2021 Concacaf League

[narduch]

The club from Martinique backed out. Universitario of Panama advances

 

[narduch]

Yesterday's results:

St. Lucia (Guatemala) 3-0 Metropolitan (Puerto Rico)

Diriangen (Nicaragua) 0-1 Marathon (Honduras).

No matches today because Samaritaine of Martinique pulled out.

[narduch]

Yesterday's results:

Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 1-1 Once Deportivo (El Salvador)

Verdes (Belize) 0-1 Santos de Guadpiles (Costa Rica).

Forge play FAS this coming Thursday.

 

[narduch]

Forge's schedule for the next round is already set. I hope they get to play at home. They will need to reschedule 2 CPL games.

[narduch]

This is how the bracket looks after the Preliminary Round. I think Forge have a decent shot at making the Champions League.

[Ingham]

On 8/18/2021 at 4:25 AM, narduch said:

Forge's schedule for the next round is already set. I hope they get to play at home. They will need to reschedule 2 CPL games.

This was the side that crushed Toronto FC a few years ago I think. Doubt they are the same side though. I know Abdiel Ayarza isn't there anymore, cos he's in Peru now 😁

[narduch]

1 minute ago, Ingham said:

This was the side that crushed Toronto FC a few years ago I think. Doubt they are the same side though. I know Abdiel Ayarza isn't there anymore, cos he's in Peru now 😁

Forge signed Omar Browne, the guy that looked great against TFC in that series.

 I think they are having visa issues getting him into camp though.

[Ingham]

1 minute ago, narduch said:

Forge signed Omar Browne, the guy that looked great against TFC in that series.

 I think they are having visa issues getting him into camp though.

Saw that yeah. Another one I know moved on was Jorman Aguilar, who was at Sport Boys in Peru this year. Didn't do too well though.

[Ingham]

Looking at the squad, it seems the majority have moved on (as expected)

Omar Browne at Forge, Abdiel Ayarza at Cienciano in Peru, Jorman Aguilar who left Sport Boys for AD San Carlos in Costa Rica, Bolivar is now retired, Romeesh who I recall was the best player in that tie is in Armenia I think.

[Kent]

Just going from memory I think it's a tough draw. I expect Independiente to be very tough, and Santos de Guapiles in the next round to also be very tough.

But looking back on results in CONCACAF, Independiente's good result against TFC is a couple years ago, and their other results in CONCACAF are beating Robinhood from Suriname, and losing to Sporting KC, Saprissa from Costa Rica, and Antigua GFC from Guatemala.

For Santos de Guapiles they had a run to the final of the CONCACAF League in 2017, but since then they lost in the first round to Portmore United of Jamaica, and this year beat Verdes from Belize.

So maybe my impression of these teams is out of date and they aren't as tough as I originally thought.

[narduch]

Forge confirm they will host their match v. Independiente 

 

 

[Ingham]

On 8/27/2021 at 4:51 PM, narduch said:

Forge confirm they will host their match v. Independiente 

 

 

Great stuff! Happy to see CONCACAF League back here.

[narduch]

Round of 16 kicks of tomorrow. All times ET.

Of course the Forge game is of most interest to Canadian soccer fans.

One Soccer has the games.

[narduch]

This is wild

 

[Pottsy3]

13 hours ago, narduch said:

This is wild

 

He's taken the Crosby/McDavid route and worn his birth year on his kit.

[yomurphy1]

This is pretty Concacafy for even Concacaf. 

[youllneverwalkalone]

I mean he looks go for 60, no?

[rydermike]

The story gets better the more you look at it

Then the story gets even better looking at his past.
[QUOTE]Brunswijk had led an interesting life in the small South American country that puts this most recent move into perspective. According to a New York Times profile, he has been "an elite paratrooper, a soccer player, a wanted bank robber, a guerrilla leader, a gold baron and a father to at least 50 children during his lifetime." He's also been convicted of drug trafficking in Europe but also helped bring democracy to Suriname. He's been questioned on where he earned his wealth by some but also has a reputation for generosity. An example being he used to shower his supporters with money while in a helicopter overhead.

