JULY 2002

VOLUME 12 / NUMBER 5

CONFEDERATION OF NORTH, CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
28 July 6 August
FC Womens Gold Cup
Central American Qualifying
San Salvador, El Salvador
28 July
FC U-20 Youth Tournament
Caribbean Qualifying (Prelim. Round)
Haiti v Republica Dominicana
28 July
FC Gold Cup
Caribbean Qualifying (Prelim. Round)
Saint-Martin v Grenada
Guyana v Netherlands Antilles
Aruba v Suriname
4/18 August
FC Womens Gold Cup
Caribbean Qualifying (Group B)
Jamaica v Haiti
U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel knocks the ball away from Mexico's Jared Borgetti in the USA's 2:0 victory during FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea/Japan. The two Confederation rivals met in the round-of16 as CONCACAF countries got off to a blazing start and surpassed all expectations, the USA finishing best with a quarterfinal appearance against Germany. (Photo courtesy of fifaworldcup.com)

WORLD CUP OVER; BUSY SCHEDULE NOW AHEAD

With the thrill of the 2002 FIFA World Cup behind us, its now time to begin to look
forward to a packed schedule of Football Confederation championships across all facets
of the game.
But first, an acknowledgement of how thrilling indeed was the World Cup. The USA
surpassed all expectations reaching the quarterfinals, and certainly could consider themselves unlucky not to have defeated eventual finalist Germany. Mexico fell at the round-of16 to the USA in an all-CONCACAF battle, while Costa Rica went out only through goal
difference in a group that also included the eventual world champion (Brazil) and thirdplace side (Turkey).
Now though its time to focus attention on whats ahead over the next six months. By
years end the Confederation will know possibly three more participants in a FIFA World
Cup, this time the three qualifiers for FIFA Womens World Cup 2003 China PR. They will
be decided in the second edition of the FC Womens Gold Cup, to be held in October and
November (see page 3).
As well, qualification has already begun for the mens edition of the Gold Cup, the
Confederations signature event for national teams, which has been moved to the summer
and will be played 12-27 July 2003. The championships of the Central American and
Caribbean zones will be decided around the new year (see page 2).
In the next months a new continental club champion will also be decided, as the 2002
FC Champions Cup has reached the final four. A pair of Mexican clubs, and one each from
the USA and Costa Rica have continued their countries pedigrees at the club level
(see page 3).
Qualifying has also begun for the FIFA Under-20 and Under-17 world championship,
with finals in both competitions at Confederation level to be held either side of the new
year (see page 4).
And finally, once again FIFA has entrusted this Confederation with a world championship, the inaugural Womens Under-19 World Championship to be hosted by Canada
from 17 August 1 September. A full preview will come next month. On to the games!

9-11 August
FC Womens Gold Cup
Caribbean Qualifying (Group A)
Suriname v US Virgin Islands
11 August
FC Gold Cup
Caribbean Qualifying (Prelim. Round)
Netherlands Antilles v Guyana
Suriname v Aruba
14-18 August
FC U-20 Youth Tournament
Caribbean Qualifying (Group C)
Antigua & Barbuda (host); Bahamas; St. Kitts & Nevis;
Republica Dominicana/Haiti
16/18 August
FC Gold Cup
Caribbean Qualifying (Prelim. Round)
Republica Dominicana v US Virgin Islands
17-21 August
FC U-20 Youth Tournament
Caribbean Qualifying (Group D)
Saint Lucia (host); Cuba; Dominica; Grenada
6-14 September
FC U-20 Youth Tournament
Central American Qualifying
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

