C will consist of the remaining MAs divided into four groups. The winner of each League C group will be promoted to League B.
The first edition of the Concacaf Nations League will begin with a one-off Concacaf Nations League Qualifying phase, which will determine which teams are assigned to each league. By virtue of having qualified for the Hexagonal Round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Russia 2018, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, the United States and Trinidad & Tobago have earned the right to be seeded directly into League A, and therefore will not participate in Nations League Qualifying. In view of the on-going suspension imposed by FIFA, Guatemala will not be able to participate in CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying.
Watch the Nations League Qualifiers Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knrrXihCIkU)
The draw for Nations League Qualifying, which was also held Wednesday in Miami, has sorted the 34 Participating Member Associations into 68 total fixtures, to be played on FIFA match dates from September 2018 through March 2019. For the up-to-date draw results, please visit www.Concacaf.com.
The results of Nations League Qualifying will be compiled into an aggregate table, ranking the participating teams 1-34 based on points earned, goal difference and a series of additional tie breakers. The table will be used to divide teams into Leagues A, B and C for the first full edition of the Concacaf Nations League. The top six teams from the aggregate table will join the six World Cup Qualifying Hexagonal Round participants in League A, the next 16 teams will qualify for League B, and the remaining teams will be assigned to League C.
The top ten finishers in the Nations League Qualifying final table will also join the six World Cup Hexagonal Round nations in the 2019 Gold Cup, ]which has recently been expanded to 16 teams (https://mailchi.mp/0f17c3bdd5cd/concacaf-announces-gold-cup-expansion-to-16-teams-delivering-on-one-concacaf-vision-to-create-access-for-more-nations-to-participate-and-host?e=[UNIQID), providing additional access to top-level football for more of Concacaf’s Member Associations.
The Concacaf Nations League is an on-the-field extension of Concacaf’s new image and brand architecture, which was also launched Wednesday, framing the Confederation’s efforts around the core ONE Concacaf vision of developing and stewarding the game on the pillars of Unity, Access, Football and Quality. In that spirit, the Nations League will provide greatly expanded access for Concacaf’s Member Associations to international football, enhancing the development of football across the region at all levels.
“The new brand image cements our unified philosophy of ONE Concacaf, and the Nations League brings that philosophy to life on the field of play, promising a brighter future in football for all our Member Associations and the players and fans they represent.”
Click here for League of Nations FAQ (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CONCACAFNationsLeagueFAQ-022118.docx)
Click here for League of Nation Highlights (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CONCACAF-League-of-Nations-HIGHLIGHTS.docx)
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Based on what I read, we automatically qualify for 2019 Gold cup by virtue of being a Hex participant.
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Not making it to Russia was monumental. Qualification would have been an incubator for the Pro League.
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FYI Guatemala is currently suspended by FIFA and are barred from taking part at this point. In case anybody was doing the maths and realize a team missing.
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Great revenue generator. Hopefully we can scout some guys and blood some new talent and increase our profile. Sadly we don't have a good enough programme to produce a large pool of talent and players so we gotta check the UK and US. This league will improve the quality of our football and also attract scouts. Hopefully the powers that be don't f**k it up!!
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So Mr. DJW, I do hope you get the resources so that we can stay in Tier1.
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Footballers with Bajan dads ready to rep the blue, yellow, black
When the Barbados men’s senior football team faceoff against their Guyanese counterparts on Thursday evening, in the opening game of the CONCACAF Nations League, at the National Track and Field Center in Guyana, two debutants are expected to be in the starting line-up.
English-based duo Hallam Hope and Krystian Pearce will likely feature in the first 11 of the Tridents lineup, in an encounter that can set the trend for their tournament campaign, which includes Latin American nations El Salvador and Nicaragua, along with regional minnows; the United States Virgin Islands.
Both players said they are eager and excited to represent the country of their fathers, as they have been waiting for a call-up to the senior Tridents for some time, following their successful stints in the English Youth national teams.
Pearce, a towering center back who represents Mansfield Town Football Club in the English League Two division represented England at the U17 and U19 level, where he played in the 2007 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 European Championship, then later that year made his debut for the U19 team and represented England at the 2008 U19 European Championship.
Along with junior international experience, Pearce has played as high as the Championship division, therefore bringing a wealth of knowledge to the Trident’s camp.
“I’ve got some experience to bring, pace, power, comfortable on the ball, so I hopefully can bring that to the team”, said Pearce.
Hope, has a closer connection, for he lived here for five years and is close friend of Neighbourhood Care Pharmacy Weymouth Wales player Omari Eastmond.
