5️⃣ Five things I'm thinking after the October window
From Guatemalan grief in League A to Trident triumphs in League C - some thoughts from the Concacaf Nations League
Club action has already resumed in some places, but let’s take a look back at the October window. The international games come fast and furious during these three consecutive fall windows, and basically everyone will be playing official matches again
Before we jump to November and start sending emails that say things like ‘Let’s connect in the new year’ or ‘Maybe one for after the holidays’, here’s a look back at five thoughts I have from October’s international break:
🇨🇭Swiss-System strikes again in League A
Concacaf once again opted to utilize the “Swiss system” borrowed from chess to determine which teams would advance to the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. This allows the big teams to get a bye and select their own opposition during the September and October windows - something they generally want to do so they can face competition more likely to prepare them for the World Cup.
But it also means a bizarre system for teams outside that top four.
Everyone knew the way the system would work heading into the tournament, so perhaps there can be no real complaints. Still, this is the second consecutive time that it has produced results that will feel extremely harsh to the teams left out.
Guatemala and Nicaragua both finished level on points with the second place team in League A, falling on goal difference. Los Chapines, in particular, have a case that their path was much more difficult than that of Suriname, which ended up advancing and will meet Canada in the quarterfinals.
While both Guatemala and Suriname played Guyana away (and won by multiple goals), Suriname also hosted Guyana, getting two dates with the Golden Jaguars while Guatemala had to face perennial regional power Costa Rica twice.
“After the first goal, I think we got anxious and started rushing things,” Guatemala manager Luis Fernando Tena said after the 3-0 loss to Costa Rica that sealed his team’s fate. “Costa Rica took advantage of that well, and the scoreboard speaks for itself that Costa Rica was better than we were.”
But Guatemala and Suriname never played head-to-head, so the scoreboard didn’t speak on that one.
Neither did it speak in Group B, where Honduras and Nicaragua were two ships passing in the night, and Los Catrachos’ big win against Trinidad and Tobago stood as the difference.
At least in this case, I’d argue Honduras’ path was more difficult than Nicaragua’s. But, still. We like to see as much as possible decided on the field. Kneecapping some of the region’s up-and-coming teams by pitting them against the group favorite doesn’t exactly gel with that ethos.
Credit to Costa Rica and Jamaica for doing what they were supposed to do and avoiding defeat to win their groups. Credit to Honduras and Suriname for getting through. I just wish the playing field felt more level.
🎭 Play-in an interesting idea on paper … will it pan out?
The Nations League was designed, in part, to help teams play regular, official matches. It was something sorely lacking in the region, with teams often going four years between World Cup qualification cycles and never playing a game.
The play-in, which puts League C champions (and one runner-up) with League A stragglers (the two teams which are getting relegated) to see who gets places in the Gold Cup prelims
The distance between League A and League C should be pretty great, but these teams are all about to get smashed together in League B anyway.
Perhaps strangely enough, I feel pretty strongly that both non-FIFA members Guadeloupe and French Guiana should be able to handle their series but am intrigued by Cuba’s series with St. Kitts and Nevis and curious to see the real Barbados (see thought five).
These games could be fun. They could be total mismatches. They might be contests these teams felt they needed. They could be thorns in the sides.
I don’t know! I think it’s neat to try and am glad to see more matches for teams that historically have needed to have those scheduled for them.
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico’s performances fall short of expectations
Puerto Rico has painted itself as a rising power, pulling players from MLS academies, the USL, and even the reserve teams of some of the top clubs in La Liga.
Its depth was tested in the October window, however. Real Madrid Castilla forward Jeremy de León is still recovering from an injury, and Leandro Antonetti also was not in the October call-up. Manager Charlie Trout named just five defenders for the contests.
And, the test of depth largely failed.
Chovanie Amatkarijo stood out for Sint Maarten in the first meeting, scoring from open play and converting from the penalty spot late to make it 3-1. Puerto Rico found a stoppage-time goal but fell 3-2.
