On Wednesday of this week, interim CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit gave the clearest signal yet that the confederation will collaborate much more closely with CONMEBOL than they have in the past. Will it be a merger in everything but name? Not yet, but significant factions within both groups are considering the possibilities.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Union

RSL coach Jason Kreis said after Saturday's the 1—1 draw, "We were stretched out. We weren't keeping the ball at all and we were allowing them to play in our half of the field. When we got down, our backs didn't come forward and we left way too much space for our midfield to cover.

CONCACAF has split effectively in two factions, a Caribbean section led out of Port-of-Spain, and a North and Central American section led out of the main CONCACAF offices in New York City. But will this apparent schism have an effect on the Gold Cup? I say no, or at least, not in public. Because the Gold Cup is always in the USA (putting aside the 1993 tournament held in USA and Mexico), the North American CONCACAF offices have greater control over the running of the tournament.

The infighting within CONCACAF headquarters continued this morning with the news that interim president Lisle Austin has been suspended indefinitely by the confederation's Executive Committee. The charge is that Austin violated CONCACAF Statutes by attempting to fire general secretary Chuck Blazer early this week.