The former Manchester City and Everton FC player now represents Carlisle United in League Two, where he leads the front line and will be expected to do so versus the Golden Jaguars on Thursday evening.
Hope identifies that goals are needed and he is prepared to provide them; he said, “I bring goals, more of an attacking threat and some experience”.
Pearce and Hope spoke ardently about the importance of claiming a victory in their first encounter, for they see it as the first and necessary step to the team’s destination of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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The first set of matches are taking place during this FIFA match window. Overall, I'm "kind of" impressed with what I have seen in the coverage and quality of the football.
There have been some blow outs, like the 11-0 win for Cuba over Turks & Cac, and a 5 -0 win for French Guiana over Anguilla.
Despite those results the other games have been relatively close. Eg. Montserrat 1 - 2 El Salvador. . Guyana 2 - 2 Barbados. . Dominica 0 - 0 Suriname.
I think this league will raise the competition level in the region, simply by guaranteeing more games against worthwhile opposition. Good decision by Concacaf.
If anyone is interested, here is a link to catch the games www.oz.com. Just sign up. Access is free.
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some ah dat might have been good to get we pro leaguers up to speed....unfortunate how it structured though......I understand why eh, but d team in desperate need to regular football
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Yea Lefty. The smaller nations will benefit more. Some of these teams lucky if they get one international a year.. wow.
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Monserrat losing 2-1 to El Sal. is impressive for the islanders. They usually get beat up home and away.
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Curacao is establishing themselves as a force in Concacaf.. They could have played without a goal keeper. Curacao 10 - 0 Grenada.
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Curacao is establishing themselves as a force in Concacaf.. They could have played without a goal keeper. Curacao 10 - 0 Grenada.
Haiti could have also played without a goal keeper as well with a 13-0 annihilation and demolition of St Maarten.
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Surprised by that Grenada scoreline, truly.
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Surprised by that Grenada scoreline, truly.
That's right Deeks. We probably would have struggled to get 3 past Grenada.
The thing about Curacao is that their pool of players based in the Netherlands/Europe is increasing. They can make 2 good teams if they needed to. I think if they were to play us, we looking at a 2-0 loss.
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Mex 0 vs U.S. 1. Guy called Adams scored. Shaq Moore played.
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That is Tyler Adams, Deeks.
19 year old homegrown player from the Red Bulls.
He will be an immense player.
As for Shaq Moore, I can't believe how he was just a little youth kicking around a ball on the side of a fete match 5 years ago and now he starting for the US.
What a loss for us.
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What a loss for us.
I don't think so !
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Anyone here following this competition? There's been some interesting developments:
- Montserrat has a chance to make the Gold cup. They lost a tight game to El Salvador. However they pulled off wins against Belize and Aruba.
- Curacao is a strong team. Right now they toying wirh Guadeloupe (a team we struggle with). Curacao up by 6 over Guadeloupe.
- Turks and Caicos beat SVG. Which was a shocker to me.
- Bermuda has a chance to make it to the Gold cup. They beat El Salvador. Another surprise.
This competition is going to raise the level of competition in the region. Seems like many players from Europe are playing for their parent and grandparents birth place. This explains Montserrat.. and even Guyana pick up a bunch of Uk boys with Guyanese heritage.
We got some work to do..
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We got some work to do..
When DJW get voted out.
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Anyone here following this competition? There's been some interesting developments:
- Montserrat has a chance to make the Gold cup. They lost a tight game to El Salvador. However they pulled off wins against Belize and Aruba.
- Curacao is a strong team. Right now they toying wirh Guadeloupe (a team we struggle with). Curacao up by 6 over Guadeloupe.
- Turks and Caicos beat SVG. Which was a shocker to me.
- Bermuda has a chance to make it to the Gold cup. They beat El Salvador. Another surprise.
This competition is going to raise the level of competition in the region. Seems like many players from Europe are playing for their parent and grandparents birth place. This explains Montserrat.. and even Guyana pick up a bunch of Uk boys with Guyanese heritage.
We got some work to do..
I thought Montserat got frigged up by a Vocanoe twenty years ago. I guess they have people living there again.
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VB, like yuh jes emerge from a time capsule.
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Miami (Thursday, December 6, 2018) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) today announced its Disciplinary Committee has decided to sanction the Barbados Football Association, by declaring as a forfeit the Concacaf Nations League Qualifying match played against Guyana, on September 6, 2018.
After due examination of the evidence, the Committee determined that the Barbados Football Association infringed the applicable articles of the Tournament Regulations and the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes in relation to the eligibility of players to play for representative teams by fielding ineligible players Hallam Hope and Krystian Pearce.
