Is CONCACAF getting better? What could that mean for Canada’s men’s soccer team?

While there are plenty of reasons why Canada hasn't made a World Cup before or since 1986, including competition with other sports for elite athletes and issues with the domestic league model, the confederation is not usually seen as one of them. Canada plays in CONCACAF, the grouping of North American, Central American and Caribbean teams, and it's a confederation that's generally been seen as one of the weaker ones on the world stage. No CONCACAF team has even made the World Cup quarterfinals since the U.S. did in 2002, and there's generally been a substantial gap between decent teams like the U.S. and Mexico at the top and the rest of the confederation. However, this World Cup may signal that CONCACAF is on the rise.

So far, three of the four CONCACAF teams involved have impressed, with Costa Rica upsetting powerhouse Uruguay 3-1 on Saturday, the U.S. beating Ghana 2-1 Monday and Mexico holding favoured Brazil to a 0-0 draw Tuesday. (The fourth CONCACAF team, Honduras, lost 3-0 to France Sunday, but they still may do something in this tournament too.) A boost in CONCACAF performance could result in an increase in berths given to the continent, something determined before each World Cup by FIFA, which would mean more spots the Canadian team could compete for. Improvements in the quality of CONCACAF competition could also help Canada do better at a World Cup if the team makes it there; facing challenging opposition ahead of time can be a useful test. If the rest of the confederation continues to improve and Canada doesn't, though, the Canadian team may be left in the dust.

Beyond the four World Cup games played thus far, is there evidence that CONCACAF is getting better? Yes. The 13th-ranked U.S. has been very impressive under German coach Jürgen Klinsmann, putting up 31 wins, 8 draws and 11 losses thus far, including a decisive 7-1-2 mark in the final "hex" stage of CONCACAF qualifying to earn the confederation's top seed. There are high hopes for their squad, and while they're in an extremely tough group, the win over Ghana (and Portugal's struggles against Germany) suggests there's substantial hope for them to make it through the group and perhaps go beyond that. The 28th-ranked Costa Rican team also impressed in qualifying, earning CONCACAF's second berth with a 5-3-2 record in the hex, and their handling of seventh-ranked Uruguay (who finished fourth in the 2010 World Cup) suggests they're a team to watch. 33rd-ranked Honduras was okay in qualifying, going 4-3-3 in the final round, and while 20th-ranked Mexico struggled through qualifying, going 2-5-3 and only making the World Cup by beating New Zealand in a inter-confederation playoff, they look to be back to more typical form now.

While FIFA rankings aren't everything, all four teams here are ranked higher than Honduras' 38th ranking heading into the 2010 tournament, and only one team (the U.S.) made it out of the group stage in 2010; even they then lost to Ghana in the Round of 16. It seems highly likely that at least two of CONCACAF's teams will find a way through the group this time, and the U.S. in particular might have the potential to advance beyond that. That could be excellent for boosting CONCACAF's reputation and possibly earning another berth for the confederation in the next World Cup, which would in turn boost Canada's chances of making it there.

Even if CONCACAF does get an extra berth (whcih isn't necessarily likely, barring a tremendous run from a CONCACAF side and flops by some other confederations), though, the competition will be stiff. All four of the teams that made it this time should be threats the next time around, and both 31st-ranked Panama and 81st-ranked Jamaica did better than Canada in qualifying, making it to the final round. Other teams can't be written off either, including 68th-ranked El Salvador (two World Cup appearances) and 71st-ranked Trinidad and Tobago (one appearance in 2006). All of those sides, plus 73rd-ranked Haiti and 95-ranked Cuba, are ahead of 110th-ranked Canada in FIFA's latest rankings, putting the Canadian team 11th in their confederation. That doesn't mean they're necessarily doomed, but it does indicate that they look like one of the weaker sides at the moment, and it suggests that although CONCACAF may be on the rise, that tide won't necessarily lift the Canadian boat