Cuban national soccer team

Cuba
República de Cuba

Nickname (s)	Leones del Caribe
Association	Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba
confederacy	CONCACAF
Technical sponsor	Joma
Head coach	Pablo Elier Sánchez (since 2019)
Record scorer	Lester More (29)
Record player	Yénier Marquez (126)
Home stadium	Estadio Pedro Marrero
FIFA code	CUB
FIFA rank	179. (936 points) (as of July 16, 2020)
First jersey Second jersey
statistics
First international match Cuba 3-1 Jamaica ( Cuba ; March 16, 1930)
Biggest win Cuba 11-0 Turks and Caicos Islands ( Havana ; Cuba ; September 8, 2018)
Biggest defeats Sweden 8-0 Cuba ( Antibes ; France ; June 12, 1938) Aruba 8-0 Cuba ( Tegucigalpa , Honduras ; August 19, 1955)
Successes in tournaments
World Championship
Participation in the finals	1 ( first : 1938 )
Best results	Quarterfinals 1938
North and Central American Championship
Participation in the finals	11 ( first : 1971 )
Best results	Fourth in 1971
(As of September 8, 2018)

The Cuban national soccer team is the team selected by the Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba to select the best soccer players from the Caribbean island state of Cuba . Cuba was the first team in the Caribbean to qualify for a World Cup.

history

At the finals of the 1938 World Cup in France , the Cuban team beat Romania 2-1 in a replay after the first game between the two teams ended 3-3, and thus reached the quarter-finals. Here they were clearly defeated by Sweden with 0: 8. After participating in 1938, Cuba could no longer qualify for a world championship.

In addition to reaching the quarter-finals at the 1938 Soccer World Cup , Cuba celebrated its greatest successes with second places at the Caribbean Championships in 1996, 1999 and 2005, as well as reaching the quarter - finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2003 .

In the 1999/00 season, the Bonn SC signed 15 Cuban national players. The players had already arrived, but the coup failed due to difficulties with work permits and eligibility to play.

In January 2008 the Cuban federation hired the German Reinhold Fanz as coach for the task of qualifying the team for the World Cup. In July and August 2008 the Cuban national team was in Germany for a training camp. Here they played against the team of the regional league club SV Waldhof Mannheim , to which Cuba lost 3-1 (0-0). They were also defeated by the second division club FC St. Pauli in the Millerntor Stadium with 0: 7 (0: 2). On May 21, 2008 they lost 2-1 to third division club SV Wacker Burghausen in Tittmoning . On October 14, 2008, the Cuban Football Association announced that Fanz would only act in an advisory capacity. His successor as head coach was Raúl González Triana .

After Cuban players once again used the national team's qualifying matches in North America to flee in autumn 2012, FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced that he wanted to talk to Cuban officials about this phenomenon, given the competitiveness of the selection, which often had a decimated squad in question. He wanted to personally request the Cuban association to bring the problem to the responsible government agencies in the country. In April 2013, Blatter's visit to Cuba took place, and the topic was discussed in talks with senior representatives of the football association and the superordinate state sports institute INDER. At the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in March 2012 in the USA, a Cuban player separated from the team, and in October 2012 in Canada, four others did so. Competitive athletes suspected of wanting to flee have repeatedly in the past not been allowed to travel abroad by the Cuban authorities.

After a friendly in Jamaica Montego Bay occurred in March 2015 arrest of three members of the national team under suspicion of rape of a US tourist in their hotel. After a week of pre-trial detention, they were released and were able to return to Cuba. Four national players were then banned from all sporting activities for a period of two years by the Cuban sports authorities because of unspecified “serious and unforgivable indiscipline”. In May 2015, national coach Walter Benítez lost his post to Raúl González Triana, his immediate predecessor until November 2012.

Also in May 2015, the continental association CONCACAF imposed a five-game ban and a fine on González Triana. He was found guilty of " racist behavior" against an arbitrator. The punished incident occurred during a game at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico in November 2014 when Triana was in charge of the Cuban U-21 selection.

