General Algarve/Cyprus/SheBelieves Cup 2016

2nd - 9th March

Algarve:
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia

Cyprus:
TBC

Who I would love to see in Cyprus:

England, Scotland, Holland, Australia, North Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Spain

Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland can't go to the Algarve or Cyprus because they are busy with their play-off series to decide who gets our Olympic qualification. Sweden are the fourth team taking part in that.

I wonder if this is a sign of things ending for these two tournaments. For the last few years there has a been a sense that both are a bit redundant now and also don't particularly fit well with the ever growing domestic game. I imagine many club managers think they are an inconvenient pain in the arse. I'm inclined to agree. The Feb/March international window itself won't be going anywhere but I can see both tournaments stopping soon and countries opting for regular friendlies instead.

The Feb/March international window itself won't be going anywhere but I can see both tournaments stopping soon and countries opting for regular friendlies instead.

I hope not. While I hope that England plays more friendlies with the top nations I think we benefit a lot from the mini tournament style.

decide who gets our Olympic qualification.

Damn, that still makes me angry. I'd replace them with Italy/Poland, Nigeria, China/S. Korea

There are a few rumours doing the rounds that instead of the Cyprus Cup we will be spending March at a four-nation tournament with the USA, France and Germany.

The fact that Canada, who are Cyprus regulars, are going to the Algarve this time even when it is reduced in size and quality suggests that if there is a Cyprus Cup it is going to be even more inferior to the Algarve than is usually is anyway. So us not going would make sense.

If we don't go to Cyprus, and the Netherlands aren't going to Cyprus, who is organising a Cyprus Cup? Are Scotland doing it all by themselves? Those are the three organising countries and at least one isn't participating. Running it despite not being a part of it would be a little bit odd.

Some are saying the USA/ENG/FRA/GER tournament is being announced tomorrow on Eurosport during the Juvisy vs PSG match. It's all too random to not be true, right?

who is organising a Cyprus Cup?

It would be strange for us to back down on a commitment like that just so we can jump when the Americans say jump.

If this tournament is going to be played in the early spring, I personally don't want us to go. We won't be even remotely match fit and it will just be a lot of defensive negative play from us, since there is no way that we will be able to play the sort of pressing we did against Germany for three plus games and we didn't even score in that one. If it was played later on maybe. I definitely want a couple friendly against France, I think they are the litmus of our true form. I personally think it would be more beneficial to play against nations like Norway, North Korea, Switzerland, Spain where we can work both on defending, attacking and the transition between.

More info regarding the four nation tournament in the US:
http://equalizersoccer.com/2015/12/05/uswnt-england-france-germany-four-nation-tournament-algarve-cup-florida/

I thought this US-based tournament was just going to be one-off that came about due to the way next year is falling. But if it is going to be annual then the impact on the Algarve/Cyprus Cup is going to be something else entirely.

I'm waiting for confirmation from the FA, this isn't the first rumour that hasn't proved to true. We were suppose to play the USA at Yankee stadium and the Mexico federation said we participating in the Brazil tournament. A lot can change before March and showing an interest isn't necessarily a commitment.

Guest wrote:I'm waiting for confirmation from the FA, this isn't the first rumour that hasn't proved to true. We were suppose to play the USA at Yankee stadium and the Mexico federation said we participating in the Brazil tournament. A lot can change before March and showing an interest isn't necessarily a commitment.

True. But we are Cyprus Cup organisers, which means we can't sit around and wait for pieces to fall into place because we are the ones who have to place them. The Algarve Cup is all planned. You would have thought the Cyprus Cup would be equally as planned as well by now. So we have surely had to commit to something?

Twitter tells me the Cyprus Cup is indeed still happening because Poland are going. It came via somebody who works for Eurosport Poland. Take it with whatever amount of salt you wish.

Shekicks believe the Cyprus Cup isn't happening? http://www.shekicks.net/news/view/12538

I hope we haven't jeopardised the future of the Cyprus Cup by accepting an invitation to America instead. This four-nation tournament thing stinks of USSF milking their cash cow. We won't be getting an invite for the next one. We weren't even at the top of the invite list for this one.

Plus our girls will probably get hurt on their crappy pitches

Jeff Kassouf ‏@JeffKassouf 1h1 hour ago
Hearing Tampa, Boca Raton and Nashville will host USWNT/France, Germany/England tournament in March (no Algarve). http://bit.ly/1LUz4pF

Wonder how long it will take before the FA announces this tournament?

It shouldn't be too long now. I'm a little surprised the official announcements haven't come sooner but that probably points towards the whole thing having not being organised as early as I thought it would have been. If the reason for the US wanting this tournament instead of the Algarve is true then it's not like they couldn't have gone about setting it up forever ago because weak Algarve groups is something they go on about every year.

I'm really not a fan of how the US schedule and host their games, every one feels like such a money grab charade. What I liked about the Algarve/Cyprus Cups was they felt neutral in their organisation and running despite them being the work of competing countries, and more importantly still they felt like an honest attempt to give yourself and others opportunity to improve teams and by extension the game. If this four-nation tournament makes money for USSF which I fully expect it will then it will become annual and once that happens it just becomes another ticket selling exercise for them. It would be the complete opposite to what the Algarve/Cyprus Cups were all about. 

Now if USSF had decided to host this thing in another country then none of that would apply. But of course they have to have it in their own back yard don't they so they can make it all about themselves.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, even if this four nations is reoccurring the likelihood of England being invited again are low. Let's be real if Japan or Sweden had been available they would be in our place at that tournament. I think the Cyprus Cup will take place next year and we will be there hosting.

I just hope we have a good showing and Mark keeps the negative football to a minimum.

And it's official

England ‏@england 30m30 minutes ago
Our #Lionesses will compete against the world's best in inaugural SheBelieves Cup http://the-fa.com/v7nNFK

All the noise is suggesting this four-nation tournament (I refuse to call it by its actual name) is already an annual thing. So RIP to the Algarve and Cyprus Cups as we knew them. I'm sure it won't be long before they are dead completely after another of the top teams decides it's better competition to set up their own tournament as well for themselves and three others who don't get an invite to the USWNT party either.

I'm sure it won't be long before they are dead completely after another of the top teams decides it's better competition to set up their own tournament as well for themselves and three others who don't get an invite to the USWNT party either.

I don't know I think that Algarve and Cyprus Cup will continue but I agree they will be different. The Algarve will most likely be extremely watered down tournament but I can see the Cyprus surviving being the "left-over" nations that aren't invited to the four nations. Cyprus is still a great place to have a tournament in March.

I am curious how the Americans are going to handle more completive games and consequential more defeats on home soil. They are their fans seemed to take it bad when China beat them a couple of months ago. Now that this tournament is in America instead of Portugal the pressure for them to win every game is going to be greater and they are going to be under a lot more scrutiny. Wouldn't be surprised if they invite some nations that they know will be a fairly easy win every year. Meaning that the Cyprus Cup might actually become more competitive for us in the future.