PAGE 2

CONFEDERATION NEWS - JULY 2002

PRESIDENT JACK WARNERS MESSAGE

The World Cup is over but the memories remain and the work begins anew.
Much has happened in the past weeks
and all of it bodes well, I believe, for the
future of football within CONCACAF.
The most outstanding of our memories, of course, is the performance of the
three CONCACAF nations in the FIFA
World Cup of 2002; Costa Rica, Mexico
and the United States. I have already
written formally to all three national
associations, saying how proud we all
are of their successes and the good
football they played.
I have also let it be known, at all the
CONCACAF President
levels that count, that we shall make
Jack A. Warner
every possible effort to obtain a fourth
place for CONCACAF in the World Cup of 2006 in Germany. It is
only right and proper that we should be able to send our best four
because who in the world can argue that our best three did not
stand up to the best the other Confederations have to offer ? And
who can argue that our best four could not do the same?
But in looking back for a moment at 2002, I must say the display of the United States was the most welcome and most gratifying. Here is one of the world's giant nations finally taking their
place among the best the world has to offer in the world's game. It
has taken many years hard work to achieve such performances;
back to the pioneering days of the North American Soccer League
which did so much to attract the youth of the country and then on
through some difficult years when so many kept the faith and gave
the opportunity to the team which we congratulate today..
There have been other recent events which attracted world
attention. One was my own re-election to the post of President of
CONCACAF for which I thank my supporters and promise to do all
I can to enhance the prestige and opportunity for all our people.
Another, of course, is the re-election of Sepp Blatter to the
Presidency of FIFA. It is well known, of course, that we supported
President Blatter because he, too, has the welfare of the "lesser"
Confederations and nations at heart - although after this World
Cup, the term "lesser" must now be used with caution.
As the world now gets over its World Cup withdrawal symptoms and begins anew the cycle of League and international
games, we will begin our own cycle of debate and decision-making;
all designed to bring fresh ideas and fresh opportunity to our
national teams, our clubs, our referees, our coaches, players
and administrators.
There are many difficulties, among them the crowded schedule
of competitions which make it so hard to find the right dates and
right formats to enable all to compete fairly and the fact that
throughout the world, economies are tightening and revenues are
not increasing with the demands of so many competitions and
their operating costs.
With such difficulties to overcome, success at the World Cup
strengthens everyone's resolve to find the answers.

The inaugural FIFA Under-19

Womens World Championship
will be held 17 August 1
September in three sites in
western Canada Edmonton,
Alberta and Vancouver and
Victoria, British Columbia. See
a full preview in next months
Football Confederation News.

FC GOLD CUP KICKS OFF;