In accordance with articles 55 and 31 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the Barbados Football Association is considered to have lost the match against Guyana by a score of 3-0.
The result of the match played against El Salvador on October 13, 2018 is upheld in accordance with article 31 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, with a score of 3-0 in favor of El Salvador
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Why are they ineligible?
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Hope is a 25-year-old winger who currently plays for English League Two club Carlisle United. He was born in England but qualifies to play for Barbados through his father.
Twenty-eight-year-old defender Pearce represents Mansfield Town, also in League Two. The six-footer has played for England at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and qualifies for Barbados duty also through his father.
Hope scored both goals to tied the game with Guyana 2-2 . Both were still eligible to play for Barbados providing they changed their alliance from England to Barbados and had gotten clearance from FIFA., Barbados submitted the application for both Hope and Pierce but they couldn't wait for FIFA clearance and used them both in the game against Guyana prior to FIFA approval.
Even though a player born elsewhere may be eligible to represent his country, he/she still has to be cleared by FIFA. Guyana knew all about it even before the game..filed a complaint with FIFA and won.
Now with 3-0 automatic win, 6 points and a + 10 goals difference, Guyana can be qualify for a GOLD cup spot and even can even find themselves in league A next year with a win over Belize and some losses by the top 6 teams in the nation league
That's not the first time this happen to Barbados. In a WCQ game against Aruba, they submitted an application with FIFA 2 days before a WCQ game and used the player before FIFA clearance and got disqualified.
Haiti , Jamaica, T&T who also used a lot of foreign based players, players from MLS and from other league never got disqualified because they played their cards well. It's the lower rank Caribbean teams who always got them-self in trouble..
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Haiti , Jamaica, T&T who also used a lot of foreign based players, players from MLS and from other league never got disqualified because they played their cards well. It's the lower rank Caribbean teams who always got them-self in trouble..
I fail to understand why this should happen in this day and age. The rules are there for everyone to see. If they not sure, as TrueHaitian pointed out, call a Carib or Concacaf association who has experience in using foreign born players. Now they out. So are we expecting "heads to roll"?
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CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying Results (Mar-23-2019)
El Salvador 2 v Jamaica 0
Guadeloupe 0 v Martinique 1
Suriname 2 v St. Kitts and Nevis 0
Guyana 2 v Belize 1
Antigua and Barbuda 2 v Curacao 1
Sint Maarten 4 v St. Martin 3
Dominica 4 v Bahamas 0
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CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying Results (Mar-24-2019)
British Virgin Islands 1 v Bonaire 2
Puerto Rico 0 v Grenada 2
Dominican Republic 1 v Bermuda 3
Canada 4 v French Guiana 1
Haiti 2 v Cuba 1
Barbados 0 v Nicaragua 1 - Latas debut lose.
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CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying Results (Mar-24-2019)
British Virgin Islands 1 v Bonaire 2
Puerto Rico 0 v Grenada 2
Dominican Republic 1 v Bermuda 3
Canada 4 v French Guiana 1
Haiti 2 v Cuba 1
Barbados 0 v Nicaragua 1 - Latas debut lose.
Latas dive right in. He barely had anytime to work with the team, probably still learning names.
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El Salvador 2 v Jamaica 0
JA could have used the services of Leon Bailey.
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We got a half decent draw:
Honduras
Trinidad and Tobago
Martinique
I think this is the group of death:
Costa Rica
Haiti
Curacao
Group B
Jamaica
Guyana
Antigua
Aruba
Definitely looking forward to these games in September.
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T&T to face Honduras, Martinique in Concacaf Nations League.
TTFA Media.
Trinidad and Tobago have been drawn in Group C of League A of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League alongside Honduras and Martinique. The draw took place on Wednesday night at the Chelsea Theater in Las Vegas. T&T will play Honduras and Martinique on a home and away basis on dates to be announced by Concacaf in the international windows of September, October and November.
Following Trinidad and Tobago’s qualification for the Final Hexagonal stage of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, this country one of six nations to automatically qualify for Concacaf Nations League A. Those six teams were joined by the top six finishers in 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying to form League A.
Similar to the recently launched UEFA Nations League, Concacaf’s version was created to maximize the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all of the confederation’s 41 Member Associations.
T&T head coach Dennis Lawrence in an immediate reaction, told TTFA Media on Wednesday night, “It’s a very good draw and even playing field for all as in the modern game there are no strong or weak teams. It makes for an exciting and hopefully entertaining Nations League for all.”
The draw itself included teams separated into three pots of four teams each, based on the November 2018 Concacaf Ranking, with one country from each pot pulled to make up Nations League A Groups A, B, C and D.
