September 2 – The final national team squads for the Central American Cup Tigo 2014 that kicks off tomorrow have been announced, boasting multiple World Cup players amongst MLS and Europe-based players. However, there is a strong contingent of home-based players in each squad, serving not only as a reflection of each nation’s best 11, but also as a point of comparison for each nation’s respective club leagues.
The best-known names that appear belong to those on the Costa Rican team that performed so well at the Brazil World Cup. Arsenal striker Joel Campbell is the noteworthy exciting attacking player on the roster, and a fellow England-based player Jose Miguel Cubero (playing at Blackpool) accompanies him. The squad is made up chiefly of young home-based players that are the likely contenders for 2018 World Cup spots.
Seven play their club football outside Costa Rica, the most of any of the competing squads.
Honduras’ newly appointed coach Hernan Medford, who has appeared in two previous World Cup’s for Costa Rica, has picked a squad of 21 in which only four play their club football outside of Honduras.
Elsewhere, Guatemala also has four foreign-based players, whilst El Salvador has 9, and Panama leads the way with 14. The Belize national team has picked a team of home-based players bar three, and is considered sizeable underdogs in the competition. Nicaragua’s manager has the easiest travel job of the lot when it comes to scouting – all his players play in their home country.
Much is riding on the outcome of this tournament as the winner qualifies for the 2016 Copa América Centenario, which for the first time will be held outside of South America (in the USA). The 16-team tournament will consist of nations from the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL federations.
Furthermore, the top four places teams will earn a berth into the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the fifth place team having a playoff with a team from the Caribbean for a spot.
The Central American Cup Tigo, previously known as the Copa Centroamericana, is taking place in four U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Washington D.C. Triple-headers are scheduled for September 3 , 7, and 10, with the final knockout games (fifth place playoff, third place playoff, and final) to be played on September 13 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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