Suriname’s president, Chan Santokhi, hunted Brunswijk in the 80s as a police officer before the two joined forces politically. He built a reputation as a Robin Hood and would hand out money to people from robberies he would commit, per The New York Times.

He said his fortune came from timber and gold-mining concessions he obtained after the war and not a drug ring but used his wealth to get into politics. His efforts were in vain on Tuesday, however, with Inter Moengotapoe losing 6–0, and things took a turn after the match, with video circulating of Brunswijk handing out money to Olimpia players in the opposing locker room.[/QUOTE]

https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/09/22/suriname-vice-president-plays-in-soccer-match-at-60-years-old

It still gets better
[QUOTE]Brunswijk will be unable to play the second leg as he cannot leave Suriname, because he is wanted by Interpol for drug trafficking crimes.
[/QUOTE] https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2021/09/22/614b1d9746163f5a508b45ea.html

Some more facts about him here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/pstc1y/claudio_martinez_historical_unusual_ronnie/hdsur93/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
[QUOTE]Some other facts about this:

• He hasn't played in a sanctioned match for about 10 years .
• He has fathered at least 50 children, including his son Damian who started the match at striker.
• After being hospitalized with COVID-19, he donated 3 cars to hospital nurses who had no transportation.
• In June 2012, he was suspended for 1 year because he behaved violently towards the referee and a player in football match
• The disciplinary committee of the Surinamese Football Association suspended him for five years because he threatened some players with a handgun during a match in 2005, but the suspension was retracted due to lack of evidence.
• In 2007, he beat up a member of the Surinamese legislature during an event which was broadcast on live television.
• Let’s talk about his younger life. In 1980, he served as the personal bodyguard of Dési Bouterse and helped overthrew the government in a military coup.
• In 1985, after being discharged, he formed a rebel guerilla military group and commanded the group against Bouterse's forces in a 6-year-long civil war.
• The Dutch government accused him of cocaine trafficking and in 1999 he was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison
• He has remained active in politics since the civil war and was elected Vice President in an uncontested election in 2020.
• He will most likely be unable to play in the return leg in Honduras, as he is a convicted bank robber, drug trafficker, and, most importantly, an internationally wanted fugitive with an active Interpol arrest warrant.
• [Edit: Video was streamed tonight from Olimpia's locker room that appears to show Ronnie Brunswijk giving people in the locker room cash. He also leaves with an Olimpia shirt.]
  [TWEET]https://twitter.com/ArnoldcommaJon/status/1440521162182692866[/TWEET]

Say what you will about the dude but you can't say he hasn't lived his life to the fullest![/QUOTE]

[narduch]

Results from the past 2 days. 3 more games today.

[Kent]

On 9/22/2021 at 2:34 PM, rydermike said:

The story gets better the more you look at it

Then the story gets even better looking at his past.
[QUOTE]Brunswijk had led an interesting life in the small South American country that puts this most recent move into perspective. According to a New York Times profile, he has been "an elite paratrooper, a soccer player, a wanted bank robber, a guerrilla leader, a gold baron and a father to at least 50 children during his lifetime." He's also been convicted of drug trafficking in Europe but also helped bring democracy to Suriname. He's been questioned on where he earned his wealth by some but also has a reputation for generosity. An example being he used to shower his supporters with money while in a helicopter overhead.

Suriname’s president, Chan Santokhi, hunted Brunswijk in the 80s as a police officer before the two joined forces politically. He built a reputation as a Robin Hood and would hand out money to people from robberies he would commit, per The New York Times.