Puerto Rico did bounce back from the defeat with a 2-1 win that puts it ahead of Sint Maarten in the table thanks only to goal difference.
It’s tough to see anyone beating Haiti, which is quietly smashing everything in its path back to League A, so games against Aruba could be the decider in whose quest for the Gold Cup continues and whose ends in November.
Also, as far as I know we have no idea where those matches will be played. Haiti is set to ‘host’, but that won’t happen with gang violence still affecting everyday life there.
Haiti will make its fourth consecutive Gold Cup. Whether Puerto Rico can join them will depend on if the Huracan Azul can harness its talent and get the results that should come with it.
🇱🇨 Stern defeat puts Saint Lucia on the brink
Everything was going right for Saint Lucia. After Stern John’s men upset Curacao and toppled Grenada in September, the team headed home for a pair of contests against Saint Martin - the team projected to finish last and be relegated to League C.
The first contest was tougher than expected. Axel Raga, the Saint Martin forward previously featured in this newsletter, opened the scoring with a shot outside the box after a quick change in possession. But a header from Caniggia Elva leveled the score and just after a near-miss from Saint Martin on a break Elva found a left-footed winner for a 2-1 victory.
The second? Well…
This time, Saint Martin opened the scoring and never stopped, beating Saint Lucia 4-0 in one of the wildest turnarounds in a two-game stretch in recent memory.
“I think they prepared well for us,” John told the Saint Lucia Times. “We just never moved the ball well through the line. I thought we could have moved the ball better than we did. We gave away the ball a couple of times and it cost us.
“We have two more games to play for in November, so we have to rebuild and come again.”
One of those matches is against Grenada and the finale is against host Curacao, which drew one and won one of its contests with Grenada.
While Saint Lucia will, at worst, stay in League B this time around, it had an inside track to a first-ever Gold Cup qualification.
That’s still possible, but the shock loss makes things much tougher than they’d hoped.
🇧🇧 What’s Barbados’ level, anyway?
A play-in tilt against Guyana may tell us, but it’s hard to tell how seriously to take the Bajan Tridents.
They ran away with Group A, finishing with a +13 goal difference after 5-0 and 6-2 victories in the October window.
But before that not only had Barbados been relegated from League B, it wasn’t winning in any other competitions either.
A 3-2 win over the Bahamas in September snapped an eight-match losing streak with the team going more than a year without a victory. And between the pandemic and this edition of the CNL, Barbados had two wins, 18 losses and five draws.
What’s different in the turnaround? “Honestly, it’s the players. We just help them to tap into what they have,” a modest manager Kent Hall said. “We had everyone on the bench rooting for everyone on the field to score, and that is huge. Everyone wants to play.
“It’s really disappointing when you don’t get the opportunity, so for players who didn’t to be on the bench cheering them on I think is testament to maybe the biggest ingredient.”
Maybe so, but it’s clear Hall is doing something right. That atmosphere will be more difficult to maintain, though, against the stiffer competition coming.
Have a great weekend. Speak to premium subscribers Monday about the Clásico Regio plus other happenings around the region in the Conca-catch-up!
Dear Sir. Please let me point out how Concacaf has NOT correctly borrowed the "swiss" tournament system from chess. They don't understand it.
The "swiss" system works to rank contestants in a league format without having all contestants play each other because in each round of games contestants are paired against a player just above or below them in ranking. Further, the rankings are re-ordered after every round! THIS LAST PART IS MASSIVELY IMPORTANT and CONCACAF IS NOT DOING IT. They are not using the Swiss system used in Chess. Concacaf has not used the most elemental and important part of the Swiss system. What Concacaf is doing is fundamentally unfair and without sporting merit.
I am hoping that your reporting can bring some attention to Concacaf leaders that they are earning for themselves well deserved derision. Please avoid reporting their propaganda that they are using the Swiss system from chess.