2018 World Cup Thread

[Flex]

Beenhakker plans for World Cup 2018.
By Ian Prescott (Express).

Dutchman Leo Beenhakker is already planning Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has had several invitations to play international matches following the Soca Warriors’ credible performance at the Concacaf Gold Cup where they reached the quarter-final stage. So said TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee yesterday.

“Since our performances at the Gold Cup we have been having countries wanting to play against us, which was a previously elusive goal,” Tim Kee said.

Tim Kee was the featured speaker yesterday at the guest speaker series held by the Trinidad Union Club at its Nicholas Towers headquarters. He said that having accepted an invitation to play against New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and hosts Saudi Arabia in the four-team OSN Cup from September 5, the TTFA has been forced to turn down other offers of international matches in both September and October. However, in November, Soca Warriors fans will see their side play at home.

Football is also going back to the community. This plan has been included in a newly-completed TTFA constitution, and Association has also sourced 15,000 indestructible balls to distribute to local clubs.

The TTFA will next month also launch a state-of-the-art website to market its replica jersey, and an online fan club as well. Wherever the national football teams plays, there will also be kiosks selling TTFA merchandise.

Read More

[KND2]

no word on what the plans are that would have been nice.



I like this quote

15,000 indestructible balls .......................I wonder where the find them ball and more importantly where they find 15000 different groups of youth to distribute the ball too.


Can some one in TnT get one of the balls and let me know how long it last for small goal sweat in the road.
it is supposed to be indestructible

[dreamer]

Very refreshing article on what Beenie's been up to as we were not hearing news about him. Thank God for the END (in a way) of Jackula. Of course men like Coops and other such brainwashed folks still crying a river of nostalgic tears and nothing can be done to help such stunted, myopic and frankly (sorry to say this) dangerous people. They will be following Jackulito right up to the very end and making the suicidal plunge with him just like cult followers of the false prophet David Koresh. Thank you Sancho, Kelvin, Shaka, Wolfe, Stern, Kenwyne, Cyd, FS and company for having the guts to stand up to Goliath-sized EVIL and win, giving us chance to enjoy the game we love with a fresh new promising team without Scampito and Rodent.

[de_redman]

Can some one in TnT get one of the balls and let me know how long it last for small goal sweat in the road.
it is supposed to be indestructible

That is the same ball the fella who get bounce down walking from seattle to brazil used:
http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=29635.msg853167#msg853167
You can get one here:
http://www.oneworldfutbol.com/

[Trini _2026]

http://www.football-rankings.info/2013/11/2018-fifa-world-cup-qualifying-draw_7485.html

Just taken from a blog . We need to get into that sixth spot

Friday, November 1, 2013

2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw seeding for CONCACAF (1 November 2013)
Assumptions:

- CONCACAF will keep the current qualifying system
- FIFA will use the FIFA ranking to seed the teams
- CONCACAF will choose the March 2015 ranking for seeding

The March 2015 FIFA ranking will include matches played between March 2011 and March 2015. This means we're currently in the 0.5 time frame and things will start to get interesting.

This the March 2015 ranking (for CONCACAF only) using matches played up to and including October 31st, 2013 and matches scheduled up to March 2014 (only those on fifa.com).

The "0.5" part is computed this way: points gained / (number of matches played + scheduled).

Changes since the last update:

Costa Rica replace Panama in the first pot.

First round

Pot 1: Barbados, Bahamas, Dominica, Montserrat, Curacao
Pot 2: US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands

Second round (group stage)

Pot 1: El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Canada
Pot 2: Guatemala, Belize, Suriname, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda
Pot 3: Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Bermuda, Aruba
Pot 4: Nicaragua + 5 winners from the first round

Third round (group stage)

Pot 1: USA, Mexico, Costa Rica
Pot 2: Panama, Honduras, Haiti
Pot 3: 6 group winners from the second round

