Question re: Gold Cup qualifying

[argh1]

I know there's a Central American zone for qualifing for WCQ and Champions Cup and Gold Cup as well as Carribbean zone. But is there a North American zone? Would this include us the US of A, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico and who else?

I know this has been dealt with before, but why do we get an automatic invite to Gold Cup with out any qualifing.? Not that I'm complaining I'll still sit on the edge of my seat during every Canadian game. But is this like a pay back for getting screwed over by CONCACAF....."Let the moose play in GC and they'll let every thing else slide" kinda thing?

Look there's only maybe 4 North American countries (is Greenland in North America?)so why not have weekend North American qualifing tournaments for CONCACAF club and country events and give the finalists and runners up the spots. I'm sure some company in Florida would sponsor these tourneys?

[Gordon]

quote:Originally posted by argh1

I know there's a Central American zone for qualifing for WCQ and Champions Cup and Gold Cup as well as Carribbean zone. But is there a North American zone? Would this include us the US of A, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico and who else?

I know this has been dealt with before, but why do we get an automatic invite to Gold Cup with out any qualifing.? Not that I'm complaining I'll still sit on the edge of my seat during every Canadian game. But is this like a pay back for getting screwed over by CONCACAF....."Let the moose play in GC and they'll let every thing else slide" kinda thing?

Look there's only maybe 4 North American countries (is Greenland in North America?)so why not have weekend North American qualifing tournaments for CONCACAF club and country events and give the finalists and runners up the spots. I'm sure some company in Florida would sponsor these tourneys?

Canada get in automatically these days by virtue of being a former champion. It is more a convenience for CONCACAF, resulting from the poverty of small CONCACAF football associations who can not afford to play a qualifying game in Canada. e.g. Belieze in WCQ who had to sell their home game to Canada in order to compete. The "former champions" rule also save the US and Mexico from having to qualify, the admitedly highly unlikely failure of either to qualify would gut tourney revenues. Unfortunately most different qualifying schemes place a financial burden on the small CONCACAF nations hence the preference for the zone qualifying.

[MikeD]

The Bahamas compete in the Caribbean zone.

Greenland is not a certified member of any Confederation, but I've read that their ambition is to join UEFA. The only tournaments their national team has been involved in have been tournaments between North Atlantic islands (Iceland, Faroes) so their orientation is understandably toward UEFA rather than CONCACAF.

The only time that Canada has ever had to qualify for the Gold Cup was 2000. We got into every other Gold Cup without having to qualify (though in 1998 we withdrew from the finals). For the 1991 Gold Cup, we played a so-called qualifying tournament against the USA and Mexico which didn't matter because all three countries qualified for the finals regardless of how they placed in the qualifying tournament.

The qualifying scheme for the Gold Cup is totally arbitrary and is decided by the CONCACAF Executive Committee (which obviously mean that sporting considerations are secondary to political and economic considerations.)

[Guest Jeffery S.]

My opinion is that we should have to qualify. For one, it would ensure us more home games, something we've been lacking in recent years.

And secondly, there is no reason why we should get in free and other teams, even better teams, should have to qualify for it.

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

My opinion is that we should have to qualify. For one, it would ensure us more home games, something we've been lacking in recent years.

And secondly, there is no reason why we should get in free and other teams, even better teams, should have to qualify for it.

1. Remember the glorious 1999 qualification and that tearse group round with games in Moose Jaw, Toronto and Sherbrooke? []. Concacaf are tools, look at every non-senior-men's qualifying tournament. All in one country.

2. The "reason" is because we're a former champion. It might not be a good one, but so far it works in its logic (we'll see what happens once CR or Honduras win a GC...).