US rejects Copa America

[DJT]

I just came across this at Bigsoccer:

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=548f1040fe0043dc2afb317a6908d7e4&threadid=78636

I don't really care what the Americans do, but, despite some big differences in our respective situations, many of the comments made in the Bigsoccer debate remind me a lot of what we saw here in 2001! (For those of you who weren't around then, Canada's decision to withdraw from the Copa America after it was cancelled and resurrected within a few days created quite a debate amongst Voyageurs. It still crops up in off-hand comments from time to time.)

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by DJT

I just came across this at Bigsoccer:

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=548f1040fe0043dc2afb317a6908d7e4&threadid=78636

I don't really care what the Americans do, but, despite some big differences in our respective situations, many of the comments made I in the Bigsoccer debate remind me a lot of what we saw here in 2001! (For those of you who weren't around then, Canada's decision to withdraw from the Copa America after it was cancelled and resurrected within a few days created quite a debate amongst Voyageurs. It still crops up in off-hand comments from time to time.)

A missed opportunity for canada. For those who don't recall, the CSA had planned and freindly against Panama just prior to the Copa, but when the tournament organizers announced that the event was cancelled, the CSA cancelled the friendly and released the players back to their respective clubs. One of the things debated was the merit of sending some sort of domestic based team which at the time I thought would be far too weak. Looking back at it, it might not have been a bad idea but that might be because things have changed a little in that the A-league is a little stronger and some of the teams that played in that copa weren't very good anyways.

But I still maintain, that Canadian soccer was treated very poorly by the organizers. There doesn't appear to have been any effort on the part of the event organizers to accomodate the invited guests. It sure looked like a very poor way to treat a guest. You would think that they ( the organizers) would have been more sympathetic to Canada's predicament and chosen to extend future invitations. But no, they invite Mexico ( as usual) and Costa Rica plus Honduras. Hmmm, Not the USA or Jamaica, who had qualified for the previous WC's. Not T&T who had qualified for the Hex at that time and was also the second best concacaf side at that Gold cup.

You would think that they would have invited canada this time around given that Costa rica took our place last time. Why does Mexico always get invited?. looking at it from afar, it looks like there is a very snobby attitude from SA with respect to soccer. We would rightfully all be in an uproar if, for example, jack warner decides to consistantly invite only anglo saxon nations as gold cup guest.

Playing in Copa America competition would be good for canada, but if this is how you get treated, who need them. I don't blame the US.

[Gian-Luca]

Its been a strange week though, with the USSF not setting up any friendlies for the US in the latter half of 2003 & declining to go to the Copa America after being invited to do so, while the CSA manages to set up matches against the Czechs & the Irish in the same week.

Everything seems topsy-turvy - but I'm not going to complain.

[matthew]

Mexico gets invited to the Copa every time because they TV money they can make from Mexican TV is more than almost any other country in the competition as I understand it. Plus Mexico it's hard to argue that Mexico isn't one of the top two CONCACAF nations, so they don't have to make excuses for inviting Mexico all the time.

I'm surprised the US turned it down, but the fixture schedule is really conjested and with MLS being a summer league it really limits who the US can call.

cheers,

matthew