CONCACAF ’s oddities have struck once again. The Confederation that has done some odd things through the years (most notably the re-branding of the entity as the Football Confederation about ten years ago) has once again done something that seems from the perspective of someone who watches a lot of football, quite odd.

The decision to allow a special exemption for the US add seven players just two days before the tournament begins is bizarre. This allows the USA to carry a squad of 30 players while the other 11 qualified nations carry a 23 man squad. Additionally, the US is permitted to shuttle players back and forth between their club sides and the national team under this newly adopted rule which preceded the tournaments kickoff by under 72 hours.

I love this event that gives smaller nations, who are never going to qualify for the World Cup an attempt to qualify for this tournament. Haiti’s one World Cup appearance in 1974 is likely to be their last, but the Caribbean nation has now qualified for consecutive Gold Cups for the first time ever. Grenada has qualified for the first ever Gold Cup this year and it is great to see the island nation with several familiar names in a meaningful tournament.

It is also great to see Nicaragua long the doormats of Central America qualify for this tournament over Guatemala who is missing only their second Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup gets a bad wrap from football fans in the United States. No it is not the European Championships or the Copa America but it is our continental championship. Smaller nations as noted above put a great deal of emphasis on qualifying and when countries like Haiti or Nicaragua qualify it’s a big deal for those nations and their football federations.

I think that CONCACAF having spent lots of money promoting this event is risking losing the bi-annual payday. Mexico is sending a “B” squad much as they did in 2005 and the United States has called a squad reflective of the difficulty the USSF faces fielding competitive teams in two successive tournaments during the European/Mexican closed season.

CONCACAF was probably frightened by the prospect of lets say a Panama-Costa Rica final? Can you blame the Confederation for wanting to avoid this given the fact that the final will be held at 77,000 seat Giants Stadium?

But the other side is simple: Why should the United States be allowed to add seven more players all of whom participated in the Confederations Cup when Canada for instance didn’t call up several of their best players in deference to their club side? Honduras also has called a mixed squad of regulars and youngsters up for this tournament.

Had this rule change been adopted before the US participated in the Confederations Cup it would have been much more credible. The United States group opposition and potential knock out stage opposition could have prepared accordingly. The CSA for example could have struck a deal with Toronto FC to call in Dwayne DeRossario for knock out stage games, by naming him to the tournament roster but allowing him to stay at BMO Field for the time being.

Additionally, Bob Bradley who is under intense pressure to perform and juggle players in two tournaments and their club commitments could have prepared better for both events by naming a squad of players that initially incorporated the additional players. Mexico, knowing the situation could have made a decision whether or not to call such an inexperienced squad based on knowing that the US as reigning CONCACAF Champions would have seven extra spots.

I am a firm supporter of the Gold Cup. Unlike many other football fans and pundits I see a lot of value in the tournament. But truthfully, the Gold Cup worked much better as a January/February event which it was in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002. It didn’t conflict with the MLS season and the Mexican League generally made provisions to release their players for the competition.

If CONCACAF wants to continue having the tournament every two years perhaps they should shift it back to February as it was for years. Sure this would eliminate some top European based players (unless FIFA mandates their clubs release them as they do for the African Nations Cup) but would eliminate these scheduling issues with other tournaments, including the Copa America which Mexico will compete in again in 2011.

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This CONCACAF Gold Cup will be contested by watered down squads from the two traditional CONCACAF heavyweights, the USA and Mexico. Additionally, the failure of Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala to qualify for this edition of the event opened the field up.

Guadeloupe, a surprise package to everyone but myself two years ago (I actually believed Guadeloupe could make the final two years ago before the event and they almost did) returns with another strong team as does Jamaica who missed qualification in 2007.

Canada is always strong in this event thanks largely because the chaos of their federation doesn’t preclude decent runs in short tournaments. It is World Cup Qualifying where the overall disaster that is the CSA makes its mark on Canadian Football.

Costa Rica has sent a good team to this competition but the Ticos hardly ever play well away from Saprissa and are in what is easily the toughest group. Jamaica hasn’t lost a competitive match since last September winning its last three World Cup qualifiers before being eliminated on goal difference and then running the table in Gold Cup qualifying.

Mexico under Javier Aguirre is trying to get younger in a hurry and is using the Gold Cup as a laboratory.  Veterans Gerrado Torrado and Omar Bravo are on the team as are young starlets Gio Dos Antos and Carlos Vela. But also are on the team are Israel Martinez, Pablo Barrera, Jose Cardenas, Efrain Juarez, Luis Noriega and Edgar Duenas, all of whom had never been capped for Mexico prior to this summer.

Mexico has chosen to omit Rafa Marquez, Pavel Pardo, Carlos Salcido, Ricardo Osorio, Guille Franco, and just about every other Mexican over the age of 22 who has actually accomplished anything in European club football.

Nicaragua has qualified for its first Gold Cup in history knocking traditional participant Guatemala out in Central American qualifying. They will however find their first tournament difficult.

Panama got to the final in 2005, and reached the knock out stages in 2007.  But then shockingly the Panamanians didn’t get out of their first round of World Cup qualifying and have since suffered a huge crisis of confidence. Playing in the Gold Cup can help to erase the painful memories of last year’s World Cup qualifying failure.

The USA comes off a remarkable run to the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup while a watered down Honduran squad faces the adversity of political instability back home. Could this open the door for Haiti or Grenada? Possibly, though it is unlikely.

Nations in bold are picked to advance to the knock out stages of the tournament.

GROUP A

Venues: Los Angeles, Columbus, Miami

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1- JAMAICA

2- CANADA

3- COSTA RICA

4-     EL SALVADOR

This is the group of death without question. Any of the four sides could win the group and any could finish last.

GROUP B

Venues: Seattle, Washington D.C., Foxborough

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1- USA

2- HONDURAS

3-     HAITI

4-     GRENADA

GROUP C

Venues: Oakland, Houston, Phoenix

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1- MEXICO

2- GUADELOUPE

3- PANAMA

4-     NICARAGUA

Predicted Final: USA 2 Mexico 1 AET.

For full coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, please continue to visit Major League Soccer Talk during the tournament.

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