FINALS SET FOR JULY 2003
The road to the 2003 FC Gold Cup finals
has already started, with the first qualifying
matches kicking off shortly after the end of the
FIFA World Cup.
The next edition of the FC Gold Cup, the
championship and signature national team
event of the Football Confederation, will be
played from 12 27 July 2003, with venues to be determined in the
coming weeks.
After the outstanding performances of the three Confederation
representatives at the recently-completed World Cup, this promises
to be the greatest Gold Cup we have ever had, said Football
Confederation General Secretary Chuck Blazer.
The USA, fresh off their impressive run to the quarterfinals of
the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be looking to defend their FC Gold
Cup title, after defeating Costa Rica 2:0 in the final in Pasadena,
California on 2 February.
Beginning with this Gold Cup, the zonal qualification tournaments have changed names. Previously known as the UNCAF Copa
de Naciones (Central Zone) and Copa Caribe (Caribbean Zone), the
zonal competitions will be known as Gold Cup Caribbean and Gold
Cup Central American qualifying matches, with all matches from
start to finish within the competition now part of the Gold Cup.
The preliminary round of Caribbean qualifying got underway
Sunday 7 July when Guadeloupe hosted Puerto Rico and SaintMartin traveled to Grenada. The Central Zone qualifying tournament, meanwhile, will be held in Panama in February of 2003.
The North Zones three members have already qualified for
the finals, with all of the six previous championships shared
among them USA (1991, 2002), Mexico (1993, 1996, 1998) and
Canada (2000).
The first two editions of the FC Gold Cup, in 1991 and 1993,
were played during the summer months, before the final tournament was moved to the winter in 1996.
CARIBBEAN QUALIFYING
PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Dominica v Montserrat Montserrat withdrew
British Virgin Islands v Saint Lucia (08.09.2002); Saint Lucia v British Virgin Islands (22.09.2002)
GROUP B
07.07.2002: Guadeloupe v Puerto Rico 4:0; 21.07.2002: Puerto Rico v Guadeloupe
06.07.2002: Grenada v Saint-Martin 8:3; 28.07.2002: Saint-Martin v Grenada
GROUP C
Rep. Dominicana v US Virgin Islands* (16.08.2002); Rep. Dominicana v US Virgin Islands (18.08.2002)
GROUP D
Guyana v Netherlands Antilles (28.07.2002); Netherlands Antilles v Guyana (11.08.2002)
Aruba v Suriname (28.07.2002); Suriname v Aruba (11.08.2002)
FINAL ROUND
GROUP A: Trinidad & Tobago; St. Kitts and Nevis; Dominica; winner British Virgin Islands/Saint Lucia
GROUP B: Jamaica; Barbados; winner Guadeloupe/Puerto Rico; winner Grenada/Saint-Martin
GROUP C: Cuba; Martinique; Cayman Islands; US Virgin Islands/Republica Dominicana
GROUP D: Haiti; Antigua and Barbuda; winner Guyana/Netherlands Antilles; winner Aruba/Suriname
SCHEDULE
13.11.2002: GROUP MATCHDAY 1
15.11.2002: GROUP MATCHDAY 2
17.11.2002: GROUP MATCHDAY 3
20.11.2002: QUARTERFINALS ([13]: 1st GROUP A v 2nd GROUP D; [14]: 1st GROUP D v 2nd GROUP
A; [15]: 1st GROUP B v 2nd GROUP C; [16]: 1st GROUP C v 2nd GROUP B)
22.11.2002: SEMIFINALS (WINNER MATCH 13 v WINNER MATCH 16; WINNER MATCH 14 v WINNER
MATCH 15)
24.11.2002: THIRD-PLACE MATCH; CHAMPIONSHIP
CENTRAL AMERICAN QUALIFYING: Panam; 05-16.02.2003
PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES: Panam, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
FC GOLD CUP 2003: 12-27 July 2003

CONFEDERATION NEWS - JULY 2002

WOMENS GOLD CUP

FIELD NEARS COMPLETION
The field for the 2002
FC Womens Gold Cup
is nearly finalized with
the promise of berths in
FIFA Womens World
Cup 2003 available in
the Confederations signature event for womens national teams.
The three North Zone countries, USA,
Mexico and Canada have already secured
their place in the eight-team field, which will
play off for the Confederations 2 spots in
China PR 2003. The FC Gold Cup will be
held from 27 October 9 November in four
cities on the West Coast of North America
Seattle, Washington and Pasadena and
Fullerton, California (all USA) and Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada.
The remainder of field will be filled out
when qualifying in the other two zones
Central America and Caribbean concludes
in August.
The two spots available in the Central
Zone will be determined from 28 July 6
August in San Salvador, El Salvador in a
round-robin competition involving five

PAGE 3
countries, including Costa Rica and
Guatemala, who took part in the first FC
Womens Gold Cup in 2000.
Caribbean qualifying is also down to five
teams, with the top three advancing.
Group B will be decided with a two-leg
series between Haiti and Jamaica, while in
Group A, Trinidad & Tobago awaits the winner
of a series between Suriname and U.S. Virgin
Islands to determine that groups victor.
The winners of each group advance to
the Womens Gold Cup finals, while the losers in the two final series will playoff for the
eighth and final spot.
In the FC Womens Gold Cup finals,
Group 1 will consist of the USA, Mexico, the
second-place team in Central Zone qualifying and the winner of Caribbean Group A,
with the matches taking place in the three
U.S. venues.
Group 2 will be comprised of Canada,
the winner of Caribbean Group B, the
winner in the third-place Caribbean playoff,
and the winner of the Central American
Zone. All three Group 2 matches will be
played in Victoria.

