CONCACAF teams need to play against tougher opposition if the region is ever going to effectively compete in a World Cup, says the Houston Chronicle’s Bernardo Fallas. The USA, at least, has the idea, having lined up friendlies against 20th-ranked Poland, 4th-ranked Spain, 11th-ranked England (perhaps), and looking to set up one more against other top-five team before World Cup qualifying begins on June 15. Up to three of those friendlies will be played in Europe, by the way.
So how is the rest of CONCACAF preparing for WC qualifying? Well, the schedules aren’t set yet, but during the last two international breaks, Canada, for example, played scrimmages against a local side, a Danish second division and Martinique during its camp in Florida. The USA, meanwhile, was playing against Sweden and Mexico. “Canada is still way behind. Our association, it’s sad to say, hasn’t gotten their act together,” said Houston Dynamo’s Dwayne De Rosario, Canada’s player of the year. “We need to prepare like the U.S. is preparing in order for us to have a real chance.”
One only need look at the FIFA rankings to see where CONCACAF teams stand. Only Mexico (16th), the U.S. (26th) and Honduras (50th) have cracked the top 50.