Signals
5.23.2012  
 
    
 
 Gordon Derrick elected president of CFU
 Presidential election highlights CONCACAF Congress on Wednesday
 Mexican and Central American clubs qualify for the 2012-13 CONCACAF
 

Gordon Derrick elected president of CFU

Gordon Derrick was elected president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) on Monday at the CFU's 35th Ordinary Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Derrick, the General Secretary of the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association, received votes from more than half the CFU membership, defeating Ronald Jones (Barbados), Luis Hernandez (Cuba) and Harold Taylor (Trinidad & Tobago).

Those elected as Vice Presidents were Cheney Joseph (1st Vice President, Grenada), Larry Mussenden (2nd Vice President, Bermuda), Lyndon Cooper (3rd Vice President, St. Lucia) and Canover Watson (4th Vice President, Cayman Islands).

Four individuals were elected to the executive committee: Sonia Bien-Aime (Turks & Caicos), Hillaren Frederick (U.S. Virgin Islands), Maurice Victoire (Martinique) and Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis. Bien-Aime is the first woman to be elected to an executive position in the CFU.

Presidential election highlights CONCACAF Congress on Wednesday

CONCACAF will stage its 2012 congress on Wednesday, with the election of only the fourth different president in the organization's 51-year history set to cap the meeting.

Cayman Islands Football Association President Jeffrey Webb, 47, is the sole nominated candidate for the position, which has been vacant since the resignation of Jack Warner in June 2011.

The meeting, at the Boscolo New York Hotel, will follow a day after the Caribbean Football Union stages its congress, and before the FIFA congress.






Mexican and Central American clubs qualify for the 2012-13 CONCACAF

Mexico

Santos defeated visiting Monterrey 2-1 on Sunday night in Torreon to win the 2012 Torneo Clausura crown in Mexico. After a 1-1 tie in the first leg on Thursday, the victory gave the Guerreros a sense of revenge after losing by the same score to Monterrey last month in the 2012 CONCACAF Champions League final. Both teams had already qualified for the 2012 Champions League by reaching the final but due to Santos winning the Clausura title, Chivas will take the Champions League spot that Santos earned as the runner-up of the Torneo Apertura tournament. Chivas had the top record in the Apertura regular season.

Guatemala

Xelaju defeated Municipal 3-1 on penalties on Saturday to capture the 2012 Torneo Clausura championship in Guatemala. Xelaju won 1-0 at home to force penalties after losing the first leg 1-0 on Wednesday. With the title, Xelaju qualified to the 2012 CONCACAF Champions League along with Municipal, who won the 2011 Torneo Apertura title.

Honduras

Olimpia won its second-consecutive Honduran title on Sunday, defeating Marathon 1-0 in the Torneo Clausura final. The two teams had tied 0-0 the weekend before in the final's first leg. Olimpia had already qualified for the 2012 Champions League by winning the 2011 Torneo Apertura and will be joined in the competition by Marathon, who accumulated the highest number of points over the two regular seasons behind Olimpia.

Panama

The Panamanian Torneo Clausura final between Chepo and Tauro was postponed on Friday due to heavy rains at Panama City's Estadio Rommel Fernandez. The two teams will meet on Tuesday in the rescheduled one-game final. The winner will join Torneo Apertura champion Chorillo in the upcoming Champions League. Costa Rica Herediano defeated Santos 6-3 over two legs to win its 22nd Costa Rican title on Sunday . Herediano wrapped up the Torneo de Invierno crown with a 2-1 away win over Santos. "El Team Florense" will join Torneo de Verano winner Alajuelense in the next CONCACAF Champions League.

Nicaragua

In Managua, Real Esteli won its sixth-consecutive domestic title on Saturday, defeating Diriangen 3-1 for a 6-1 aggregate triumph in the Nicaraguan finals.. By winning both the 2012 Torneo Clausura title and the 2011 Torneo Apertura title, Esteli qualified for the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League.

Canada

Toronto FC will look for a fourth-straight Canadian club title this Wednesday in the final of the Amway Canadian Championship at its BMO Field. Toronto tied the Vancouver Whitecaps FC last week 1-1 in Vancouver in the final's first leg. The winner will qualify for the 2012 CONCACAF Champions League.

CFU

Group 4 action in the second round of the Caribbean Club Champions Cup kicked off on Monday in the Cayman Islands as the Puerto Rico Islanders and Caledonia AIA of Trinidad & Tobago tied 0-0. Earlier in the day, Baltimore SC of Haiti withdrew from the competition, leaving George Town SC of Guyana as the other team in the group. The top two clubs of the now three-team group will join Barracuda FC and W Connection in the final round of the tournament. The top three teams will qualify for the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League.






Mexico U-23 to participate in French youth tournament

CONCACAF Men's Olympic champion Mexico will participate in the Espoirs de Toulon youth tournament in France as part of its preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Mexico will open up against Morocco on Thursday before facing France on Saturday and wrapping up against Belarus on the following Monday.

For the Olympic Games, Mexico is in Group B with Switzerland, Gabon and South Korea.






Jamaica and Panama open up week of CONCACAF friendlies with win over Guyana

Jamaica defeated visiting Guyana 1-0 on Friday in a friendly at Montego Bay's Catherine Hall Stadium. Jeremie Lynch scored for the Jamaicans in his senior team debut.

Two days later, host Panama defeated Guyana 2-0 in a closed-door match at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City. Yairo Yau (70') and Darwin Pinzon (73') scored for the Central Americans.

The matches were the first of a number of friendlies featuring CONCACAF sides roughly three weeks prior to the start of the latest round of World Cup Qualifying.

On Wednesday, El Salvador will face New Zealand in Houston, while Costa Rica will host Guatemala in San Jose two days later.

On Saturday, the United States will welcome Scotland to Jacksonville, Florida; El Salvador will meet Moldova and Honduras will take-on New Zealand in a double-header in Houston.

The week will close with two matches on May 27: Mexico squares-off against Wales in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Jamaica will host Panama in Kingston.






Guatemala and Mexico to face off twice this week

Guatemala and Mexico will face each other in two beach soccer friendlies on Friday and Saturday.

The matches will take place in Sipacate, Guatemala and will serve as a tune-up for both sides prior to the 2012 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship later this year (dates and location TBD).






Costa Rica Futsal team lose twice to Brazil

Costa Rica traveled to Brazil and lost a pair of futsal friendlies against the four-time FIFA world champions last week.

After dropping the first encounter 5-0 at Recife's Ginásio Geraldão three days earlier, Erick Brenes gave Costa Rica the lead in the opening six minutes of the second match at the Ginásio do SESI in Maceió on May 15. The Samba Kings, however, knocked in five-consecutive goals, before Diego Zuñiga scored for the Ticos with nine minutes remaining for the 5-2 final score.

The victory extended Brazil's unbeaten streak to 40 matches, while Costa Rica is preparing for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship in Guatemala in July.