The Group Phase for each league is a round-robin, home-and-away format which will play out during the course of the September, October and November FIFA international dates in 2019. At the end of the round-robin competition, the four group winners from League A will advance to the Final Championship, where a semifinal and final will be played during the March 2020 FIFA international dates to crown the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League champion.
Additionally, the League A and B teams which finish last in their groups will be relegated to the lower league, while the group winners in Leagues B and C will be promoted to the higher league for the next edition of the competition.
More on the Nations League
The four League A group winners will qualify to the Nations League final championship, to be played in March 2020, which will determine the champion of the new competition. The four last-placed teams in each group will be relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.
League B will consist of the next 16 teams from qualifying, which finished from 7th to 22nd. The league will contain four groups of four teams. The four group winners will be promoted to League A, while the four last-placed teams in each group will be relegated to League C for the next edition.
League C will consist of the remaining 13 member associations, the teams which finished 23rd to 34th in qualifying, along with Guatemala who did not enter qualifying. The league will contain four groups, with three groups of three teams and one group of four teams. The four group winners will be promoted to League B for the next edition of the competition.
The full schedule, including kick off times and venues will be announced at a later date.
LEAGUE A
Group A: USA, Canada, Cuba
Group B: Mexico, Panama, Bermuda
Group C: Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique (*)
Group D: Costa Rica, Haiti, Curacao
LEAGUE B
Group A: French Guiana (*), St. Kitts & Nevis, Belize, Grenada
Group B: El Salvador, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Montserrat
Group C: Jamaica, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba
Group D: Nicaragua, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica
LEAGUE C
Group A: Barbados, Cayman Islands, Saint Martin (*), U.S. Virgin Islands
Group B: Bonaire (*), Bahamas, British Virgin Islands
Group C: Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Anguilla
Group D: Guadeloupe (*), Turks & Caicos Islands, Sint Maarten (*)
Below is the schedule of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League.
Stage/Round/Dates
Qualifying
Matchday 1 -> 6–11 September 2018
Matchday 2 -> 11–16 October 2018
Matchday 3 -> 16–20 November 2018
Group phase
Matchday 1 & 2 ->2–10 September 2019
Matchday 3 & 4 -> 7–15 October 2019
Matchday 5 -> 11–19 November 2019
Final championship
Semi-Finals & Finals -> 23–31 March 2020
Keynotes -
Guatemala was suspended by FIFA in October 2016, and therefore was ineligible to enter qualifying after missing the entry deadline of 1 March 2018.
* - Full CONCACAF member, but not a FIFA member.
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T&T vs Martinique on Sept 6 opener.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
T&T Soca Warriors will play away to Martinique on Friday, September 6 in its opening match in Group C of League A of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League which will also feature Honduras.
The Dennis Lawrence-coached Soca Warriors ranked 93rd as of April 4, will then host the French-speaking Caribbean Island on Monday, September 9 in the return encounter before hosting 61st world ranked Honduras on Thursday, October 10, then playing the Central Americans away on Sunday, November 17 to complete round-robin pool play.
The six teams which participated in the fifth round (hexagonal) of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification received automatic entry into the CONCACAF Nations League A and were joined by the top six finishers in 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League qualifiers last weekend to form League A.
In addition to T&T, the World Cup quartet of Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico, as well as the USA, were the other automatic Nations League A qualifiers.
When the draw was made for the group stage in March, Lawrence speaking then stated: It’s a very good draw and even playing field for all as in the modern game there are no strong or weak teams. It makes for an exciting and hopefully entertaining Nations League for all.”
The draw self included teams separated into three pots of four teams each, based on the November 2018 Concacaf Ranking, with one country from each pot pulled to make up Nations League A Groups A, B, C and D.
The Group Phase for each league is a round-robin, home-and-away format which will play out during the course of the September, October and November FIFA international dates in 2019.
At the end of the round-robin competition, the four group winners from League A will advance to the Final Championship, where a semifinal and final will be played during the March 2020 FIFA international dates to crown the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League champion.
Additionally, the League A and B teams which finished last in their groups will be relegated to the lower league, while the group winners in Leagues B and C will be promoted to the higher league for the next edition of the competition.
The four League A group winners will qualify to the Nations League final championship, to be played in March 2020, which will determine the champion of the new competition.
The four last-placed teams in each group will be relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.
League B will consist of the next 16 teams from qualifying, which finished from 7th to 22nd.
The league will contain four groups of four teams. The four group winners will be promoted to League A, while the four last-placed teams in each group will be relegated to League C for the next edition.
