Caribbean football report card

By Jonathan Feldman

(6/25) Over the years, football in CONCACAF has become a lesson in disparity with the foregone conclusion that the USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica will qualify for the World Cup. For Caribbean countries like Jamaica the dream is a long shot and it's getting more difficult.

While players with Caribbean heritage have helped European superpowers France, Holland, and England remain competitive, the established footballing world hasn't given much back to the region.

Migration from the Caribbean, which began after World War II and peaked in the Seventies is still fueled by the greener pastures of the USA, Canada, and Europe. Transplants who make it rarely return.

"There's so much money in America. There is this feeling that we have nothing to gain by staying home," said David McWilliams, a former college standout midfielder, now living in Mount Vernon and born in Jamaica. "It's kind of like growing up in a small town and wanting to get the opportunities of a big city. A lot of people say they'll come back but most don't."

Cuba was a quarterfinalist in 1938, while Haiti and Jamaica experienced success at the 1974 and 1998 World Cups respectively. Unfortunately, because of funding issues countries in the Caribbean have occasionally withdrawn from qualification. Today, this lack of funding continues to dog Caribbean football.

The Jamaican Football Federation's annual budget for the senior men's national team is roughly 1/50th of that for Bob Bradley's team USA. Associations like the JFF turn to sponsors for help. Recently, the JFF refused to televise the team's first leg victory over the Bahamas because it desperately needed gate receipts from a sold out stadium.

Digicel, a mobile phone company based in Kingston is the largest provider in the English speaking Caribbean and a major sponsor of football tournaments and events.

Digicel even donates football equipment to schools around the Caribbean. But even the efforts of established local brands like Digicel, Grace, and Red Stripe isn't enough.

Of course the government should foot the bill for a national sports federation. Football takes a back seat, though when smaller, poorer countries struggle with corruption and violent crime. So much of Jamaica's tax pittance will be spent on crumbling roads and bridges and on an overstretched police force. According to United Nations Human Rights Council, Jamaica's 2007 murder rate ranked as the second highest in the world with 49 murders per 1,000 people.

Crime is rampant among CONCACAF nations. El Salvador is first in murders with 55.3 per 1000. Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago all feature in the top ten.

"It's very difficult for some of these countries. Crime, corruption, poverty. It's just a part of CONCACAF football that Americans don't really see much of," said McWilliams. "It's like if you're going to go on your honeymoon to Jamaica, you go to Montego Bay, you don't go to Kingston."

The standard of football isn't likely to change until the standard of living improves. Professional football clubs from Europe must lend a hand.

	"It's time to give back."

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others can afford to build fields, training facilities and provide the training, and resources necessary to lift spirits.

For European superclubs to play mid-summer friendlies in order to sell uniforms and grow brand recognition under the guise of goodwill smacks of cultural elitism.

The world's richest clubs have made a killing off of talent from the world's poorest regions. Now it's time for them to give back. They can start in the Caribbean.

- The opinions of Jonathan Feldman do not necessarily represent those of GreenPitch Magazine.

The rowdies return

(USLSoccer.com)(6/20) New owners announced a throwback to earlier times today with the return of the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team to the USL First Division. Speaking for the ownership group, which included two other partners, local restaurateur David Laxer and Boston resident Hinds Howard, Rowdies President and CEO Andrew Nestor gave a synopsis of what soccer fans can expect.

MLS Recap

(6/29) MLS scores this weekend are as follows: DC United 4, Los Angeles 1; New England 2, Toronto, 1; Kansas City 1, Salt Lake 0; San Jose 0, Chicago 0; New York 1, Chivas 1.

USL Recap

(6/29)(USLSoccer.com) Charleston moved into first with a 3-1 victory over Rochester Saturday night as Portland kept close with a 2-0 win in Atlanta. Montreal and Seattle exchanged late goals in a 1-1 draw.

After working so long to get the lead, the Seattle Sounders couldn’t hang onto it for very long at all. Andre Schmid’s first goal of the season snapped a scoreless tie early in the 80th minute, but Montreal tied it on a corner kick just 4 ½ minutes later, and the Sounders had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the Impact on Saturday night in a United Soccer Leagues First Division game at Starfire Sports Complex.

The Portland Timbers used an own goal and a second-half strike by forward Chris Bagley to defeat the Atlanta Silverbacks 2-0 at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium on Saturday playing their second game in as many days while on a two-game road trip.The Puerto Rico Islanders needed a victory tonight to boost their morale, along with their scoring record. They got what they came out to achieve, and the 5,125 fans in attendance were noticeably excited about tonight’s eagerly awaited win, a 1-0 decision over the Minnesota Thunder.

Down again

(7/2) The USA fell nine places to 30th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking table for July. Since the June ranking was released, the team lost to Spain 1-0, drew with Argentina and struggled to defeat Barbados in the away leg of their quarterfinal qualifying clash. Mexico fell five places to 19th. In June, the squad lost to Argentina 4-1, defeated Peru 4-0, and moved past Belize 9-0 on aggregate in qualifying. "This ranking table is all about marketing," said David Texeira, a marketing consultant from Nutley, New Jersey. "Honestly, the U.S. performed ok in June yet they slip nine places? Mexico gets hammered by Argentina and struggles with Belize and they drop five? I don't really understand the logic."