06.07.2002: Trinidad & Tobago Dominica* 9:0

(Trinidad & Tobago win on aggregate 22:0)
SERIES 2: Suriname v Guyana Guyana withdrew
(Suriname advance by default)
SERIES 3: US Virgin Islands v Montserrat Montserrat withdrew
(US Virgin Islands advance by default)
SERIES 4: Suriname v US Virgin Islands (09.08.2002);
Suriname v US Virgin Islands* (11.08.2002)
SERIES 5: winner SERIES 4 v Trinidad & Tobago (18.08.2002);
Trinidad & Tobago v winner SERIES 4 (24.08.2002)

CARIBBEAN QUALIFYING
GROUP A (winner qualifies)
SERIES 1: 05.07.2002: Trinidad & Tobago Dominica 13:0

FC WOMENS GOLD CUP 2002 FINALS

(27.10 09.11.2002): Seattle, Washington; Pasadena, California,
Fullerton, California (all USA); Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

FINAL FOUR SET IN AIM FOR TITLE OF

CONFEDERATION CLUB CHAMPION

With the victory of CA Monarcas Morelia in

the last quarterfinal, the final four is now set
for the FC Champions Cup.
Monarcas Morelia defeated Chicago Fire 3:2
on aggregate, winning 2:0 in Morelia before
losing 2:1 in Illinois, putting a pair of Mexican
clubs into the semifinals of the
Confederations signature club competition.
Before the World Cup break, Pachuca CF of Mexico, LD
Alajuelense of Costa Rica and Kansas City Wizards of the USA had
secured their berths in the semifinal round. Of the four left in the
competition, only LD Alajuelense has won the event, defeating SV
Transvaal of Suriname in the 1986 final.
Pachuca knocked off San Jose Earthquakes of the USA 3:1 on
aggregate, while LDA did away with CSD Comunicaciones
(Guatemala) 6:2 on aggregate, setting up a semifinal matchup
between the two clubs. The first leg will be played in Costa Rica on
7 August, the return match set for Mexico on 28 August.
Morelias opponent, Kansas City , reached the semifinals with a
3:2 victory on aggregate against Club Santos Laguna of Mexico.
QUARTERFINALS
30.06.2002, Morelia, Michoacan, Mxico, Estadio
Morelos
CA MONARCAS MORELIA CHICAGO FIRE
2:0 (0:0)
Carlos MORALES 54; Alex FERNANDES 63
R: Jos PINEDA (HON)
10.07.2002, Naperville, Illinois USA, Cardinal
Stadium (A: 11170)
CHICAGO FIRE - CA MONARCAS MORELIA 2:1
(0:1)
Dema KOVALENKO 61, 68 - Antonio GONZALEZ 41
R: Samuel RICHARD (DOM)
(CA Monarcas Morelia win on aggregate 3:2)

SEMIFINALS
TBD: Morelia, Michoacan, Mxico, Estadio
Morelos
CA MONARCAS MORELIA KANSAS CITY
WIZARDS
TBD: Kansas City, Missouri USA, Arrowhead
Stadium
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS CA MONARCAS
MORELIA
07.09.2002, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Estadio
Alejandro Morera Soto
LD ALAJUELENSE PACHUCA CF
28.09.2002, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Estadio Hidalgo
PACHUCA CF - LD ALAJUELENSE

GROUP B (winner qualifies)