He said his fortune came from timber and gold-mining concessions he obtained after the war and not a drug ring but used his wealth to get into politics. His efforts were in vain on Tuesday, however, with Inter Moengotapoe losing 6–0, and things took a turn after the match, with video circulating of Brunswijk handing out money to Olimpia players in the opposing locker room.[/QUOTE]

https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/09/22/suriname-vice-president-plays-in-soccer-match-at-60-years-old

It still gets better
[QUOTE]Brunswijk will be unable to play the second leg as he cannot leave Suriname, because he is wanted by Interpol for drug trafficking crimes.
[/QUOTE] https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2021/09/22/614b1d9746163f5a508b45ea.html

Some more facts about him here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/pstc1y/claudio_martinez_historical_unusual_ronnie/hdsur93/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
[QUOTE]Some other facts about this:

• He hasn't played in a sanctioned match for about 10 years .
• He has fathered at least 50 children, including his son Damian who started the match at striker.
• After being hospitalized with COVID-19, he donated 3 cars to hospital nurses who had no transportation.
• In June 2012, he was suspended for 1 year because he behaved violently towards the referee and a player in football match
• The disciplinary committee of the Surinamese Football Association suspended him for five years because he threatened some players with a handgun during a match in 2005, but the suspension was retracted due to lack of evidence.
• In 2007, he beat up a member of the Surinamese legislature during an event which was broadcast on live television.
• Let’s talk about his younger life. In 1980, he served as the personal bodyguard of Dési Bouterse and helped overthrew the government in a military coup.
• In 1985, after being discharged, he formed a rebel guerilla military group and commanded the group against Bouterse's forces in a 6-year-long civil war.
• The Dutch government accused him of cocaine trafficking and in 1999 he was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison
• He has remained active in politics since the civil war and was elected Vice President in an uncontested election in 2020.
• He will most likely be unable to play in the return leg in Honduras, as he is a convicted bank robber, drug trafficker, and, most importantly, an internationally wanted fugitive with an active Interpol arrest warrant.
• [Edit: Video was streamed tonight from Olimpia's locker room that appears to show Ronnie Brunswijk giving people in the locker room cash. He also leaves with an Olimpia shirt.]
  [TWEET]https://twitter.com/ArnoldcommaJon/status/1440521162182692866[/TWEET]

Say what you will about the dude but you can't say he hasn't lived his life to the fullest![/QUOTE]

After reading all that I am a bit surprised that he isn't in Dos Equis commercials in Suriname.

[narduch]

6 minutes ago, Kent said:

After reading all that I am a bit surprised that he isn't in Dos Equis commercials in Suriname.

I don't always play soccer,  but when I do its Concacaf 

[-Hammer-]

Great work by Forge to keep the clean sheet. An away draw lets them advance.

[JamboAl]

Hot off the presses: both Inter Moengotapoe and Olimpia have been booted from the competition.

https://www.concacaf.com/concacaf-league/article/concacaf-statement-regarding-inter-moengo-tapoe-and-cd-olimpia/?fbclid=IwAR2MrJW_Gv_hUPoukheUKzEJOU_vcMTcD4X-ruIYYMT-blQ38AKy_3PWQjg

[narduch]

20 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Hot off the presses: both Inter Moengotapoe and Olimpia have been booted from the competition.

https://www.concacaf.com/concacaf-league/article/concacaf-statement-regarding-inter-moengo-tapoe-and-cd-olimpia/?fbclid=IwAR2MrJW_Gv_hUPoukheUKzEJOU_vcMTcD4X-ruIYYMT-blQ38AKy_3PWQjg

That's a pretty big blow for Olimpia. They were 2020 Champions League semi finalists.

I wonder if there will be further sanctions. Like another year off.

[Jedi Ram]

Now that both teams have been kicked off the competition...

What does it mean for the rest of the tournament ? Winner of Guastatoya or Alajuelense gets a straight path to the semis and essentially guarantee a berth into Champions League ?  

How much as Forge's chances improved of qualifying for the Champions League given that there are now essentially 7 teams left in QF ? Unlike last year, there is no playoff from losing QF to play for the last 2 berths, it is based on standings with usual tiebreakers.