The 2014 international year is in the books and by the time the nations of CONCACAF resume action in March, the 2015 Gold Cup will be just a few months away.
Since the World Cup, several countries' performances have improved noticeably while others have declined. In the great spirit of the CONCACAF Hexagonal, it only makes sense for ESPN FC to debut its regional Power Rankings with its top six teams, plus a list of ones to watch come 2015.
Cue the arched eyebrows and quizzical looks. The top choice is outside of CONCACAF's traditional "big two", but following their historical run to the World Cup quarterfinals, the Ticos kept a high level of play under the direction of interim head coach Paulo Wanchope. Costa Rica won the Copa Centroamericana, and then put together a solid run of results in friendlies, including an impressive 3-3 draw in Montevideo against Uruguay last week. For now, on the basis of being the best performing CONCACAF team at the World Cup and continuing a good run of results, Costa Rica are slotted at numero uno.
El Tri were frozen out on Tuesday in Belarus, but as any U.S. fan will tell you, Mexico simply do not perform well when it is bitterly cold. Miguel Herrera's defense is the main question mark and those who have filled in since the World Cup have failed to convince. In attack, though, Herrera has an abundance of riches now that Carlos Vela is back in the fold. Hector Herrera only stands to get better, Jonathan dos Santos and Jesus Corona look like they will contribute in the future and Chicharito Hernandez is scoring goals again, which is a good sign for the Mexico faithful.
Since John Brooks' "Oh-my-gosh-did-I-really-just-do-that?" moment against Ghana in the World Cup, the U.S. have garnered just one win out of eight, a 1-0 win at the Czech Republic in a September friendly. One of the biggest areas of concern is how the U.S. have coughed up so many late goals. But the biggest worry is the overall play of the team. In short, it's been lacking in creativity and plagued by way too many errors. Jurgen Klinsmann is trying to bed in some young players but, if there is no improvement, it will raise some serious red flags.
While their 0-0 draw on Tuesday night against Canada was sleep-inducing, Panama look like they have put away their World Cup qualifying heartbreak and have forged ahead under the guidance of Colombian manager Hernan Dario Gomez. The Canaleros finished third at the Copa Centroamericana and frankly should have beaten Costa Rica in the group stage. They also emerged with an impressive 3-1 win over El Salvador at the Estadio Cuscatlan -- never an easy place to play.
The Reggae Boyz, by virtue of their triumph in the Caribbean Cup final on Tuesday night against Trinidad & Tobago on penalties, assume the highest spot among the island nations. Prior to the tournament there were some setbacks, but Jamaica rallied well and now have the chance to play in the 2016 Copa America Centenario. Adding to their 2015 summer where they will feature in the Gold Cup and Copa America in Chile, Jamaica will be steeled in tournament play by the time World Cup qualifying begins.
New head coach Ivan Sopegno has done a wonderful job with the Chapines. The Argentine, who won four straight Guatemalan domestic league titles at Comunicaciones, guided Guatemala to a perfect group stage record at the Copa Centroamericana. Marco Pappa was sensational in scoring four goals in four matches and only a tough defeat in the final to Costa Rica soured their tournament. Guatemala could well make some noise at the Gold Cup next summer.
Ones to watch:
New head coach and former Barcelona assistant Albert Roca has El Salvador improving, as they showed in winning two matches at the Copa Centroamericana while playing an attractive brand of football.
The work of new coach Benito Floro appears to be paying off. Canada certainly showed they could possess the ball better against Colombia than the U.S. did and also took down Jamaica 3-1 in September. A team on the rise.
After a disappointing World Cup, things have gotten only worse for Hernan Medford's Honduras. The Catrachos still have to play a two-legged playoff against French Guiana just to qualify for the Gold Cup, and there was also a 6-0 loss to Japan last week. It will be interesting to see if Medford lasts until next summer.
T&T enjoyed a very good Caribbean Cup, making the final and narrowly losing to Jamaica, 4-3 in penalties. The Soca Warriors have been off the radar a bit of late in CONCACAF but with a Gold Cup berth now secure, they'll be looking to make an impact next summer.