SERIES 1 (league format): 10.07.2002: Bahamas Haiti 0:9;
Rep Dominicana Saint Lucia 2:2
12.07.2002: Rep Dominicana - Bahamas 3:0; Saint Lucia - Haiti 0:2
14.07.2002: Saint Lucia - Bahamas 7:1, Rep Dominicana Haiti 0:2
(Haiti 9 pts; Saint Lucia 4 pts; Rep Dominicana 4 pts; Bahamas 0 pts)
SERIES 2: 13.07.2002: Jamaica v Puerto Rico 8:0
Puerto Rico v Jamaica (21.07.2002)
SERIES 3: winner SERIES 2 v Haiti (04.08.2002);
Haiti v winner SERIES 2 (18.08.2002)
CARIBBEAN 3rd (winner qualifies):
Runner-up Group B v Runner-up Group A (08.09.2002);
Runner-up Group A v Runner-up Group B (22.09.2002)
CENTRAL AMERICAN QUALIFYING (top two qualify)
San Salvador, El Salvador; Estadio Cuscutlan
28.07.2002: Guatemala v Panama; Costa Rica v Honduras
31.07.2002: Guatemala v Honduras; El Salvador v Panama
02.08.2002: Costa Rica v Guatemala; El Salvador v Honduras
04.08.2002: Costa Rica v Panama; El Salvador v Guatemala
06.08.2002: Honduras v Panama; Costa Rica v El Salvador

AROUND THE CONFEDERATION

FLEMING HONORED: Former Canada Soccer Association
President and Football Confederation Hall of Fame member Jim
Fleming has been awarded the prestigious FIFA Order of Merit for his
dedication to the sport of soccer in Canada and around the world.
Fleming becomes the first Canadian to win the coveted award. He will
be presented with his honor before his friends and family in August in
Edmonton at the FIFA U-19 Womens World Championship.
WORLD CUP HONOR: U.S. Midfielder Claudio Reyna is among
16 players voted to the All-Star Team of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
by the FIFA Technical Study Group, becoming the first U.S. player
to receive the honor. Only players from nations that reached the
quarterfinals were eligible to make the team.
REFEREES TOO: Among the 16 referees and 16 referees assistants retained by FIFA for the final stages of the 2002 World Cup
Korea/Japan, four (2 refs, 2 ref assts) were representatives of CONCACAF. Referees Brian Hall of the USA and Felipe Ramos Rizo of
Mexico remained in the Far East, as did assistants Michael
Ragoonath of Trinidad & Tobago and Hector Vergara of Canada.
REFEREE DIES: Mexican referee Edgar Ulises Rangel, a FIFA
International referee since 1997, was killed Friday 5 July when the
sport utility vehicle he was driving overturned on the highway that
connects Mexico City and Acapulco, en route to Acapulco for
Mexicos National Professional Referees Convention. He was 38
years of age.
THE OTHER FINAL: Bhut an scored three second-half goals and
knocked off Montserrat 4:0 in the other final, played between the
two lowest ranked soccer countries in the world on Sunday, just
hours before the World Cup final in Japan between Brazil and
Germany. Bhutan, the youngest members of world soccers governing body FIFA, are ranked 202nd and only ahead of the tiny
Caribbean island of Montserrat. The game, recognised by FIFA as an
official international, was played in a festive atmosphere before a
cheering audience of around 15,000 fans as a prelude to the World
Cup final.

PAGE 4

FOR THE RECORD - YOUTH SCHEDULES

FC U-20 YOUTH TOURNAMENT - PRELIMINARY ROUND (over two legs)
02.06.2002: Aruba v Netherlands Antilles 0:1
09.06.2002: Netherlands Antilles v Aruba 3:0
(Netherlands Antilles win on aggregate 4:0)
02.06.2002: Suriname v Guyana 4:0
09.06.2002: Guyana v Suriname 0:0
(Suriname win on aggregate 4:0)
14.07.2002: Republica Dominicana v Haiti 1:1
28.07.2002: Haiti v Republica Dominicana
11.07.2002: St. Kitts & Nevis - US Virgin Islands 8:0
13.07.2002: St. Kitts & Nevis - US Virgin Islands 4:0
(St. Kitts & Nevis win on aggregate 12:0)

GROUP PHASE (league format)