Rank - Team - Points

 1 USA                             520
 2 Mexico                          432
 3 Costa Rica                      409
--------------------------------------
 4 Panama                          384
 5 Honduras                        361
 6 Haiti                           232
--------------------------------------
 7 El Salvador                     230
 8 Trinidad and Tobago             223
 9 Jamaica                         222
10 Dominican Republic              157
11 Cuba                            156
12 Canada                          154
--------------------------------------
13 Guatemala                       124
14 Belize                          100
15 Suriname                         81
16 Grenada                          77
16 St. Vincent and the Grenadines   77
18 Antigua and Barbuda              74
--------------------------------------
19 Puerto Rico                      73
20 St. Lucia                        72
21 Guyana                           63
22 St. Kitts and Nevis              55
22 Bermuda                          55
22 Aruba                            55
--------------------------------------
25 Nicaragua                        51
--------------------------------------
26 Barbados                         48
27 Bahamas                          26
28 Dominica                         20
28 Montserrat                       20
30 Curacao                          17
--------------------------------------
31 US Virgin Islands                16
32 British Virgin Islands            8
33 Cayman Islands                    5
34 Anguilla                          2
35 Turks and Caicos Islands          0

[AB.Trini]

Keeping the big picture in sight- it is not quite evident if as we assess players what 2018 plays in the thinking at this time.

Kudos for the administration in acquiring the quality of friendlies in June but what is the plan this far? We are one month away and is like yuh hearing very little of proposed player selections or team preparation. I realize that some players are still engaged in league play with their respective teams.

So from a coaches' perspective what is the plan for June? Showcase the strongest possible team we have in our player pool? or think 2018? By fielding potential talent?

Who are the BEST prospective talent we have at this current time?

Locals:    Starting in goal?    Forwards?   Midfields ?    Defence?

players in UK:

Players in Europe:

Players in Asia:

MLS:

Players who could represent TNT but have not committed at this time:

In my humble opinion we still need a strong midfielder to direct the attack; a striker who is a threat to score and who could run at defences.

We have seen growing improvements  in defence and I think we have depth to work with.

Who is a quality young goaltender to work alongside Jan Michael?

I still believe that some mini camps involving the best of the locals against foreign based players could be a healthy motivation and competition for all players involved. It appeared that our last international friendlies showed that we had some momentum in moving forward now  how do we keep this moving forward?

We have some Caribbean competitions on the horizon and we also have Gold Cup- I would like to see open completion for spots at each of these none of this fielding a semi B team for qualifications then brining in foreign players .if we want to foster a truly compatible and formidable squad we ought to have the very best at each competition.

[AB.Trini]

It is always with delight and a sense of pride to read of the progress and opportunities our players are getting both locally and abroad.  How do we maximize on these opportunities?  When looking at the make up of WC squads like Brazil, Mexico, England and even Argentina. It is apparent that they are providing opportunities for younger players in their line up and dropping older experienced players.

As we move towards 2018, should we  not be adopting a similar trend as oppose to bringing back players who may not be around for 2018? do we not have faith in the  young potentials to give them this opportunity?  All these friendlies should be our foundation building blocks for 2018.

[asylumseeker]

Fair question.

However, I would note that despite the injection of young talent into squads .. several teams likely will return to incorporating some of the older players as they attempt to qualify for Euro 2016 and other tourneys. It's not an all or nothing commitment.

Nonetheless, the experience of our "youths" versus the experience of some of the other "youths" that are being included elsewhere is night and day comparatively. They all young and have the same playing age, but some younger in terms of playing maturity.

[dreamer]

Keeping the big picture in sight- it is not quite evident if as we assess players what 2018 plays in the thinking at this time.

Kudos for the administration in acquiring the quality of friendlies in June but what is the plan this far? We are one month away and is like yuh hearing very little of proposed player selections or team preparation. I realize that some players are still engaged in league play with their respective teams.

So from a coaches' perspective what is the plan for June? Showcase the strongest possible team we have in our player pool? or think 2018? By fielding potential talent? .....