League C will consist of the remaining 13 member associations, the teams which finished 23rd to 34th in qualifying, along with Guatemala who did not enter qualifying.
The league will contain four groups, with three groups of three teams and one group of four teams. The four group winners will be promoted to League B for the next edition of the competition.
2019 Concacaf Nations League:
League A:
Group A: USA, Canada, Cuba
Group B: Mexico, Panama, Bermuda
Group C: Honduras, T&T, Martinique
Group D: Costa Rica, Haiti, Curacao
League B:
Group A: French Guiana, St Kitts/Nevis, Belize, Grenada
Group B: El Salvador, Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Montserrat
Group C: Jamaica, Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba
Group D: Nicaragua, Suriname, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Dominica
League C:
Group A: Barbados, Cayman Islands, Saint Martin, US Virgin Islands
Group C: Bonaire, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands
Group C: Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Anguilla
Group D: Guadeloupe, Turks & Caicos Islands, Sint Maarten
Concacaf Nations League Infographic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZo9DyHh1Zk&app=desktop)
Click here for Full Schedule (https://res.cloudinary.com/concacaf-production/image/upload/v1558448173/nationsleague-prod/assets/Concacaf_Nations_League_Group_Phase_Schedule.pdf)
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Bermuda ???
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We playing any games before we go into this tournament? Or we going in stupid again.
Martinique is a boss side.
Allyuh wait.
We better take this serious.
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We playing any games before we go into this tournament? Or we going in stupid again.
Martinique is a boss side.
Allyuh wait.
We better take this serious.
Ever since I been following football( in the mid 60s) playing Martinique has always been competitive. They will be much better because of the french born players.
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Panama has determined that the brothers Dely Valdes will better serve the national interest in charge of the U17s and U20s. They've brought in Américo Gallego out of retirement. To lend a bit of institutional knowledge and Panamanian perspective, El Tolo will be assisted by Blas Pérez and Rolando Escobar. He is a coach with firmly established attacking convictions and a legacy of trophies. On top of that, he transmits calm and is a great personality.
I listened to an interview he did last year in which he recounts an incident involving Ariel Ortega (Ortega and Jardel went out on the town, Ortega made it to practice but not to the field ... was dead-on-arrival asleep in the dressing room ... Tolo told him he wasn't playing him in the following game versus Arsenal. Ortega told him, "if I'm not playing, I'm not coming" ... Ortega did not play despite being present and persistently cussing Gallego). A lil later in the segment, Ortega shares that Gallego was the best coach he ever played for.
El Tolo Gallego is a winner. Big probing move by Panama.
Yet, dare we even compare Dely Valdes' work with PAN to DL's with T&T? How do we define ambition? The one with the better showing on balance is out of his job, the other one is staying put.
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When is our team being named ??????????????????
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http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/reggae-boyz-to-take-game-against-antigua-and-barbuda-seriously-says-ricketts_173476?profile=1498
CATHERINE HALL, St James — Jamaica will be taking next weekend's Concacaf Nations League game against Antigua and Barbuda at Montego Bay Sports Complex seriously, says Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts.
With a place in the hexagonal round of the Concacaf World Cup qualification in another 12 months at stake, fourth-ranked Jamaica will be doing their best to maintain their position in the ranking and as such will be selecting their best team next week, Ricketts told journalists in a press briefing held at Montego Bay Sports Complex yesterday.
The game will be played on Friday, September 6 starting at 7:00 pm, and Ricketts said: “We are starved for real high-quality games and we will put out our best team and build on the momentum created by the staging of the Concacaf Gold Cup game earlier.”
Ricketts said the squad will be named later this week. “We are getting the best possible 11 and we will also be bringing in some players from overseas. This is a very important game because as the World Cup Qualifying is structured this could impact on our qualification.”
The JFF boss added: “Come next September the top six will qualify for the hexagonal in Concacaf and we are number four now and it is important that we maintain our position.”
Jamaica are in the lower tiered Pool B in Nations League and ranking points from games are harder to be earned “while teams in Group A can pass us with wins over the top teams, so we must ensure that we keep our position”, Ricketts reiterated.
Playing friendlies against higher-ranked teams is one possibility Ricketts identified for maintaining the high ranking, but he said there was one challenge. “Most of the Fifa dates will be taken up by Nations League games but the JFF is committed to do what we can to ensure we maintain our ranking, so if it means us trying to get friendlies against strong teams that is the route we will go as the onus is on us to do what we must do.”
