What do Gold Cup surprises portend for World Cup qualifiers? Los Angeles and San Diego -There are important issues regarding what the Gold Cup should be in two years’ time, but more timely are the impact of results logged and performances displayed at the 2000 edition. The rebirth of Canada, the descent of Jamaica and the emergence of Honduras added spice to a competition drained of its sexiest performers when Mexico and the United States were bumped off in the quarterfinals. The heavyweights failed to hold leads and were guilty of squandering chances created with their opponents tottering. Having ducked one wild swing after another and fended off those blows that did land on target, the challengers marshaled their nerve to grab victory. Costa Rica played well in spurts, as did Trinidad & Tobago. Both were squeezed out of the tournament by the flying heroics of Craig Forrest despite creating more than enough chances to riddle a mere mortal. Haiti sent out a team short on talent yet not without flair and determination. Guatemala can take encouragement for gaining a 1-1 draw by scoring two minutes after it had gone behind to the Mexicans and holding out for more than an hour. The topic of invited teams will always be a hotly contested one. From a competitive standpoint, Colombia and Peru reached the semis – much to the chagrin of U.S. head coach Bruce Arena, who had to play both teams – and South Korea’s sometimes impressive team was extinguished by the coin flip that set Canada on a path to glory. Invited teams add drawing power and foreign television income to a tournament desperately dependent on Mexico. Has the CONCACAF map and list of World Cup 2002 contenders been re-drawn at Gold Cup 2000? “It’s a fine line between the CONCACAF countries,” said Forrest. “I think the Mexicans and the Americans will qualify in the top three, and it’s a tossup between a whole stack of other CONCACAF teams who will pick up that other spot.” Here’s a glimpse at the recent past and possible future of the nine who played in the Gold Cup: Canada and Honduras gain stature. Honduras looked formidable while beating Colombia and Jamaica, but were taken apart, 5-3, by Peru in an Orange Bowl quarterfinal shortened by a field invasion of enraged Honduran fans. Carlos Pavon and Alberto Nunez are blessed with great skill, and Pavon adds a bullish strength that enables him to withstand all but the most brutal defending. It must gall MLS that it could have bought him from Mexican Second Division club Correcaminos three years ago for $200,000 before he blossomed into a scoring force with Necaxa and Atletico Celaya. Whether the Honduran defense has truly found resiliency or will be easy pickings for opponents won’t be answered until the qualifying matches commence. But there was a coordination and cohesion displayed at the Gold Cup not often seen in Honduran teams. Canada head coach Holger Osieck can count on a deeper pool of players for the qualifiers, yet Canada will not have the fitness edge over many teams during the qualifying stages that it did at the Gold Cup. The U.S. swept both games with Canada, home and away, by 3-0 scores in the 1998 final qualifying phase. With Forrest standing tall and a fleet of younger players bolstering an experienced if somewhat limited core of veterans, a qualifying trip to Toronto or Vancouver will entail more than enjoying a beautiful city – if Osieck can extract more than a dozen players from their clubs on a regular basis. Bye-bye, Bertille. Both Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago dominated play for long stretches against Canada yet were unable to deliver a knockout blow. “Costa Rica in the first 45 minutes was outstanding,” said Forrest. “If they would have scored a second goal early on, they probably would have destroyed us.” Typically, T&T frolicked and floundered, running in four goals to obliterate Guatemala after taking four goals against Mexico. In their quarterfinal meeting, Costa Rica scored late to force overtime, then surrendered the winning goal on a deflected shot from outside the box. T&T fired head coach Bertille St. Clair following the Gold Cup, and Costa Rica’s legacy is one of upheavals and coaching carousels. Flying Paulo Wanchope across the Atlantic for qualifiers won’t help Costa Rica’s chances, and it must replace some important players slowed by age. The Reggae Boyz malaise. Two years ago, Jamaica tied Brazil, 0-0, in the Gold Cup prior to beating Japan in France. In contrast, a disinterested team dropped two matches in Gold Cup 2000 and went out in the first round. Its English League veterans sleepwalked through matches, and only Theodore Whitmore performed capably. The departure of evangelical head coach Rene Simoes leaves the Jamaican soccer federation with huge holes to patch as qualifying approaches. Hope springs eternal. Their boisterous, colorful fans charged the matches played in Miami with their enthusiasm, and attackers Sebastian Vorpe and Michel Gabriel outplayed several of their more illustrious opponents. This isn’t enough for the Haitians to seriously threaten the CONCACAF powers, yet they could be a tricky foe in the earlier rounds. CONCACAF might not want Haiti to play a home qualifier in Miami, but the atmosphere would be incredible. Guatemala tied El Salvador and Brazil at the 1998 Gold Cup, and drew, 1-1, with Mexico in the 2000 edition. Guatemala City is a forbidding place to play, yet the Guatemalans have only a few – and not enough – players capable of winning consistently at the international level Top guns reload. Mexico’s elimination was decried as a national disaster, yet the U.S. stumble is more worrying. Mexico still reigns in the region. It has a half-dozen Olympic-age players steeped with international experience to take over as the generation of Ramon Ramirez and Claudio Suarez begins to fade. And for all the wonderful play of Cobi Jones, he ain’t Luis Hernandez. Six months after its strong showing at the Confederations Cup, the United States showed signs of stagnation. Midfield play was inconsistent and defending was only adequate. More forwards need to be auditioned. Brad Friedel confirmed he is a capable replacement should Kasey Keller be unavailable, and Brian McBride reiterated his status as the only international targetman in a nation of 260 million people. The MLS players will be sharper when qualifying begins in September. Claudio Reyna showed the effects of recent substitute duty for Rangers when he tired early against Colombia, and it is the uncertainty over playing time for overseas players that will resurface when the first qualifier is played in early September. by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney