Guadeloupe national football team

Guadeloupe
Nickname(s) Les Gwada Boys
Association Ligue Guadeloupéenne de Football
Sub-confederation CFU (Caribbean)
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Head coach Steve Bizacen
Captain Stéphane Auvray
Most caps Jean-Luc Lambourde (60)
Top scorer Dominique Mocka (17)
Home stadium Stade René Serge Nabajoth
FIFA code GPE
First colours
Second colours
Elo ranking
Current 112
Highest 81 (Early 2011)
Lowest 134 (14 April 2001)
First international
 Martinique 6–0 Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
(Martinique; Date Unknown, 1934)
Biggest win
 Guadeloupe 13–0 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 
(Versailles, France; September 22, 2012)
Biggest defeat
 Martinique 6–0 Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
(Martinique; Date Unknown, 1934)
 Martinique 8–2 Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
(Martinique; Date Unknown, 1975)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances 3 (First in 2007)
Best result Fourth place, 2007

The Guadeloupe regional football team (French: Sélection de la Guadeloupe de football) represents the French overseas department and region of Guadeloupe in international football. The team is controlled by the Ligue Guadeloupéenne de Football (English: Guadeloupean Football League), a local branch of French Football Federation (French: Fédération Française de Football).

As an overseas department of the French Republic, Guadeloupe is not a member of FIFA and is therefore not eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup or any competition organized first-hand by the organization. Guadeloupeans, being French citizens, are eligible to play for the France national football team. Guadeloupe is, however, a member of CONCACAF and the CFU and is eligible for all competitions organized by both organizations. Indeed, according to the status of the FFF (article 34, paragraph 6): "[...]Under the control of related continental confederations, and with the agreement of the FFF, those leagues can organize international sport events at a regional level or set up teams in order to participate to them."'

Guadeloupe's highest honor to date was reaching the final at the 2010 Caribbean Championship where they were defeated by Jamaica on penalties. In the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Guadeloupe reached the semi-finals in 2007. The team performed well in the group stage defeating Canada and drawing with Haiti. In the knockout stage of the competition, Guadeloupe eliminated Honduras in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, Guadeloupe lost to Mexico 1–0. The regional team also participates in the Caribbean Cup and the Coupe de l'Outre-Mer. Guadeloupe has yet to win either competition.

History

International success

Guadeloupe was a surprise qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007. The regional team earned qualification to the tournament after finishing in 4th place at the 2006–07 Caribbean Nations Cup. The appearance in the Gold Cup marked Guadeloupe's first in the competition and they opened the campaign on 6 June 2007 with a 1–1 draw against Haiti. In the team's following match against Canada, Guadeloupe recorded a 2–1 victory in front of 20,000 spectators at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The team finally succumbed to defeat losing 1–0 to the reigning champions of UNCAF, Costa Rica, to close out group play.

Guadeloupe advanced to the knockout stage of the competition as a result of being the best performing third-place team in group play. In the quarterfinals, Guadeloupe were pitted against Honduras and earned an upset victory defeating the Hondurans 2–1 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston.[1] Prior to its elimination, Honduras had been equal to the task of Guadeloupe having beaten Mexico 2–1 and dominating Cuba 5–0. In the ensuing round, Guadeloupe were defeated by Mexico 1–0.[2] However, despite the loss, Guadeloupe were praised for its strong defensive performance.[3] Guadeloupe's finish in the tournament was the best finish by a Caribbean island team since Trinidad and Tobago reached the semifinals of the 2000 tournament.

Guadeloupe's respectable third-place finish in the 2008 Caribbean Championship meant a consecutive appearance in the Gold Cup. Ahead of the competition, regional team coach Roger Salnot sought to increase Guadeloupe's chances of winning by calling up players of Guadeloupean descent who were born in metropolitan France. Salnot named notable players to his preliminary squad such as goalkeeper Yohann Thuram, defenders Daniel Congré, Michaël Ciani, Ronald Zubar, midfielders Étienne and Aurélien Capoue, and Ludovic Sylvestre, and attackers Alexandre Alphonse, Claudio Beauvue, and Richard Socrier. All players had been effective players in Ligue 1 and abroad. However, despite calling up an abundance of talent, only Alexandre Alphonse was allowed participation by his club. Every other player either personally turned down the invite or was denied by his parent club with Salnot expressing his disappointment at the latter issue.