The big picture? Several agendas converging. Major crossroads moment. Need to juggle the following at the same time:

1. Firstly, get best possible T&T team to Argentina without twist ankle, hamstring pull and other last minute hard-luck injuries.
2. Find out now who is truly fit for 30 mins, 45 mins or 90 mins run at furious pace in Estadio Monumental. BraveHart is on the ball with that right now.
3. Establish / consolidate T&T football pedigree with once in a lifetime opportunity against Argentina (to a lesser degree Iran) to get a decent score and secure high quality opposition for the future.
4. Raise T&T rankings, possibly by massive leaps, should there be good scores against Argentina and Iran. Use whatever combination of veteran experience, youthful aggression and energy, whatever it takes to get the job done. With T&T ranking above 70, doors start to open more rapidly for T&T players / recruits.
5. Convince waggonist T&T media and businessmen to come on board after a good showing in South America, for the betterment of the local game / industry.
6. Create momentum for the already improving Pro League. Get Guerra, Marcus, Joevin, Rundell, Caesar on the international shop window.
7. Get a headstart & get prepared early for Caribbean Cup against a whole bunch of crabs-in-a-barrel Caribbean teams (Cuba, Martinique, Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, Suriname, Grenada, St. Vincent that are hungry to give we thunder and make us cry over potentially lost opportunities. Get victories for the coach to allow T&T football stakeholders to rally around more. Teflon against the Cornmeals, Horners, who wish to see the ship sink without Renraw.
8. Get funds from T&T home games and newfound waggonists crowds that can go into the coffers to pay dues to Sancho and the 13, pay Latas, pay Cornmeal, pay the others.
9. With the important debts paid, qualify to bring Beenhakker back to T&T as "Director of football" after he is convinced that the shit of Renraw-inspired exploitation is over.
10. Go into Caribbean Cup in red hot form with BEST possible team. Win the Cup and collect the TOP money prize, and rise higher up the rankings. Clear more of TTFA debt.
11. Qualify for Gold Cup and enter a period of T&Ts new renaissance in football with a newly respected T&T Pro League, churning out players, sometimes recycling on international loan, sometimes for permanent sale with juicy sell-on clauses (to boost the coffers and buying power of the Pro League teams, with regular national team appearances in Gold Cup and youth teams in CONCACAF Cups and thus potentially more appearances in World Cups. Get the Proleague teams from broke-status to in-the-red. Get a new MOS to treat the football sector fairly and collaborate to get the teams fitted with revenue-earning, 3000-seater cozy community stadia.
10. Try to silence all Jackula stooges forever until they inevitably try to make their comeback in the next 20 yrs.
11. Get as much foreign-based T&T football talent and Jackula-triggered refugees to return and contribute to the new football order.
12. Get Flex, Tallman and company with new stakeholder positions in the new Football sector.

[maxg]

like your plan A..don't wait prepare plan B..

[AB.Trini]

See the youthful squad ummmm the Jammie's fielded against Serbia. Ah saying again we cyar keep recycling parts dat eh go be operable come 2018.

[dnice1]

In addition most countries are having their U17,U20,U23 squads train and play a few matches. What are we doing with those age groups??? Nada

[Tiresais]

We definitely need to find our team for 2018 and focus on that, but that doesn't mean anyone over 28 isn't any good for us - we need all stripes to pull for that qualification and we will definitely need the weight of experience to pull through. Players who would be 32 in 2018 are definitely people I would want participating now - 4 years of NT experience on already weighty shoulders would certainly give our defence more punch, and wouldn't hurt in the centre of midfield too.

[elan]

See the youthful squad ummmm the Jammie's fielded against Serbia. Ah saying again we cyar keep recycling parts dat eh go be operable come 2018.

Controversial say we playing for Pride vs Argentina.

[Trini]

We not playing for no pride against Argentina, this is a very important game, as too is the Iran game.

We have a very very important tournament later this year, the caribbean Cup. We need to win, because we have not won it in forever, and soon we may be the Uruguay (forgotton team)of the Caribbean. We also need it to qualify for both the Gold Cup next year and the Copa Centenario the following year to be held in the US. If we dont win this Caribbean Cup, we have to depend on tother teams and make a decent run in the Gold Cup next year.

