It's time to make Getting CONCACAFed a good thing
Getting CONCACAFed isn't just about the refs screwing you over any more...
Welcome to Getting CONCACAFed, the new newsletter from me, Jon Arnold!
If you know what the term “Getting CONCACAFed,” means, well, you’re in the right place, friend.
Better hit this button now so you don’t miss the first full issue:
If you haven’t experienced Getting CONCACAFed before, you’re still welcome here. Soccer nerds in North America, Central America and the Caribbean have been using the term for years to refer to a game in which something inexplicable happens - usually a referee’s decision, sometimes timewasting antics, overly physical play or even tactics - that causes your team to suffer an adverse result you simply have to put down to being a part of this wacky region that is Concacaf.
It’s strange, isn’t it? Concacaf?
While you can explain other confederations by their continents (UEFA=Europe, CONMEBOL=South America), Concacaf’s name is unwieldy because the confederation is unwieldy.
The name reflects this jumble of cultures and stories. “Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.” I mean, what do we do with that? Hell, we even have three members that technically should be South American, but CONMEBOL doesn’t want them. It’s OK. We are the confederation for leftovers, for soccer rejects.
Not to say everyone is unwanted. You’ve got an absolute powerhouse in Mexico smashed into the same World Cup qualification process as some place called Anguilla (with a population, 14,731, that would make it unremarkable even as a suburb of a major U.S. city). You have soccer-mad nations with rich histories in the sport like El Salvador clashing with relative neophytes to the sport on the international level.
The mish-mash has allowed for some of the worst elements of society to take advantage of the system. Past Concacaf officials have been involved in shameful scandals, choosing to line their own pockets with money intended to grow the sport we love in those nations mentioned up above that need help if they’re ever going to catch up to Mexico, Costa Rica, or the U.S.
But it’s also created so many special moments. The final day of 2014 World Cup qualification, Haiti getting to the 2019 Gold Cup semifinals, upset runs in the Concacaf Champions League, women’s teams absolutely neglected by their federations somehow qualifying for Concacaf championships or the World Cup.
I unironically love Concacaf. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s ours. It’s the local football we have to support.
I know a lot of people in the region want to talk about Real Madrid or Arsenal or Bayern Munich or Brazil or England or France. I like those things too. But this will be a place where we unapologetically dive into the footballing and cultural depths of this wonderful region.
Wait, who are you again?
I’m Jon Arnold. I’m not as serious as I look in that mugshot.
I’ve covered Concacaf for a shocking amount of time at this point, back into the days of Warner and Blazer. I’ve spent the last 6+ years writing about soccer in the region with a special focus on Mexico for Goal.
I also serve as the Concacaf expert on the BBC’s World Football Phone-In, answering your questions about the region in between taking abuse for my American accent.
So what’s up with this newsletter?
I’m starting this newsletter because there are so many more stories to tell than I was able to write at Goal or can get asked about in the two hour blocks during the WFPI (which I love doing and will continue to do for as long as they’ll have me).
Each week I’ll publish around two newsletters, and you’ll smile when it comes into your inbox and read it right away or save it for later.
Every edition will have:
Thoughts on the biggest stories in the region, like World Cup qualification contests and Concacaf Champions League matches
Things you may have missed during the week, like an absolute golazo in the Costa Rican league or a critical piece of Trinidad and Tobago’s squad going down with an injury in the Maltese League (don’t worry, Matthew Woo Ling is fine, this is just an example).
A look back on a player or moment from Concacaf history we may have forgotten or simply will enjoy thinking about and talking about.
That’s in addition to discussion threads, occasional post-match columns and whatever else pops into my mind. You can get it all in your inbox by clicking below:
Tell your friends, your enemies, your group chats, your rec league teammates, your barber, your neighbors, your Tinder matches, your co-workers, your family members, everyone. This is gonna be good.
Let’s Get CONCACAFed together.