The JFF boss said it was the job of head coach Theodore Whitmore to name his team, but he said they were looking to the United Kingdom for players and reported that two players — Cardiff United's midfielder Bobby Reid and central defender Che Dunkley — had both gotten their Jamaican passports and were eligible for a call up.
Preston North End midfielder Daniel Johnson was also being looked at but he said Whitmore “is adamant that he would not arbitrarily, or on a wholesale basis, start inviting new players. He wants players for selected positions that he thinks can improve the defensive unit”.
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When is our team being named ??????????????????
I await to see what improvements will be made to the team .....
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Omar On Grenada Call-Up
Omar Beckles has been confirmed for the Grenada squad for their games with Belize.
He joins Aaron Pierre in the Spice Boys squad for the Concacaf Nations League games.
It is a big honour for Omar who has had the opportunity to play for Grenada for a while.
It is something that he is looking forward to and to play for the country his father was born in.
"It is really good to get the call-up, it's something that has been going on behind the scenes for a while", said Omar.
"I'm excited about the new challenge of playing international football and start to build on a little project over there.
"I got married over there in the summer and it is something that is really personal for me to play for my fathers country."
Omar's father Linton was born in Grenada and the call-up has a big sentimental honour for him.
"It is going to mean a lot to play for Grenada, I went out there in the summer for my wedding and to see where my father grew up", said Omar.
"It was my first time out there and I got the chance to really connect emotionally with family members.
"From that moment on I knew I had to take the chance to play for Grenada."
Omar is looking forward to meeting up with the squad ahead of the game for the next challenge in his career.
"I've not really seen much football over there but I've followed the competitions out there in the Caribbean", said Omar.
"A few of my friends play for other countries in the Caribbean and I'm really excited about the challenge."
Omar's career has seen many achievements along the way. If he starts against Ipswich Town tomorrow it will be his 100th appearance for Town and the call-up is another achievement for him.
"It's definitely up there, I've had the opportunity to play for them for a little while", said Omar.
"I've prioritised playing league fixtures and I don't want to miss league fixtures where I can.
"The priority has been to prove myself in the league and to push on there.
"The call-up though is a great achievement and is more of sentimental thing as well as something to add to the CV."
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Concacaf Nations League to serve as pathway for 2021 Gold Cup
Concacaf.com
Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) today confirmed that the inaugural Concacaf Nations League, set to kick off on Thursday, September 5, will serve as the qualifying pathway for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, for all 41 Member Associations. The new centralized men’s national team competition represents a new era of national team football for the Confederation.
Created to maximize the match dates available within the FIFA international calendar, and as part of a wider strategy to provide more competitive football for all Member Associations, the Concacaf Nations League group stage will take place in the September, October and November FIFA windows of 2019. After round-robin play, the four League A group winners will advance to the Concacaf Nations League Finals to crown the first-ever competition champion. The Concacaf Nations League Finals, originally scheduled for March of 2020, will now take place in June. The complete group stage schedule is available here.
Additionally, the group winners from League B and League C will be promoted to League A and B, respectively, while the teams at the bottom of League A and League B will be relegated to League B and C, respectively, for the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League. The official draw, which sub-divided the three Leagues (https://mailchi.mp/16236c5e0774/draw-delivers-groups-for-the-inaugural-edition-of-the-concacaf-nations-league) into groups took place March 27, 2019, at the Chelsea Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The Concacaf Nations League is about uniting the Confederation through meaningful competition, while providing an exciting pathway to the Gold Cup,” said Concacaf President Victor Montagliani. “Through this tournament, all 41 Concacaf Member Associations are able to follow the dream of competing on a more consistent basis, opening the door for continued development across our entire region.”
As announced in March of 2018, the Concacaf Nations League qualifies the region’s top teams to the Concacaf Gold Cup. The qualifying process for the 2021 Gold Cup will be as follows:
Concacaf Nations League A (8 teams): After group stage play in November 2019, the top two teams from each of the four League A groups will qualify directly to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Concacaf Nations League B (4 teams): After group stage play in November 2019, the winner of each of the four League B groups will qualify directly to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Gold Cup Qualifiers (4 teams): After Concacaf Nations League group stage play in November 2019, the third-place finishers in League A, the second-place finishers in League B and the first-place finishers in League C will advance to a two-round qualifier, to be played in March and June of 2020.
For the first round of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifiers, the second-place finishers of League B will face the first-place finishers of League C in March of 2020. After home-and-away play, the four matchup winners will advance to the second round, where they will face the third-place finishers of League A in June of 2020. The four matchups winners of Round two will qualify to the 2021 Gold Cup.
For the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, all 2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League matches will be granted a coefficient score which corresponds to qualification matches to a Confederations final competition, rather than friendly international matches played during FIFA International Match Calendar window.
