| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Jan 02 2003 : 7:01:35 PM
2002: accomplishment and success both on the field and off for CONCACAF
30.12.02 - What a year it's been for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean. From the re-election of Jack A. Warner to a fourth team as CONCACAF President, to the tremendous success of the Confederation's representatives in Korea/Japan, to the wildly popular FIFA World Under-19 Women's Championship in Canada, to the possibility of a fourth place for the next World Cup, 2002 has been a year of amazing achievement both on the field and off.
As we close out 2002 and look forward to next year, here's a recap of some of the events that made news around the Confederation this year
JANUARY: The year kicks off with a bang as the sixth edition of the Confederation's signature event, the 2002 FC Gold Cup, begins in Pasadena, California and Miami, Florida. The event attracts incredible media interest with five FIFA World Cup finalists in the field - with more than 1,000 media members (including from a majority of the World Cup countries). But it's the unfancied nations that cause the biggest waves early: Martinique nearly reaches the semifinals, losing on penalties to Canada, while Haiti loses to Costa Rica on a golden goal in the quarterfinals.
FEBRUARY: In what is to bode well for the Confederation's entrants in Korea/Japan, the USA wins their second FC Gold Cup championship, knocking off Costa Rica in the final. A team that just narrowly missed out on reaching the World Cup - Honduras - shows the strength of the Confederation by destroying World Cup-bound Slovenia 5:1 in Hong Kong. And the first FIFA GOAL Project facility to be completed in the region is inaugurated in the Bahamas.
MARCH: For the first time ever in the region, the England F.A. International License Course for coaches is held at the Dr João Havelange Centre of Excellence in Trinidad & Tobago, one of the few times in history it's held away from England. Coaches from 18 countries in the Confederation pass the course. The first round of the reinvigorated CONCACAF Champions Cup is held and holds pretty much true-to-form, though LD Alajuelense knocks off four-time previous champion Club América, and CSD Comunicaciones eliminates D.C. United.
APRIL: CONCACAF Jack A. Warner is re-elected to a fourth term as President of the Confederation with a clear mandate, winning by a margin of 36-2 (one abstention) at the XXIII Ordinary Congress in Miami Beach, Florida. The membership of the Confederation increased to 40 with the admission of two associate members in Saint-Martin (French) and Sint-Maarten (Netherlands), and Jim Fleming of Canada and Dr. Jacques Rugard of Guadeloupe are named to the CONCACAF Hall of Fame. A watershed event occurs on Montserrat with the opening of the FIFA GOAL Project on the island devastated by volcanic eruption a few short years earlier; GOAL facilities are also inaugurated on Haiti, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
MAY: The first-ever Confederation championship for under-19 women is held on Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA and Mexico finish atop their groups to qualify for the inaugural FIFA World Under-19 Women's Championship. The three CONCACAF teams in FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan - Costa Rica, Mexico and the USA - put the finishing touches on their buildups to the biggest single sporting event on Earth. The day before the FIFA World Cup begins, Joseph S. Blatter is re-elected FIFA President, thanks in no small part to the Confederation's unwavering support of his candidacy.
JUNE: CONCACAF teams start the FIFA World Cup in rampaging fashion, unbeaten in their first games, and the USA and Mexico reach the second round. Costa Rica is unlucky not to go through, losing out on goal difference in the real "group of death" to eventual champion Brazil and third-place finisher Turkey. The USA and Mexico are drawn against each other in the round-of-16, the USA winning 2:0 to set up a matchup with Germany, losing by the narrowest of margins to the eventual World Cup runner-up. Still, the U.S. performance is widely hailed, and midfielder Claudio Reyna becomes the first U.S. player ever named to the FIFA All-Star team.
JULY: On the day of the FIFA World Cup final, the "Other Final" is taking place in Thimphu between the two bottom-ranked teams in the FIFA World Ranking - Bhutan defeating Montserrat 4:0. The completion of the World Cup means the cycle begins anew with qualifying across a number of competitions - Under-17 and Under-20, Women's Gold Cup, Champions Cup. The Gold Cup is also moved to the summer months, beginning in 2003, and the qualifying road begins there too: Grenada knocking off Saint-Martin and Guadeloupe defeating Puerto Rico.