GROUP A (17-21.07.2002): Suriname (host); Trinidad & Tobago; Barbados; Netherlands Antilles
GROUP B (.08.2002): Cayman Islands; Jamaica; Puerto Rico; Montserrat
GROUP C (14-18.08.2002); Antigua & Barbuda (host); Bahamas; Haiti / Rep. Dominicana; St. Kitts & Nevis
GROUP D (17-21.08.2002): Saint Lucia (host); Cuba, Dominica, Grenada
FINAL ROUND (over two legs)
winner GROUP A v winner GROUP D (15.09.2002; 29.09.2002)
winner GROUP B v winner GROUP C (15.09.2002; 29.09.2002)
CENTRAL AMERICAN ZONE QUALIFYING
(top two qualify) Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; Estadio Mario Camposeco
06.09.2002: Guatemala v Costa Rica (12:00); El Salvador v Honduras (14:00)
08.09.2002: Honduras v Nicaragua (11:00); Guatemala v El Salvador (13:00)
10.09.2002: Nicaragua v El Salvador (11:00); Costa Rica v Honduras (13:00)
12.09.2002: Nicaragua v Costa Rica (10:00); Guatemala v Honduras (12:00)
14.09.2002: Costa Rica v El Salvador (11:00); Guatemala v Nicaragua (13:00)

CONFEDERATION NEWS - JULY 2002

FC U-17 JUNIOR TOURNAMENT
CARIBBEAN ZONE QUALIFYING (top two qualify)
PRELIMINARY ROUND (over two legs)
Saint Lucia v US Virgin Islands (04.08.2002);
US Virgin Islands v Saint Lucia (18.08.2002)
Dominica v Guyana (04.08.2002);
Guyana v Dominica (18.08.2002)
Montserrat v Antigua & Barbuda (04.08.2002);
Antigua & Barbuda v Montserrat (18.08.2002)
Anguilla v St. Kitts and Nevis (04.08.2002);
St. Kitts & Nevis v Anguilla (18.08.2002)
Republica Dominicana v Puerto Rico (04.08.2002);
Puerto Rico v Republica Dominicana (18.08.2002)
St. Vincent & Grenadines v Barbados (11.08.2002); Barbados v St. Vincent & Grenadines (25.08.2002)
Netherlands Antilles v Suriname (11.08.2002); Suriname v Netherlands Antilles (25.08.2002)
Aruba v British Virgin Islands (11.08.2002); British Virgin Islands v Aruba (25.08.2002)
GROUP PHASE (league format)
GROUP A: (10.2002): Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, Guyana/Dominica, Saint Lucia/US Virgin Islands
GROUP B: (10.2002): Jamaica, Grenada; Antigua & Barbuda/Montserrat; Anguilla/St. Kitts and Nevis
GROUP C: (10/11.2002): Haiti; Barbados/St. Vincent & Grenadines; Cayman Islands; Republica
Dominicana/Puerto Rico
GROUP D: (10/11.2002): Cuba, Bahamas, Netherlands Antilles/Suriname, Aruba/British Virgin Islands
FINAL ROUND (over two legs)
winner GROUP A v winner GROUP D; winner GROUP B v winner GROUP C
CENTRAL AMERICAN QUALIFYING (group winners qualify) Honduras; 11-15.12.2002
GROUP A: Honduras, El Salvador, Belize; GROUP B: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panam
11.12.2002: Belize v El Salvador; Costa Rica v Panama
13.12.2002: Nicaragua v Panama; Honduras v Belize
15.12.2002: Nicaragua v Costa Rica; Honduras v El Salvador

FC FINAL TOURNAMENTS
Group A: PANAMA (16-20.10.2002): PANAMA (host), MEXICO, CENTRAL 1st, CARIBBEAN A/D winner
Group B: USA (13-17.11.2002): USA (host), CANADA, CENTRAL 2nd, CARIBBEAN B/C winner

FC FINAL TOURNAMENTS
Group A: (05-09.03.2002): GUATEMALA (host), USA, CENTRAL A winner, CARIBBEAN B/C winner
Group B: (26-30.03.2002): CANADA (host), MEXICO, CENTRAL B winner, CARIBBEAN A/D winner

FIFA WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (United Arab Emirates, 25 March 16 April 2003)

FIFA UNDER-17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Finland, 13-30.08.2003)