World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

[Jimjamesak]

Continue.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

CONCACAF is using the June 2020 rankings so the CONCACAF Nations League games this fall will have a huge effect.

Right now the rankings are:
12 Mexico
22 USA
43 Costa Rica
52 Jamaica
67 Honduras
69 El Salvador
——————————
74 Panama
78 Canada
79 Curacao
83 Haiti
101 Trinidad

So Mexico, USA, and Costa Rica are almost a lock with Jamaica in a good spot and T&T a long shot.

Honduras/Panama/Canada/Haiti/Curacao/Trindad are in League A. Jamaica and El Salvador are in Group B, mostly because Cuba dropped 11 goals on Turks and Caicos Islands while Jamaica only dropped 4 goals on the Cayman Islands. El Salvador/Jamaica will get two extra weighted matches than the League A teams, but they will be against much weaker opponents, limiting their ability to boost their ranking. Even six weighted wins might not be worth much against Aruba and Saint Lucia. (Canada landing two games against Cuba isn't much better.)

Honduras/Trindad also get hurt because they will have two CNL games against non-FIFA Martinique, who doesn't count in FIFA's rankings, so they will have 2 CNL games + 2 friendlies max this fall to boost their ranking.

Without doing full projections, this seems like a boon to Curacao/Haiti, who are in a group together-- if it's a race to #6, they will have four games against top 100 opponents, unlike Canada (Cuba), Panama (Bermuda), and the aforementioned teams playing League B or Martinique.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

This feels like a quintessential CONCACAF compromise. The minnows are happy and Mom and Dad are happy, f- everyone else.

The smaller nations have complained that the previous format was unfair because they were out quickly and spent two years on the sidelines. So this format makes them happy because they have something to play for and the Big 3 are happy because they’ve got huge odds to automatically qualify now plus less travel. Countries in the mid-tier like Canada are of course screwed.

[Kepler]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

This feels like a quintessential CONCACAF compromise. The minnows are happy and Mom and Dad are happy, f- everyone else.

Are we Mom or Dad in this situation?

[Jimjamesak]

Are we Mom or Dad in this situation?

Currently Mom.

[Kepler]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

Currently Mom.

Because Dad's slapping us around?

[Jimjamesak]

Because Dad's slapping us around?

Pretty much.

[Kepler]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

Pretty much.

That's OK. Dad's due for some jail time.

[ticapnews]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

That's OK. Dad's due for some jail time.

Not if the cops look the other way.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

I can understand this for teams like 13 through 35 because this gets them more competitive matches to get better. I don't understand why there isn't a 3 groups of 4 for the top 12 with the top 3 in each group going to the hex and the bottom 2 falling into some part of the other tournament? That would make more sense, either expanding the knock out to a round of 16 or idk?

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

tl;dr now we get eliminated by Curacao

When they said they wanted everyone included I pictured a UEFA setup, except it would play out in reverse and there would only be one or two good teams per group.

This is a much better scenario, though a little odd. It’s like the NIT champ getting a bid to the Elite Eight while a couple Sweet Sixteen losers sit at home even though they were in the NCAA the whole time.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

tl;dr now we get eliminated by Curacao

When they said they wanted everyone included I pictured a UEFA setup, except it would play out in reverse and there would only be one or two good teams per group.

This is a much better scenario, though a little odd. It’s like the NIT champ getting a bid to the Elite Eight while a couple Sweet Sixteen losers sit at home even though they were in the NCAA the whole time.

yup, the biggest problem is for teams 5-12, who really deserves those last couple spots in the HEX...because if you're not in the top 6, you have zero chance of avoiding the intercontinental playoff.

[Jimjamesak]

That's OK. Dad's due for some jail time.

That is true. For a long timer like me this is all deja vu, all this s- going on now happened between 98-2000. The Men had a terrible WC cycle (finishing dead last in France), the Women won and arrogantly wondered why the Men were riding their coattails, the media wondered why the USSF spent money on the Men at all.

Then 2000 happened, the Men hit a vain of youth talent and finished a surprising 4th in Syndey while the Women got knocked off and settled for bronze. MLS managed to survive while WUSA folded. The Men made a run to the Quarterfinals in 2002, being a missed handball from the Semifinals (F- Torsten Frings! ) while the Women crashed in 2003 and began a spiral down. The karmic cycle was interesting to watch.

Though I’m still waiting for the karmic payback from the tragedy that is the 2010 cycle.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

Jim,
On the USWNT equal pay discussion what was actually offered as far as switching to a more men's style structure with USSF chipping in salary money to NWSL?

[Spartanforlife4]

yup, the biggest problem is for teams 5-12, who really deserves those last couple spots in the HEX...because if you're not in the top 6, you have zero chance of avoiding the intercontinental playoff.

I was speaking more along the lines of 7 gets to keep playing against 4, while 5 and 6 are sitting at home. There is the argument that 5 and 6 already had their shot, which I get, but it’s definitely an oddity in the system that a team gets to jump two others for a shot at the WC.