So these games are critical to us and our preparation. We seem to be using a core of players recently since the Guyana catastrophe, and to be honest we not doing that badly, given where we were coming from and losing to Guyana (2nd place Caribbean Cup, knockout rounds Gold Cup, 3rd place Saudi Cup and double winners vs jamaica). If we can put on 2 good displays in the next couple weeks, we will continue to build on momentum and prep for the Caribbean Cup. If we get blown out twice, we take a few steps back. Also, dont underestimate the effect of 2 good perfomances, esp in Buenos Aires, will have on our Caribbean opposition later this year. In no uncertain terms, we need to build our own momemtum and send a statement of intent.

Its very clear why we got these games, Argentina and Iran need a pre-Nigeria workout (thats pretty flattering for us I must admit).
And whther we like to admit it or not, somebody in the TTFF wukkin.

With regards to building for 2018, a lot of that success depends on getting to the Gold and Copa Cups, and a lot of getting there depends on what we do in the next few months. We aint playing for pride, we playing for very very serious stakes here.

[elan]

Why do you all equate winning or not losing bad with improving? So we go play Argentina and lose what 2-0, 3-0, 4-1 and that is us moving forward?

[Tiresais]

Why do you all equate winning or not losing bad with improving? So we go play Argentina and lose what 2-0, 3-0, 4-1 and that is us moving forward?

Depends what we learn from it

[Tallman]

TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee believes this country has the potential to qualify for the next World Cup in 2018.
http://www.tv6tnt.com/sevenpm-news/-Tim-Kee-on-TT-3308----267273781.html

[AB.Trini]

In reflecting on our  senior teams and our usual mode of preparations for major tournaments it would seem that a shift in thinking and practice ought to occur. Needless to say change is not always fully embraced nor is it without challenges. In our nation, it must be challenging for a footballer to earn a living as a full time professional player.
What would it look like if a core of local players was selected- be it players from the u 20 and or players in the present professional league. These players would qualify for government subsidy ( Football Support Program- new twist) and be in training all year round. Of course there will be details to work out with clubs or  the athletes' personal lives. Is it conceivable to have these players as asleep rate team in the pro league?

What if the foreign based players were not automatic selections but had to challenge these players for berths on the national team?

 Is it feasible to have an entirely local based squad and a foreign based team- or one comprised of foreign based professionals. Prior to our national team selections these two squads would have a series of games to determine which players would be on the national team.
 We would create a sense of competitiveness from within our ranks- eliminate the fact that some players are automatic selections and also provide players with the hope that they have an opportunity to make the team. Players would know that playing for TNT is an open competition much like competing for a job

Look at how we do things and expect success- take the Caribbean Cup- lower rank teams are presently competing and building on their team cohesiveness- our team in,less than a month with little preparation is now expected to not only compete but win this tournament-  we may look at plugging gaps with foreign players and hoping for the best. What is wrong with this picture? Constant receipt for long term failure.we may achieve some success but in the long term we still lack a solid sustainable core of quality players at home.

We keep hearing about the lack of funding   When are we going to look at how we spend what we have to support our renewable resources?  It is evident the way we are doing things are not equalling to successful return on the dollars we are spending. An analytical logistic model for measuring team success equated to money spent on that team may reveal that we are lacking. Could you envision that if we could show successful yield on our spending for the national senior teams how much easier this may be to approach corporate TNT for sponsorship?

If we need this level of support we need to begging running the business of football differently rather than begging for money to put into a program with a leaky bottom in my humble opinion.

[AB.Trini]

Well all the doom and gloom about TTFA and no money -, we might as well pack it in for Caribbean Cup Gold cup and eventually World Cup Things are simply too 4 cup right now.
Why and how could Jamaica field a team in preparation and we fielding ah U 20?
Jamaica squad for friendly against Canada:
The Reggae Boyz starting 11 included Philadelphia Union goalie Blake, defenders Morgan of Leicester City, Nyron Nosworthy of Bristol City, Alvas Powell of the Portland Timbers, midfielder Watson of FC Dallas and forwards Simon Dawkins of Derby County and Deshorn Brown of the Colorado Rapids.

