Golazo 100: Alphonso Davies tops Concacaf reps, but why aren’t there more USMNT, Mexico and Canada players?

While the Golazo 100 continues, the second group of players includes Afonso Davies who was Concacaf’s highest-rated player, reaching the age of 74 after another impressive season in Bayern Munchen. The only other Concacaf representative ahead of Christian Pulisicwho reached the age of 81, Davies carries the flag of Canada and the entire region, as he stars in Europe at just 23 years old, but considering that he won the Champions League, the Club World Cup, the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal, the UEFA Super Cup and German Super Cup, it is also difficult to deny Davies’ credentials.

Debuting for Vancouver Whitecaps In July 2016, Davies became the second youngest player to play in MLS at 15 years and 257 days old and shined as a winger with eight goals and 12 assists before being sold to Bayern Munich in 2019. Although it appeared Davies would end up being another young player to be loaned out and perhaps never making it to a big club due to the level up from MLS to Europe. Instead, he was converted to left-back and has become one of the best defenders in the world so far. , staying with Bayern the entire time.

Looking at his ranking compared to Pulisic’s, one of the biggest differences is that Davies has logged 2,000 or more league minutes for the German giants in three of the five seasons since becoming a full-time starter, whilst also being an integral part of his game in the Champions League. . But what stands out most about Golazo 100 is that Concacaf’s representation ends with Davies and Pulisic.

A region on the rise or decline?

In the FIFA men’s rankings, both the United States and Mexico are among the 15 best teams in the world, ranking 11th and 14th, respectively, while Canada only appears in 49th, completing Concacaf’s representatives in the 50 best nations in the world. world. Considering the region’s performance in the FIFA World Cup, Qatar where only the United States made it out of the group stage of the tournament and no team made it past the round of 16, it is difficult to dispute these rankings and this led to players being eliminated in the Golazo 100, where they also play internationally is a factor.

Jonathan David, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Chucky Lozano and Santiago Gimenez were the only other Concacaf players to receive votes. Each is among their national team’s best players, but a total of just six players across the region receiving votes shows Concacaf still has a long way to go. There are theories that the region is weaker by playing only among themselves, which does not prepare the Concacaf nations for bigger tournaments.

They will have the chance to combat this and prepare for the 2026 World Cup at the Copa América this summer, where they will face CONMEBOL’s best teams. If the United States, Canada and Mexico make it out of their groups, it will be a learning experience that shows that these teams can compete with anyone in the world. If they don’t, it’s further proof that they need to improve before a World Cup on Concacaf soil, without much time to do so. These are things that will show where Concacaf really stands, as beating the best teams in the world will bring more players not only abroad but also onto the world rankings lists.