USMNT: The March to Brazil - World Cup 2014

[improbus]

Seeing Guisseppe Rossi on the Euro telecast mad me more furious that he chose to (not) play for Italy. Argh.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

It must be difficult to know how good your team is in this WCQ group. You have Mexico and the US....that is it. It's like if you were in Europe and you had Germany and Italy...and then Armenia, Belgium and Finland.

More like Germany, Italy, the Faroe Islands, Andorra, and Luxembourg. CONCACAF is a confederation dominated by Caribbean microstates with populations smaller than your average US suburb. The fact that North and Central American countries, where all the strong teams are located, are shut out of CONCACAF leadership positions is appalling. I think many of the newly elected board members were guys accused of taking bribes from Qatar to support their bid for the World Cup over the US. FIFA president Blatter and disgraced former CONCACAF president Jack Warner were notorious for pumping millions of dollars into Caribbean federations, some of which don't even field national teams. That's how the crooks keep getting reelected and how Qatar gets a World Cup despite being a terrible place for a summer international soccer tournament.

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

More like Germany, Italy, the Faroe Islands, Andorra, and Luxembourg. CONCACAF is a confederation dominated by Caribbean microstates with populations smaller than your average US suburb. The fact that North and Central American countries, where all the strong teams are located, are shut out of CONCACAF leadership positions is appalling. I think many of the newly elected board members were guys accused of taking bribes from Qatar to support their bid for the World Cup over the US. FIFA president Blatter and disgraced former CONCACAF president Jack Warner were notorious for pumping millions of dollars into Caribbean federations, some of which don't even field national teams. That's how the crooks keep getting reelected and how Qatar gets a World Cup despite being a terrible place for a summer international soccer tournament.

Maybe US, Mexico, Canada, Honduras, El Salvador....can leave CONCAF and go to SA.....and play the WCQ they have. Those are brutal but they would revert back to Groups....just like Europe, when 20? new countries all of a sudden came into being and they had to turn into 2 teams and the Washington Generals like Groups for Europe Qualification.

Australia left the Oceanic Soccer Federation......as they were not being challenged by Fiji and such.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

Maybe US, Mexico, Canada, Honduras, El Salvador....can leave CONCAF and go to SA.....and play the WCQ they have. Those are brutal but they would revert back to Groups....just like Europe, when 20? new countries all of a sudden came into being and they had to turn into 2 teams and the Washington Generals like Groups for Europe Qualification.

Australia left the Oceanic Soccer Federation......as they were not being challenged by Fiji and such.

Some have proposed that. Another idea is to treat the Caribbean as a single entity and force them to join together as one team, much like the West Indies in cricket. Won't happen though, as long as Sepp Blatter runs FIFA.

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Some have proposed that. Another idea is to treat the Caribbean as a single entity and force them to join together as one team, much like the West Indies in cricket. Won't happen though, as long as Sepp Blatter runs FIFA.

What does he get in return? Free resort in Sandals Jamaica for life?

I think 1966 was the last time Jamaica came close to qualifying for a WC.

[NJReds]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

What does he get in return? Free resort in Sandals Jamaica for life?

I think 1966 was the last time Jamaica came close to qualifying for a WC.

Jamaica was in the 1998 WC, and I think they won a game, but didn't advance.

They beat Guatemala in their first qualification game.

Point well taken, though. There are some very weak sides in CONCACAF.

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by NJReds

Jamaica was in the 1998 WC, and I think they won a game, but didn't advance.

They beat Guatemala in their first qualification game.

Point well taken, though. There are some very weak sides in CONCACAF.

Thanks for the clarification. They at least went there......and as an Uruguayan.... it shows how bad my country of origin was most of the 90's when they could not even go that year or in 1994....but Jamaica could.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

Maybe US, Mexico, Canada, Honduras, El Salvador....can leave CONCAF and go to SA.....and play the WCQ they have. Those are brutal but they would revert back to Groups....just like Europe, when 20? new countries all of a sudden came into being and they had to turn into 2 teams and the Washington Generals like Groups for Europe Qualification.

Australia left the Oceanic Soccer Federation......as they were not being challenged by Fiji and such.

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

What does he get in return? Free resort in Sandals Jamaica for life?

I think 1966 was the last time Jamaica came close to qualifying for a WC.

He gets some 25-30 guaranteed votes when he runs for reelection. The Caribbean Football Union has 30 members, including 3 South American countries. Many of its members are overseas territories of other countries, like France, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, and since the inhabitants have citizenship for the parent country, the best players end up on the French or Dutch national teams. Really they only exist as votes for
CONCACAF and FIFA power brokers. I just read that the CFU put together a West Indies XI in the early '90s, but then President Jack Warner put an end to it, feeling the Caribbean was stronger as separate members than as one unit. So basically, it's more important for them to have political power within FIFA than to work together to field a competitive team.

[NJReds]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

Thanks for the clarification. They at least went there......and as an Uruguayan.... it shows how bad my country of origin was most of the 90's when they could not even go that year or in 1994....but Jamaica could.

If Uruguay was in CONCACAF, they'd be in every WC. Which goes back to your original point.

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by NJReds

If Uruguay was in CONCACAF, they'd be in every WC. Which goes back to your original point.

Touche'

[WMR]

Originally Posted by improbus

Seeing Guisseppe Rossi on the Euro telecast mad me more furious that he chose to (not) play for Italy. Argh.

I'd like to know who thought it was a good idea to have that little turd on the broadcast. He should stay in Italy.

[5TimeWSChamps]

It's quite sad that the best performance the USMNT have had the past 2 weeks was a 4-1 loss to Brazil.

I wish Jurgen would play a 4-4-1-1- or 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey playing behind a central striker, whether it be Boyd or Altidore.

[5TimeWSChamps]

thefirstrow.eu should have a live stream to tonight's match

[5TimeWSChamps]

Very underwhelming again.

0-0, 35th minute

[paintmered]

Gooooal Dempsey!