Men's Soccer Thread

[agibson]

Longish reply typed, thought twice about, and instead a query sent to the compliance office. 

You guys may have to continue to represent, without me!

[agibson]

[tweet]574939090078011393[/tweet]

Following their Cayman success, a big big congrats to Nico Campbell and Ramone Howell for being selected to represent Jamaica in Caribbean Olympic Qualifying - they open Wednesday against Santa Lucia. News has been a little hard to come by - I found a roster, but had to put together positions on my own.  Seems like Nico has a good shot at the start, but it's a little hard to tell.  Ramone might be facing some stiffer competition - but great to be named to the team, in any case.

Oddly enough I see that Curacao, in their group, withdrew - now it's best of three teams round robin, and then the top team from the group needs one more win to qualify for broader CONCACAF Olympic qualifying competition.  (And that last step is what would tend to interfere with the VUMSO season - but i guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.)

[Manny]

Update: hear now it's an assistant from Valpo being considered for HPU job.

[agibson]

Oddly enough I see that Curacao, in their group, withdrew - now it's best of three teams round robin

I wonder what this does to the chances of legitimately finding the best team, of getting a fair outcome.  Seems like it can't help.

Two wins and you're good to go, of course.  But, otherwise, it seems there's a real chance of two teams tied on 4 points, or all three tied on 3 points.

Goal differential could be big.  Might be time for Nico to shine!  Not just the win, but the clean sheet could be important.

[VULB#62]

Update: hear now it's an assistant from Valpo being considered for HPU job.

That would probably be Kelly Altman who was an assistant at HPU in 2012 and then came to Valpo.

[valpotx]

Update: hear now it's an assistant from Valpo being considered for HPU job.

There would have been 0% chance that Avery would have left Valpo for a job at High Point.

[agibson]

I suspect news will be hard to come from re the Caribbean U23 Qualifiers.  I've pieced together a few bits and bobs, I'll try to throw them up if there's time.

For recent news, I see
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20150623/under-23s-eye-historic-olympic-berth
which notes that they're departing today for their island hop, and that Jamaica's never qualified for the Olympics (still a long row to hoe from here), and does the list 20 (19?) traveling players.   But without positions or clubs - I pieced that together somewhere.

Also nice to get a mention in the local paper
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/sports-digest-vu-s-campbell-howell-part-of-jamaican-u/article_eac540bb-e3ca-5de1-b659-ae3d1cdd9150.html

and in Valpo Life (is that the chamber of commerce?)
http://www.valpolife.com/sports/college-pro/54149-campbell-howell-join-up-with-jamaican-u23-squad-for-olympic-qualifying

As I mentioned, Curacao's dropped out, so two games to prove themselves.  It starts tomorrow!

[agibson]

I might add that the Oakland Jamaican player is _not_ on the list (and, if they've made cuts in the last week or so, he wasn't on the longer list recently called in to Jamaica, either). 

[agibson]

A few training and travel details up at
http://www.jamaicafootballfederation.com/v1/?p=12076
and nice to see something re the U23 team from the Olympics - it's been close to radio silence.

Gold Cup rosters are due today, and while I don't yet see Jamaica's, I did take a peek at their 35-man provisional (today's 23 has to be selected from that).  It looks like there are 6 U23-aged players on it, but only four of them are on the U23 qualifying roster for the competition kicking off tomorrow.  One looks to be possible competition for Ramone Howell, namely Omar Holness a MF who has been captain of Jamaican youth teams, spent some time with the senior team, etc.  So, no surprise if he's higher on the depth chart.  I don't even know where he plays in midfield.  None of the other three look like position-wise competition for our guys, assuming Jamaica uses Ramone as a midfielder.

(The US' 23-man Gold Cup roster _is_ out.  A very experience side!  A sharp contrast from the young sides they've bene taking to friendlies.  And that had two of the best US friendly victories ever in recent victories at the Netherlands and at Germany.)

