The Four Elements of CONCACAF

We were lucky enough to get four exciting Gold Cup quarterfinals this weekend, and though some games were better than others, it's hard to deny that this was a great round of action. Saturday's double header featured two certified Gold Cup classics, and Sunday's matches delivered a lot of excitement as well. Each of these quarterfinal matches demonstrated why we love CONCACAF, and each did so in their own way. The so called Four Elements of CONCACAF were on full display.

Haiti vs Canada

It doesn't get any better than this. Canada took control of this game quickly with two goals in the opening half-hour and looked to be well on their way to the semifinals. Instead, Haiti completed their third come from behind victory of the tournament with a three goal outburst in the second half to stun the Canadians and punch their ticket to their first ever Gold Cup semifinal*. It was an incredible game from start to finish and Duckens Nazon's pixel perfect assist on the final Haitian goal was the stuff of legend.

This is the first element of CONCACAF: Emotion. Of course, soccer is emotional everywhere, but here it's just a bit different. CONCACAF is the land of the downtrodden. Much of this confederation, like Haiti, doesn't get much chance to shine in a landscape dominated by a handful of powers at the top. Titles are so far away for so many teams, and that makes them hungry. Haiti play with intelligence and skill, but they are driven by raw emotion and hunger. That is why they can continue to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and why every win, whether it be against Bermuda or Costa Rica or Canada, means so much to the team and to the fans.

*Haiti previously won the old CONCACAF Championship in 1973.

Mexico vs Costa Rica

The heated Gold Cup rivalry continued as perennial knockout opponents Mexico and Costa Rica went to battle once again in Houston. Mexico struck first, but Costa Rica pulled it back in the second half after a penalty that was never a penalty went their way. Mexico ultimately prevailed after winning a shootout in which they missed their opening kick.

The second element of CONCACAF is chaos. This game was not good on a technical level. It was extremely open and neither side seemed to be very interested in closing down on attackers. There were wild challenges flying in from all sides. And of course, there was nobody there to punish those wild challenges, as the ref let most things go without so much as a common foul called. Costa Rica earned their penalty on a foul that was not a foul nor inside the box, but was I mad about it? Not in the slightest. Embrace the chaos.

Panama vs Jamaica

I had the honor of seeing this one in person, so of course by most accounts (including my own) this was the least interesting of the four quarterfinals, but that doesn't mean there was nothing to learn from it. Panama poured in chance after chance in the first half but could not convert, and conceded a handball in the second half to give Jamaica a penalty and the only goal of the match.

The element here is pain. The crowd was much more for Panama than it was for Jamaica, and as the match slipped away you could feel the frustration from the fans. (Unfortunately, some of that frustration at full time boiled over into fighting.) CONCACAF at every level is about pain and defeat. Why fans enjoy pain I do not know, but I know it is the truth for certain. Mexico falling at the Round of 16 every four years is painful. The US failing to even qualify is painful. Honduras crashing out of this Gold Cup, El Salvador's collapse, and of course, Panama somehow failing to at least force extra time against Jamaica after how well they played, was painful. And for Jamaica, though it has yet to be seen, one would imagine they will fall just short in their third straight Gold Cup later this week.

As I've said in the past, so much of life in this confederation is coming up short and failing to reach your goals. But that only contributes to the hunger that so many countries have, and from pain comes the constant desire to improve and achieve greatness. Panama were hurt on Sunday but they will have more chances, I can assure you of that.

USA vs Curaçao

USA was dominant early and scored in the 25th minute against Curaçao, but were unable to expand upon that lead and played the entire 2nd half on the back foot. It looked certain that an equalizer was coming, but Zach Steffen made a wonderful save to deny Leandro Bacuna in the final moments and seal the deal. It was a game that the US debatably didn't even deserve to win, and credit must be given to Curaçao for controlling the pace and flow of the match.

The final element of CONCACAF is uniqueness. The Gold Cup's official slogan is "This is Ours," and I think it actually fits the tournament really well. There is nothing like the Gold Cup. While Mexico sold 60,000 tickets on Saturday, here on Sunday the hosts had only an announced attendance of 26,000, and that's including a few thousand Panama fans who left after the first game. There is no other soccer tournament in the world that can match the vibe of heavy favorites and hosts clinging to survival against Curaçao in a more than half empty NFL stadium. That is CONCACAF.

I don't mean to suggest that 100,000 at the Azteca or a packed Estadio Cuscatlan are somehow not CONCACAF enough, or that that our nations have no fans and only bad players. Neither of those things are true (I will be the first to defend the quality of Curaçao, Haiti, and others who impressed at this tournament), but the circumstances around the Gold Cup have turned much of it into the scene from Sunday night, and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. It's stupid, but it's ours.