In the tournament, Guadeloupe were inserted to Group C alongside Mexico, Panama, and Nicaragua. The team started off the group with two straight victories defeating Panama 2–1 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and systematically disabling the Nicaraguans 2–0 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston. In the team's final group stage match against Mexico, Guadeloupe was beaten 2–0 in Phoenix. Guadeloupe's second-place finish in the group meant another appearance in the knockout stage, where the team was pitted against Costa Rica in the quarter-finals at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In the match, it was Costa Rica who dominated scoring twice within the first 20 minutes of the match. Costa Rica finished the match with five goals with Guadeloupe getting a consolation goal from Alphonse in the second half.

Players

Previous squads

CONCACAF Gold Cup squads
Caribbean Championship

Results

2010 Coupe de l'Outre-Mer

2010 Caribbean Cup qualifying

2010 Caribbean Championship

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Last updated: 14 June 2011

Competitive record

Gold Cup record

Guadeloupe has participated in three of the eleven CONCACAF Gold Cups contested. The team's first appearance in the competition was in 2007. The team, surprisingly, reached the semi-finals where they were defeated by Mexico. Two years later, in 2009, Guadeloupe made their second consecutive appearance in the competition and, for the second straight time, reached the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. In the quarterfinals, Guadeloupe were defeated by Costa Rica.

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
United States 1991Did Not Qualify
United StatesMexico 1993
United States 1996
United States 1998Did Not Enter
United States 2000Did Not Qualify
United States 2002
United States Mexico 2003
United States 2005
United States 2007Fourth Place4th521255
United States 2009Quarter-Finals6th420258
United States 2011Group Stage10th 300325
United States 2013Did Not Qualify
United States Canada 2015Did Not Qualify
Total3/120 Titles124171218

Caribbean Cup record

Guadeloupe have appeared in seven Caribbean Cups. The regional team has yet to win the competition, but has finished in third place on three occasions in 1989, 1994, and 2008. Since the 2007 competition, Guadeloupe has finished inside the top four teams in the proceeding Caribbean Cups. In 2010, the team finished runner-up to Jamaica losing 5–4 on penalties.

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
Barbados 1989Third Place3rd210121
Trinidad and Tobago 1990Did not qualify
Jamaica 1991Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1992Round 15th310213
Jamaica 1993Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1994Third Place3rd5221116
Cayman IslandsJamaica 1995Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1996Did not enter
Antigua and BarbudaSaint Kitts and Nevis 1997
JamaicaTrinidad and Tobago 1998Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1999Round 17th3003410
Trinidad and Tobago 2001Did not qualify
Barbados 2005
Trinidad and Tobago 2007Fourth Place4th5203810
Jamaica 2008Third Place3rd512268
Martinique 2010Runners-Up*2nd522155
Antigua and Barbuda 2012Did not qualify
Jamaica 2014Did not qualify
Total7/170 Titles2896133735

Coupe de l'Outre-Mer record

Guadeloupe has participated in both editions of the Coupe de l'Outre-Mer, which was established in 2008. In both editions, the team finished in third place behind Martinique and Réunion with the latter team winning the first edition and Martinique winning the second.

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
France 2008Third Place3rd430191
France 2010Third Place3rd422082
France 2012Third Place3rd4301194
Total3/30 Titles12822367

CFU Championship record

From 1978–1985, Guadeloupe participated in the CFU Championship, a precursor to the Caribbean Cup. Of the six championships played, Guadeloupe featured in two final rounds and departed each tournament without a single win.

Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
Suriname 1978Did not qualify
Suriname 1979
Puerto Rico 1981Third Place3rd301226
French Guiana 1983Did not qualify
Barbados 1985Third Place3rd301235
Martinique 1988[4]Did not qualify
Total2/60 Titles6024511
*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

References

  1. ↑ "Sports Briefing". The New York Times. 17 June 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  2. ↑ Armour, Nancy (22 June 2007). "Mexico Squeezes Into Gold Cup Finals". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Irving, Duncan (17 July 2007). "The 91st Minute". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  4. ↑ It is unsure if the tournament was completed, but some sources state that Trinidad and Tobago defeated Martinique 3–0 in the final.

External links

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