AUGUST: In qualifying for the 2002 FC Women's Gold Cup, a pair of countries - Panama and U.S. Virgin Islands - play their first-ever full internationals in women's football. The USVI loses both legs in their series against Suriname, but Panama amazingly qualifies for the finals. The inaugural FIFA World Under-19 Women's Championship kicks off in western Canada, and it's an amazing hit, with turnaway crowds in the two British Columbia venues.
SEPTEMBER: The Under-19 championship concludes with an all-CONCACAF final, Lindsay Tarpley's golden goal giving the USA a 1:0 victory against Canada before a sellout crowd of 47,784 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta. Even the referee was from CONCACAF: Dianne Ferreira-James of Guyana. A few weeks later Walter Silvani's goal was the only in the final as CF Pachuca won their first continental honor, defeating CA Monarcas Morelia to win the all-Mexican final in the Champions' Cup.
OCTOBER: Bruce Arena and Alexandre Guimaraes, who led the USA and Costa Rica respectively to the World Cup finals, address the Confederation's World Cup symposium attended by 66 coaches, the "most powerful collection of football brainpower ever assembled at the Centre of Excellence," says President Warner. FIFA GOAL Projects in Turks and Caicos Islands and Cuba are inaugurated. And President Warner leads the charge against a pair of decisions taken concerning referees - that they are removed from the international list at age 45 and that trios of referees in the next World Cup must come from the same countries - both are which are amended by year's end.
Football in Panama bursts onto the world stage: First, they qualify for the FIFA World Youth Championship, the first Panamanian side ever to reach a world championship. Also, Deportivo Arabe Unido of Panama defeats Nicaragua's FC Deportivo Jalapa 19:0, not only the largest-ever victory in the 41 years of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but also the largest recorded in official international club competitions. Finally, the Women's Gold Cup kicks off, deciding the Confederation's entrants for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003.
NOVEMBER: The USA maintains its unbeaten record in CONCACAF Women's Championships in dramatic style, Mia Hamm's golden goal giving the USA a 2:1 victory against Canada in the final of the FC Women's Gold Cup. Both teams had already clinched their places in FIFA Women's World Cup China PR 2003; Mexico earned the right to a playoff against the third-place Asian team by knocking off Costa Rica in the consolation. The USA and Canada also qualify for another World Championship at the Under-20 men's level, finishing 1-2 in the second final qualifier. FIFA President Blatter visits the Confederation in a whirlwind tour of Mexico and El Salvador while also inaugurating GOAL Projects in Guatemala and Belize.
DECEMBER: El Salvador begins the month by winning the gold medal in the XIX Central American and Caribbean Games - their first football gold since 1954. The year ends with a pair of great victories for the Confederation: The USA's Mia Hamm is named the women's FIFA Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, while the Confederation is awarded an extra half-place for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the fourth-place qualifier heading into a playoff with the fifth-best Asian team.
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| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Karl |
Posted - Jan 02 2003 : 8:11:20 PM
Confederation Administration
17.12.02 - CONCACAF President Warner vows: 'We can beat Asia'
12.12.02 - CONCACAF President Warner repeats claim for, and confidence in, additional FIFA World Cup place
10.12.02 - President Warner pledges lifetime commitment to paralyzed player
02.12.02 - Sports medicine workshop completed at Centre of Excellence
14.11.02 - CONCACAF participation in FIFA GOAL Project reaches 29 members
28.10.02 - CONCACAF protests 'worst refereeing decision of all time'
21.10.02 - CONCACAF to push for longer 'life' for top referees
16.10.02 - President Warner, General Secretary Blazer headline CONCACAF appointees to FIFA standing committees
11.10.02 - CONCACAF ends current process of Mexican clubs entry into Copa Libertadores
08.10.02 - CONCACAF World Cup Symposium attracts “powerful collection of football brainpower”
30.09.02 - Warner calls upon workshop participants to raise game’s profile
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