[agibson]

A couple of nice pieces in the Jamaican Observer today
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Unpleasant-first-day-for-U-23-Boyz-in-Dom-Rep_19152516
(sounds like the stories you hear from US qualifying in CONCACAF, but with an extra dose Caribbean style, and probably writ large)
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Boyz-bubbly-going-into-opening-contest-against-St-Lucia_19152586

I -think- that's Nico wearing #1 at
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/11915901/GOALIES.jpg
which would suggest he's getting the start, which from what I could quickly guess from the roster, seemed to be at least plausible.

Game kicks off in three hours.  The real question - will we know the result today, or will it take longer for the news to break?

[agibson]

It is nice to see them getting some press.  Maybe it shouldn't be surprising, nor new.  I was getting a bit lazy in my old age and relying on Google News.  Which, a little to my surprise, seems to have no Jamaican or even Caribbean option.  But, not too hard to go to the local papers directly.

Hopefully it helps their coverage that the senior team is now eliminated from the Copa America.  (Flash forward four years... maybe eight... timing's not quite right but dream with me.  Nico Campbell in goal facing off against Messi!) They seem to have kept it respectable with three 1-0 losses: Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.  Mexico, the other guest from CONCACAF did a bit better agains probably weaker competition with two draws and a loss. Tough to navigate, for both, with the Gold Cup about to get started back in CONCACAF.

[agibson]

A piece yesterday as well
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Under-23-Boyz-confident-of-success-in-Dominican-Republic_19152332
and similarly from another Jamaica paper
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20150623/under-23s-eye-historic-olympic-berth

and a more complete writeup than I'd seen previously of the earlier game (March) against the Cayman senior team (a little underwhelming?)
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Late-flourish-sets-stage-for-U-23-Boyz-win---over-Cayman_18540388

Can't help it: one more organ.  The Star's article yesterday was same old, same old.  But, their piece before the Cayman game amuses me in that Nico got the Chilean spelling of Valparaiso (but Ramone, somehow, took the Indiana spelling)
http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20150307/sports/sports14.html
and an interesting phrase or two in their March post-game piece
http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20150313/sports/sports3.html

[VULB#62]

A couple of nice pieces in the Jamaican Observer today
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Unpleasant-first-day-for-U-23-Boyz-in-Dom-Rep_19152516
(sounds like the stories you hear from US qualifying in CONCACAF, but with an extra dose Caribbean style, and probably writ large)

Three thoughts: Could also be a function of the Jamaican federation budget.  Betcha, the federation does not have an advanceman who goes to the locations way ahead, inspects them, and then books in person. Hearing the other complaints, I'll also bet that they are saving money by staying at a 1 -2 star facility. Finally, being that I vacation a lot in the Caribbean, I have been a witness to and personally experienced Caribbean Time and 'No Problem mon." It's just the way it is.

[agibson]

Yeah, that all sounds about right.  The players include some pros: some Jamaican, some MLS or MLS aspirants, a couple of Europeans.  But, I bet the whole affair is pretty low budget.  The population of Jamaica's, what, a couple million? 

I have been a witness to and personally experienced Caribbean Time and 'No Problem mon." It's just the way it is.

Ironic that it's "locals", from my perspective at least, fallen victim to it!  Or, in this case, Jamaicans visiting the Dominican Republic.  A language barrier too, I suppose.

If this were the senior teams, I certainly wouldn't exclude gamesmanship.  Not sure if that extends to the U23's, or if someone like a hotel would have any reason to participate.

[agibson]

The Jamaica game's probably over by now.  And now the meta-game begins.  How long until we know the score?  It's like #lastMan in reverse.  #firstMan.

@AntiguaFA gets the points for most-active on twitter.  Live tweeting the whole of the game _before_ their game.  (Cuba 2, Guyana 0).

Sounds like both Trinidad and Suriname, scheduled to play today, had big visa problems.  I guess the tournament was moved earlier on the calendar, with only about eight weeks notice.  Maybe they could work out a postponement?  Trinidad and Tobago only had five of their original players with visas, but it sounds like they may have found seven replacement players who happened to have visas.  So, I wonder if Suriname might even forfeit... A shame.