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Just watched Curaçao best Haiti 1-0. Very impressed with Curaçao game. Good skills controlling that ball on that AstroTurf. Haiti was defensive and counter. But the Dutch were ready for them. We got work to do.
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We got plenty work to do and no time to do it.
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Panama just got rocked 2-0 at home by Bermuda. And they have a new coach.
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Panama just got rocked 2-0 at home by Bermuda. And they have a new coach.
and with a more non-pro local team than Panama, oui..guess they fit the intl players where necessary.
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Panama just got rocked 2-0 at home by Bermuda. And they have a new coach.
and with a more non-pro local team than Panama, oui..guess they fit the intl players where necessary.
Most of the players and coach's in Bermuda have played and trained in England I'm not surprised that they have always kicked our butts there league is probably better than the pro league.
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We always thought Bermuda was easy meat for us,even as a boy in TT i can still recall,having said that we should always buss dey rass no matter where they train.
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Left unstated is that Panama dismissed Bermuda 4-1 in Bermuda only a few days previous to the 2-0 on the road.
When Gallego was appointed coach of Panama, he promised goals. He got 4 in the opening match, but Panama is playing a different brand of ball than under prior management and Bermuda had not seen that brand and having seen it for the first time in Bermie, made the tactical adjustments for the away game. It's nothing to do with the geography of where the Bermudans play, just good coaching prep. Both goals were scored by Nakhi Wells. Known commodity, although the second goal was more characteristic than the first ... which was placed on a platter.
On top of that, the possession was in the range of 75% in favor of Panama with Panama having multiple legitimate chances on goal (Bermuda's GK had a boss game). Bermuda scored against the run of play to open.
Regardless, Gallego took responsibility for the loss rather than deflected (cough*, cough). At the end of the day, all Bermuda is doing is confirming that they should be in the A bracket. Mexico will have the final word on that. So too will goal difference.
It's in our interest if Panama say adios now rather than later.
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CONCACAF competition holding United States and Mexico back - Jurgen Klinsmann.
By Jeff Carlisle - U.S. soccer correspondent
Former United States men's national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann called the CONCACAF Nations League "a waste of time" and said that if the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica are ever going to get to the level of the top international sides, they need to find competition outside the region.
Speaking to ESPN's Herculez Gomez in the wake of ESPN securing the U.S. broadcast rights to the Bundesliga, Klinsmann was blunt in his assessment of the CONCACAF region.
"I think the biggest challenge for the United States, or even Mexico or Costa Rica, for the key countries in this region, is you don't really have the highest competition outside," Klinsmann said. "That means when you play just within your own system, you don't have the big matches against European countries or South American countries in order to grow your program, in order to grow your players.
"So literally when you are kind of locked into CONCACAF and you don't play Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Chile every year, or you don't play Holland, Germany, England, Spain, Italy every year, you have no chance to grow.
"And that's what I always said, you have to leave this region here in order to make your program better, to improve your players. And this a big, big handicap for all the players and all the programs, if it's Mexico, Costa Rica or the United States."
The U.S. has played nine of the 10 CONMEBOL nations as well as England, France and Italy, since the start of 2018 -- the team also played 15 games away to European nations during Klinsmann's five years in charge -- but the advent of the CONCACAF Nations League limits the number of friendly games.
The two remaining international fixture windows for 2019 will be taken up by Nations League matches, with the U.S. in a group with Cuba and Canada. With the finals of the CONCACAF Nations League slated for next June, that only leaves the March 2020 window to schedule matches against teams from outside the region.
"It's a waste of time, I'm telling you," Klinsmann said of the new competition. "It's a waste of time because you that need [that competition] as a country. I mean talking about Mexico, everyone is hoping for the fifth game in the World Cup. You're not reaching that fifth game in the World Cup if you play the teams you are playing now in the Nations League in CONCACAF. You are not.
"Because you need to play Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Holland and England. That is your competition. And when you have an opening for a national team window and you can maybe make one or two friendly games, you need to play Argentina or Germany and not a CONCACAF team.
"So within that system that was created here, it's almost impossible for United States or Mexico to get better. And that is why Mexico just lost against Argentina 4-0."
There was always a question of how much countries like Mexico, Costa Rica and the U.S. would get out of the Nations League, given how it limits opportunities to play nations from other confederations.
But given the advent of a similar competition in Europe called the UEFA Nations League, as well as the fact that World Cup qualifying for South America will begin shortly after the 2018 World Cup concludes, those opportunities were already going to be limited.
