Welcome to ConcaCorner
The beginning of something special
As the name implies, this blog intends to cover the beautiful game in a corner of the footballing world that is relatively overlooked by a wider audience. This 41-member confederation spanning North & Central America, portions of South America, and the Caribbean has a unique story to tell that I believe will intrigue soccer fans everywhere. Before we begin to unpack all of that, a bit of background.
My love for the beautiful game began in the late 90s at Crew Stadium in Columbus. As a young child, I didn’t understand the significance of the early years of MLS and the fact that I was sitting in the first soccer specific stadium in the United States. I remember how it felt to sit in the stands (usually in the hot summer sun) and listen to the chants and roars of the supporter section. I remember my dad pointing out Brian McBride, seeing the “Stern Turn” from Stern John, and the “Fear Jeff Cunningham” banners around the stadium. I didn’t know what CONCACAF was then and I certainly didn’t know that these 3 men were legends in the region.
Over the next years I began to watch World Cups, Champions League, and even began watching CONCACAF Gold Cups (oh and there was an unholy amount of FIFA played during all of this). But it was always the World Cup that fascinated me. From the Trinidad & Tobago team in 2006, to Donovan’s legendary goal against Algeria in 2010, it all came to a crescendo for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It was the first time I truly paid attention to CONCACAF qualifying and the brutal Hexagonal (often referred to as the “Hex”) that had to be navigated to qualify. In the end, USA, Costa Rica, and Honduras qualified and Mexico had to beat New Zealand in the intercontinental playoff to advance.
I was in Honduras for part of the 2014 World Cup, and the only word I can use to describe it was magical. While there were many moments that most would remember from that tournament: Suarez bite, the rise of James Rodriguez, Brazil’s 7-1 loss, Messi coming up short after Mario Gotze’s wonder goal, there are other moments that stuck with me. John Brook’s winning goal against Ghana for USMNT, the tears of my Honduran friends and from Carlo Costly himself as he scored the first WC goal for Honduras since 1982, Memo Ochoa’s heroics as El Tri sought to finally reach the “quinto partido”, and of course the legendary run of Costa Rica to the quarterfinals led by Keylor Navas.
That World Cup opened my eyes to the beauty of CONCACAF. When most people think of this confederation, beauty isn’t what comes to mind. Most people think of scrappy teams that hustle their way to victories. They think of a few powerhouse countries who easily navigate by smaller nations. And this region is often overlooked and pushed to the side. But I do see beauty. I see players proud to represent their countries on any stage, I see divided nations united behind their national teams, and I see a wealth of untapped potential that has the ability to change the soccer landscape in the decades to come.
This blog (and potentially a future podcast) exists for the fans in this region and for those who want to know more. We hope to cover the club and national competitions in CONCACAF, provide profiles of the nations and players in the confederation, highlight how the women’s game is growing rapidly, detail the history of the region, and dive into the rivalries (club and country) that are rich in both passion and folklore.
This is also an invitation for you to educate me on this confederation. Much of my knowledge and experience exists in North and Central American soccer (particularly the US and Honduras). I look forward to going on this journey with you to not only shine a spotlight on the confederation but for my own learning as well. So welcome to ConcaCorner, let’s see where this can go and the community that can be formed around our passion for the beautiful game in our beloved region.
Stay tuned for a 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup preview!
As a side note, the terms soccer, football, and fútbol will be used interchangeably.
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Brian McBride is 🐐ed
Great content