According to Reuters UK, CONCACAF is close to starting their own new Nations League.
The potential competition, which could begin in September 2018, would be similar to UEFA’s Nations League beginning at the same time. There is no formal agreement, yet, but one could be announced soon.
The structure of the competition is still to be determined, but the idea is to replace friendlies with actual competitive matches.
UEFA’s Nations League is going to feature four divisions with promotion and relegation between them and opportunities to qualify for the European Championships every four years.
Option A – Bring in Conmebol and make it the “Pan American League” or something like that. Conbmebol is in the same boat once UEFA starts up its nations league and will need friendlies too, might as well make it a cash grab too. They may even want to play matches in the USA for the money. See what Conmebol wants and work something out.
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Option B – If Option A is off, petition UEFA to be admitted as a guest to Europe’s nations league and use our European based players to make up the bulk of the roster for games over there and use mainly NA players for games in the US. This would give us meaningful friendlies and allow us to get looks at a lot more players both in European and NA against quality competition on a real pitch instead of Concacaf hacks, refs, and cow pastures. This would depend on how large they allow the full roster to be and various roster rules.
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Option C – Refuse to join the Concacaf only version. This is a must if some other alternative isn’t worked out. Nothing will set our style of play back more than having to play constantly against thugs with bad refs on overgrown cow pastures in empty stadiums. If we refuse to join it would die. Nobody wants to watch a nations league group of US, Hondurus, Haiti, Martinque, Guatamela, and Curaco, I mean other than us diehards who never miss a match what casual soccer fan is going to tune in and watch. We’d be better off scrimmaging IMO.
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Option D – If only UEFA forms this type of league there still would be quality teams in CAF, AFC and Conmebol who need to schedule friendlies that we could pair up with when needed. However, if a second Confederation forms a league then it forces the rest to do something. We’re better off not forcing everyone’s hand by being the second confederation to form a league and better off seeing what happens.
JoeD- I think you nailed it. The question is whether US Soccer is willing to stand up for itself. Just because we’ve been in a down cycle result-wise doesn’t mean we don’t have the biggest voice in the region. Our stadiums are home fields for basically every country in the world. If SA players are willing to travel back from Europe, then the flight to the East Coast is an even easier flight.
Don’t forget testimonial matches when players retire. these games should be competitive at the highest level with a chance for qualification for a European cup on the line or it’s a joke.
LOL
So we’re going to Tier up and only play Mexico, CR, & Honduras until the end of time?
Silverrey: that appears to be our plan, sadly. I don’t blame UEFA for going this route (geography-wise and competitive-wise), but USSF should be coming up with a better alternative than this crap…
With FIFA restrictions on travel during international breaks and UEFA going this route options are limited. Trying to work out a joint agreement with CONMEBOL would seem the best choice, but not much in it for South American squads.
That’s a lot of whining from the fifth best team in the region.
This news is a close second to USMNT not qualifying for the world cup… Can we at least talk to Conmebol about doing a joint thing…?
For realz. With some tweaks we could put together a better version of the Euros here in the States.
Instead let’s play still more competitive matches against CONCACAF opponents, officiated by CONCACAF officials like the ones who just put Panama in the World Cup by awarding a phantom goal and who let them hack at will against US players, for the chance to play in Europe every four years?
Remind me again why Gulati still has the mandate to make decisions like this for us, especially considering he just presided over the worst epic disaster in US soccer in the last 30 years.
Exactly Quozzel, bad idea to join this if it happens. If Conmebol wants in great, but no Conmebol no deal. Nothing will set our style of play back more than having to constantly play against thugs and hacks who won’t be called for red cardable offenses on overgrown cow pastures. You can’t play the game the way it should be played in these conditions, it worse enough we have to do it every four years in WCQ but more of it would be setting us up permanently to adopt this sort of style of play ourselves to adapt to that sort of environment. Its good for Concacaf but that style of play will never get us to WC semifinal or final, its more likely to cause our players to have an unrealistic view of what is and what is not a foul and cardable offense often leading to us receiving cards we don’t understand at the WC but the rest of the world would view as a just call.
Come on.
You got to be kidding me.
Ok I get you guys don’t seem to think there is any value in doing this but it’s not like they have a choice. South American isn’t going to join this and with Europe doing what they are doing there wouldn’t be any friendlies anyway. So what should they do just sit and do nothing?
That actually is my choice. Nothing. It is too much. All of these money making opportunities, just cant be passed up. It is too much.
I guess you can make the case that there will be no one to play friendlies again, so no training in game situations. Good point ( by me ).