"There will still be space for [intercontinental friendlies]," CONCACAF said in a statement accompanying the announcement of the competition in November 2017. "In broader terms, the League of Nations aligns CONCACAF with the general movement in the world of international football, away from low-stakes friendly matches."
Klinsmann added that another problem in the U.S. is that the federation prioritizes finances over results in terms of finding international opponents.
"There might not be the financial benefit to it when you travel to Italy or to Holland or to Germany or to England, than playing a home game in the United States with the, I don't know, whatever revenues are coming in," he said. "So at the end of the day it is very, very difficult to make your players better when they don't have the highest competition possible."
When approached by ESPN, U.S. Soccer declined to comment.
In the interim, the priority for U.S. players is to seek out the high-level club opportunities, in particular playing for European teams.
"The players need to play in the best leagues in the world, which are in Europe, as many as possible," Klinsmann said. "Which we are very proud of, a lot of them now playing in the Bundesliga, or Christian Pulisic playing in the Premier League. This is super exciting.
"And the same with the Mexican best players, they play in Europe, it doesn't matter where they play. [Hirving] Lozano plays in Napoli and [Javier Hernandez] plays [with Sevilla], and so on. So the challenge for a coach is always, 'How do I get my players to play at the highest level possible for them?' And if not, then you know you always have these setbacks."
Klinsmann also insisted that he thinks MLS benefits American players, just that some things can be improved.
"I think MLS is a wonderful place, to come through, to fight through," he said. "I think that the coaches here that really try to give the younger players the chance, I see a lot of young players now out there. And then it's down to the players as well.
"So how far do I want to take it now from here? I think with the growing MLS, every year the quality is improving. Every year they are trying to compete more, especially with Liga MX, which is awesome to do. I think the developmental path is there. But they have got to give a clear message to the players as well that it is down to them to become more consistent."
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My take. If these teams think that they too good for Concacaf, then they should join South America.
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Canada rolls past USA in CONCACAF Nations League
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/canada-rolls-past-usa-concacaf-043743659.html
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CONCACAF boss: New W/Cup format was best.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is standing by the change in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying format implemented earlier this year, saying it was forced upon them because of a media rights issue and the new Nations League. However, he says the format will again change for the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
The first phase of the new qualifying format will feature only the top six ranked CONCACAF teams based on the FIFA rankings after the June 2020 window. These countries will play a Hexagonal home-and-away round-robin series for three automatic CONCACAF berths in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The second phase of the qualifying competition will involve the CONCACAF countries ranked 7-35. These 29 countries will engage in a group stage and knockout phase competition. For the group stage, the countries will be divided into eight groups (five groups of four and three groups of three) and the first-place team in each of the eight groups will qualify for the knockout stage. The winner of this knockout phase series will then play the fourth-placed team from the Hex. The winner of that series will then advance to a playoff series with the Asian confederation qualifier for a final spot in Qatar.
But many of the Caribbean Football Union minnows had argued when it was announced earlier this year that this was unfair, since many countries would not get a chance to participate in either phase of the competition, much less get a traditional chance at creating some of the upsets of past World Cup tournaments.
On Monday, however, Montagliani, who was in Trinidad for the launch of the TTFA's Home of Football in Couva, said the decision was reached after a process of voting and that the majority of CONCACAF members eventually understood the process and reasoning behind it.
“Once it was explained why it was done, then everyone understood. I would have liked to have a different format myself, in that I would have liked to use the Nations League as a format. The reality is that because of media rights and the Nations League is owned by obviously us, the calendar is another issue, the reality is that the Nations League has taken up a lot of the calendar, which means that you only have a few days to play.”
He added, “We cannot play like we did before, rounds one, two, three and four. We had to keep the Hex because of contractual obligations from a media standpoint, or a lot of our members would have lost a ton of money from a media rights perspective. So we had to fit a square peg in a round hole.”
Some CONCACAF member countries claimed to have been unaware of the decision before it was announced. But Montagliani dismissed this, saying that those countries who were against it were in the minority. He said they eventually ensured that all countries would still get a chance at qualifying despite the new format.
“This was the best format, so I gave everyone a chance. Now we have over 500 games in a four-year period. Before it was just 100, so if you look at the totality of it, it is why people are on board with it,” Montagliani said.
“It’s not perfect but it’s going to evolve because the format will change again for 2026.”
Montagliani meanwhile described the new Home of Football as a fantastic one, saying it is now the jewel of the Caribbean and the CONCACAF in some ways. He said with the new facility, it is time for T&T football to build some of the blocks by starting with the players on the T&T under-15 team with the 2026 World Cup as the focus.