So, yeah.  No live tweet?  No instantaneous result?  First world problems, to be sure.

[agibson]

I'd not heard about the US visa problems.  Apparently not a SNAFU, but a bit extraordinary

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/UPDATE--US-issuing-visas-again

Very poor timing for this tournament.

-Maybe- a one-off, but the US is famously hard to get to.  You wonder if the Caribbean Football Union will think twice about using Puerto Rico as a host again.  (Haiti's hosting?!) There was a time, during the post-9/11 visa crackdowns, when the whole particle physics community was basically asking "Is it fair, is it ethical, to host a conference in the US?"

[agibson]

6-1 for the good guys.  And, apart from the goalscorers (neither of our guys), that's all I've got.  Player's family broke the news on twitter, with players later confirming.  Hopefully some press coverage in the morning.

That goal differential should help if it ends up a two-way or even three-way tie.

Two days from now Dominican Republic (somehow the Jamaicans seem to say Dominica Republic) takes on St. Lucia, and two days after that the Jamaicans can finish the job.

[agibson]

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/U-23-Boyz-off-to-winning-start-in-Dom-Rep
has the box score, essentially.

Nico with the start!  Ramone unused on the bench.

[agibson]

Sounds like both Trinidad and Suriname, scheduled to play today, had big visa problems.  I guess the tournament was moved earlier on the calendar, with only about eight weeks notice.  Maybe they could work out a postponement?  Trinidad and Tobago only had five of their original players with visas, but it sounds like they may have found seven replacement players who happened to have visas.  So, I wonder if Suriname might even forfeit... A shame.

They withdrew from the competition

[agibson]

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/U-23-Boyz-off-to-winning-start-in-Dom-Rep
has the box score, essentially.

Nico with the start!  Ramone unused on the bench.

And a better article up at
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/football/news/Seaton-s-brace-propels-Young-Boyz-past-St-Lucia-6-1_19152762
and some other continued reporting (another article has a player profile).

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, official news is pretty hard to come by.  I now can't tell if Suriname is still playing in the tournament, or not.  Game 4 days seem to have been postponed by a day, Trinidad was told Suriname was out, and then that, no, they should play (with the 11 or 12 who had managed to get through immigration, etc.).  Seems like mass confusion - hopefully it's at least a _little_ clearer to the competitors.  Or, that at least their coaches are insulating them well.

[agibson]

There was a live tweet of yesterday's game against the Dominican Republic.  In Spanish.  I guess when you're the host county you've got the local internet situation figured out.

Jamaica won 4-0! Clean sheet for Nico!  Nico went 90 in goal again.  And, Ramone went unused on the bench again.

The CFU (Caribbean) semi-finals are in mid-August, with the winners going on to the finals, of course, but also qualifying for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in October.

Jamaica's drawn Cuba, whose toughest test in group play seems to have come against Antigua and Barbuda, whom they beat 3-2. Jamaica's a step above Cuba in the FIFA senior men's rankings, but, hard to know how much that matters - by that count Trinidad and Tobago should have showed better in the group stages.

The semifinals would seem to conflict directly with the VUMSO pre-season.  Don't know if Jamaica will name a new roster, or use the same.  And, I'm pretty curious how the level of competition compares to e.g. Horizon League play.  Presumably it's a step up? Maybe two steps?  With Jamaica, at least, having a bunch of lower-level pros including a player or two who have had cups of coffee in the EPL, played some games in Sweden, in the MLS, etc.

Maybe a chance for Jacob Peterson to get some serious training, anticipating Nico's absence in October if they qualify for CONCACAF, when surely games would be missed.  And, surely you always need at least two game-ready keepers.  Mike Avery's generally seemed to give the backup keeper a game here and there, maybe more so than would happen in the pros.  Or, perhaps it's Dan Rosenfeld, native of Mexico, as a freshman?

[VULB#62]

WOW! The Reggae Boys bounced the USA out of the Gold Cup!  Wonder what impact that has on our two U-23 players going forward.  Congrats Jamaica, but man that is  for the USA.