Jamaican head coach Winfried Schaefer, who won the African Nations Cup in 2002 with Cameroon, was using the game as a warmup for the mid-November Caribbean Cup.

[Tenorsaw]

Right now we are way behind these four in Concacaf, in terms of talent pool and player representation in Europe:  USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica.  The fourth spot is up for grabs. 

[Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$]

Right now we are way behind these four in Concacaf, in terms of talent pool and player representation in Europe:  USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica.  The fourth spot is up for grabs. 

Like yuh cah check aought? lol

[Tenorsaw]

Lol...nah, meh head was focusing on the four that made the World Cup.  Then, I took Honduras out of that group because they are inconsistent, and their talent pool seems to have dropped off a bit.   

[Tallman]

A look at the proposed CONCACAF 2018 World Cup Qualifying format
http://www.vavel.com/en-us/soccer/395446-a-look-at-the-proposed-concacaf-2018-world-cup-qualifying-format.html

[Trini _2026]

lord antigua is ranked higher than us now wow

[FF]

lord antigua is ranked higher than us now wow

And Jamaica and Haiti. What's your point? They have been playing competitive caribbean cup qualification games.
They will come back toward the mean in short time.

[elan]

lord antigua is ranked higher than us now wow

We new TTFA working on fixing that. When they went Argentina it was not just for the ride, they organized a number of friendlies.

[AB.Trini]

Small measures of success are the foundational blocks for the larger goals- therefore with each measure of success, we ought to be considering how is this  setting the stage for WC2018.

F
I think this is one of the most opportune time, where we are sensing a depth in the overall team composition. It has been a while since we have had a back four that is coming unto its own. Still being cautiously optimistic, there are  overall aspects of our game that could be improved with adequate preparation and added 'friendlies ' - the cohesion, transition phases of our game will take time.
Anyone else think we could still be in need of a more technical goalie? Where is the depth in this area to press the two we tend to default to? To we have any goalies in the US colleges that are eligible to represent TnT?

[Sando prince]

I am happy for the team progressing to the final round of the Caribbean Cup but the TRUTH is we did not faced enough quality in opposition to determine where we are in terms of being ready and able to beat big teams in CONCACAF

[Trini _2026]

CONCACAF will reportedly keep the Hex for 2018 World Cup qualification
By Ryan Rosenblatt  @RyanRosenblatt on Nov 19 2014, 2:22p



There are changes at the beginning of qualifying, but nothing will change in the final two rounds, when the U.S., Mexico and other top teams join the fray.

CONCACAF is making small changes to World Cup qualifying for 2018, but the last two rounds will remain the same, according to Sportsnet. Rather than a second-round group stage, qualifying will expand to five rounds, and the first three rounds will now be two-legged home-and-away ties. Those will feed into the three-group semifinals and one-group finals.

The format for the semifinals and finals, unchanged since 1998, remains the same: three groups of four teams play six matches each, home and away, in the semifinals. The top-two teams advance to the final round, or Hex, composed of one group of six teams. The Hex takes place in the year before the World Cup and sees each team play 10 matches, one at home and one away against each team.

While FIFA has not yet confirmed how many spots CONCACAF will receive for the 2018 World Cup, it is expected to remain at 3.5. That means the top-three teams in the Hex automatically qualify for the world's biggest sporting event, while the fourth-place team goes to a inter-confederation playoff to qualify.

The first round will be played by teams ranked 22nd to 35th in CONCACAF in March of 2015. The seven winners will then join teams ranked ninth to 21st in the second round, to be played next June before the Gold Cup. Ten teams will make it out of that stage and join teams ranked seventh and eighth (Jamaica and Haiti) in the third round. Six teams will emerge from there and they, along with the top-six ranked teams, will make up the 12-team semifinal round.

The semifinals will be played in 2016, with the top-six teams in CONCACAF joining in at this stage. The August 2014 FIFA rankings will reportedly be used to determine who the top-six teams are, so the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago would skip out on the preliminary rounds.