CONMEBOL, CONCACAF merge; Copa America qualification helps USA

Brandon Vazquez celebrates his goal during the international friendly between USA and Serbia at BMO Stadium on January 25, 2023 in Los Angeles

Brandon Vazquez celebrates his goal during the international friendly between USA and Serbia at BMO Stadium on January 25, 2023 in Los Angeles
Picture: Getty Images

Here’s a sandwich to praise. Copa America 2024, South America’s premier international soccer tournament, will once again be played in the United States after America first hosted the showpiece in 2016. Despite being the host nation, the USMNT is not directly qualified to perform at the event. However, six CONCACAF teams will participate. WITH America’s talent pool, it’s a safety net it certainly makes them the largest North American nation, much less in the top half dozen. The official host of the 2024 edition is CONCACAF as a federation, so the U.WITH. He won’t win football 80 million dollars in gain as he has done so since the 2016 event.

The 2023-34 CONCACAF Nations League, not the competitive matches the USMNT will play this spring and summer, will determine which six teams will join the 10 CONMEBOL nations in the tournament. The United States finished fourth as hosts in 2016, losing 4-0 to a Lionel Messi-led Argentina team in the semifinals. No host cities have been announced for the showcase. Still, like IN.WITH. Football is without permanent sports director, general manager, or head coach of the men’s national team, today’s announcement makes correcting those personnel decisions even more important.

Inaugural women Golden cup

Not to be lost in the latest CONCACAF-CONMEBOL press release is the addition of the top four South American women’s national teams to the inaugural Women’s Gold Cup in 2024. So Brazil and three other countries, obviously. Colombia, Argentina, and Paraguay. Adding international competition to that is huge typical regional tournaments. If there’s one thing the USWNT needs between the Olympics and the World Cup, it’s more competitive games with non-North American teams. Only Canada has provided a more or less sufficient challenge from the region in recent years. And those games can only take you so far with how much talent there is around the world. The USWNT has already qualified for the Gold Cup by qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in doubles.

Final four

The North American and South American confederations will also organize a “final four-style club competition” involving the best clubs from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. Two teams from each continent will participate. The most logical thing would be for those teams to be participants in the finals of the Copa Libertadores and the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first edition of the tournament will take place in 2024, according to the announcement.

All paths for the USMNT point to hosting the World Cup in 2026. No tangible returns to better American soccer in all aspects, all opening points the event and the domestic progress of the sport will be considered a failure. The United States does not need to win the first 48-team global tournament. A small shift in American expectations occurred in Qatar with the game against England. But the same usual end result it happened – elimination in the round of 16. WITH The Copa America will likely be on the U.S. soccer schedule next summer, and chances are growing that the USMNT can take advantage of hosting the World Cup.

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