The rest after this ad
The 2022 World Cup, hosted in Qatar last December, saw Argentina overthrow defending champion France in an epic final that required extra time and a penalty shootout. A competition which was also an opportunity for Qatar to, symbolically, hand over the keys to the next World Cup to the following three organizing countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. These three selections, which have, to different degrees, marked the recent history of world football with an certainly irregular but growing evolution, are eager to jointly organize this world tournament, while Mexico (1970, 1986) and the United States (1994) have already been named host country of a FIFA World Cup. Hosting an event of this magnitude very often brings positives – and negatives – but on a sporting and cultural level, it almost always represents a necessary boost for countries seeking sporting renewal. And these three major countries, members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF), are betting a lot on this 2026 World Cup.
Surfing on its beautiful Qatari epic, continuing its reconstruction with difficulty or beginning a new transition to rediscover its glorious hours? The three national selections already have completely different sporting objectives in this post-2022 World Cup period. But the United States, Canada and Mexico share a major common point: the desire to make North America and central an important place in world football. Moreover, it is no coincidence that CONCACAF is trying, by all means, to make its product explode, either by allying with the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to organize an XXL Copa Libertadores and an original Copa América, either by relying on the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami with the meteoric growth of the American championship from an economic and cultural point of view. For Mexico, this World Cup is an opportunity to restore the nobility of Mexican ball, a pioneer in its field on a regional scale, to restructure its championship.
Read CdM 2034: Saudi Arabia could face competition from 4 countries
Promising Yanks
During the last World Cup, organized in Qatar, the United States had a good run, qualifying for the round of 16 of the competition. If the Netherlands were too strong an opponent to pursue the dream (3-1), the Qatari epic remains a clear success for the country of Uncle Sam, leaving Group B made up of England, the Iran and Wales. While the beautiful generation of the 2000s (Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore, Carlos Bocanegra) is only a distant memory, Americans have nevertheless invested well in football – soccer – in recent years . The level of Major League Soccer has nevertheless evolved significantly and the best times, driven by the arrival of Lionel Messi, should arrive. Several young players have quickly caught the eyes of European clubs in recent years: Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund), Taylor Booth (Ultrecht), Joe Scally (Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Caden Clark (Leipzig) , Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Josh Sargent (Norwich) and Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) to name but a few. We must not forget to add executives, in the prime of their career, already well integrated and performing well in Europe such as Timothy Weah, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, Sergiño Dest, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie. On June 16, 2023, the US Soccer federation announced that coach Gregg Berhalter, who saw his contract expire in December 2022 after the World Cup, would return as coach of the United States until the 2026 World Cup. athletic director Matt Crocker cited “Berhalter’s vision, experience and growth mindset on and off the field to drive the team forward”.
The rest after this ad
Canucks lagging behind
A little further north of America, we find Canada which experienced its first World Cup, during the edition in Qatar, since the one organized in Mexico in 1986. It was also only the second time for the story that the Canucks participated in this great world football festival. If Canada has been, for a very long time, a discreet, if not invisible, nation on the international football scene – or even continental since they have only won two Gold Cups in their history (1985 and 2000), i.e. a more than small countries like Haiti, Guatemala or Honduras. Canada has not played in a final for over 20 years. Nevertheless, the Reds have been able to surround themselves with world-class players in recent years, including the duo Alphonso Davies – Jonathan David clearly representing the central core around which to develop the team’s play. Because yes, unlike its American neighbor, Canada does not have completely solid foundations since the British coach John Herdman left to join Toronto FC so it is the deputy Mauro Biello who is still in charge today. The current state of the federation – including financial difficulties – could restrict the search for the next coach. But there are still a few realistic candidates who could be targeted by the federation. Not only will there be a home World Cup in 2026, but there will be crucial Nations League quarter-finals in November. Winning this home-and-away match would book Canada a spot at the 2024 Copa América, meaning more possible dates against elite countries the national team dreams of.
A vengeful Tri
It is certainly the largest selection in the CONCACAF zone. There is no longer any need to present Mexico on the football world but the glorious days are struggling to emerge again. Since the departure of Colombian tactician Juan Carlos Osorio in 2019, it was Tata Martino who had the difficult task of bringing renewal to this Mexican selection, thus definitively turning the page on past historical figures like Chicharito Hernandez, Rafael Márquez or even Giovani dos Santos. After a relatively disappointing World Cup in Qatar, marked by an elimination in Group C behind Argentina and Poland, it was time for change with the departure of Tata Martino and the arrival of Jaime Lozano on the bench. A choice which seems to be bearing fruit, for the moment, since the Tri won the Gold Cup by beating Panama (1-0) in the final. But unfortunately, the only difference compared to Canada and the United States lies in the management players. Indeed, apart from Hirving Lozano (PSV), few elements play in major European clubs, used to playing major competitions like the Champions League and the Europa League. The other problem is the training of young people who, for the most part, now remain in Major League Soccer (MLS) and are expatriating less and less to Europe. The 2026 World Cup is not tomorrow and the Liga MX has always been a respected championship but Mexico must quickly find a golden generation to avoid a drama at home (Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico) and this will probably happen by making Santiago responsible Giménez (22 years old, Feyenoord) who shows great things in the Eredivisie.
Pub. 10/13/2023 3:03 p.m. Updated 10/13/2023 3:20 p.m.
2023-10-13 13:03:54
#United #States #Canada #Mexico #organizers #actively #developing