Tournaments

Olympic games

1900 to 1964	not participated
1968 in Mexico City	not qualified
1972 in Munich	not participated
1976 in Montreal	Preliminary round
1980 in Moscow	Quarterfinals (qualifies as a substitute for the USA)
1984 in Los Angeles	not qualified

After 1984 the senior national team stopped taking part in the Olympic Games and the qualifying games. An Olympic team has not yet qualified.

World Championship

→ Main article : Cuban national soccer team / World Cups

• 1930 - did not participate
• 1934 - In qualifying for the 1934 World Cup in Italy , they met Haiti in the first round and after 3 games they won two games and won one. In the 2nd round you had to admit defeat Mexico after 3 defeats .
• 1938 - In 1938 the only qualification for a World Cup was achieved, as all other North American teams withdrew from qualifying for the World Cup in France . In the round of 16 they met Romania and scored after a 2: 2 after regular time, a 3: 3 after extra time. The replay game could be won 2: 1. In the quarter-finals, however, they lost 8-0 to Sweden , which is Cuba's highest international defeat to this day.
• 1950 - In qualifying for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil , you had to play against Mexico and the USA . After only one draw from 4 games, you missed qualification as the bottom of the group.
• 1954 - The application for qualifying for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland was submitted too late and therefore not approved by FIFA .
• 1958 and 1962 - did not take part
• 1966 - In qualifying for the 1966 World Cup in England, played in the preliminary round in Group 1 against Jamaica and the Netherlands Antilles . After a win and a draw from 4 games, they were eliminated from the bottom of the group.
• 1970 - Registration for qualification for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico was rejected by FIFA .
• 1974 - did not take part
• 1978 - In qualifying for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina , they met in the Caribbean zone in the 1st round in Group B on Jamaica and thanks to a 3-1 and 2-0 qualification for the 2nd round. There they were eliminated after 2 draws and a 2-0 defeat against Haiti .
• 1982 - In qualifying for the 1982 World Cup in Spain , Group A met Suriname and Guyana in the Caribbean zone . With 3 wins and one draw you could qualify as group winners for the final tournament. There you played against Honduras , El Salvador , Mexico , Canada and Haiti . After 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats, fifth in the group did not qualify for the World Cup.
• 1986 - did not participate
• 1990 - In qualifying for the 1990 World Cup in Italy , they met Guatemala in the first round and were eliminated with 0: 1 and 1: 1.
• 1994 - In qualifying for the 1994 World Cup , they withdrew after the draw, so that the opponent from St. Vincent reached the next round without a fight.
• 1998 - In qualifying for the 1998 World Cup in France , they first met the Cayman Islands in Caribbean zone 1 of the preliminary round and prevailed 1-0 and 5-0. Then you had to play against Haiti and prevailed there with 6: 1 and 1: 1. In Group 2 of the semi-finals, they faced Canada , El Salvador and Panama . After 1 win and 5 defeats, however, they were eliminated as the bottom of the group.
• 2002 - In qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea , they were drawn in the first round of Caribbean zone 1 against the Cayman Islands and prevailed 4-0 and 0-0. In the semi-finals they won 1-0 and 0-0 against Suriname , but lost in the final after two 1-1 draws with 4-5 on penalties against Barbados .
• 2006 - In the qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany , they met their well-known opponents from the Cayman Islands in the first round and moved into the second round with 2: 1 and 3: 0. There they were eliminated after a 2: 2 and a 1: 1 due to the away goals rule against Costa Rica .
• 2010 - In qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa , Antigua and Barbuda played in Group 1 in the 2nd round and qualified 4: 3 and 4: 0 for the 3rd round. There they played in a group with the USA , Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala . With only 1 win out of 6 games, they were eliminated from the bottom of the group.
• 2014 - In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil , they met Honduras , Panama and Canada in the third round . After only 1 draw from 6 games, they were eliminated as the bottom of the group.
• 2018 - In qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia , the team met Curaçao in the second round in June 2015 and missed the third round due to the away goals rule after two draws (0: 0 and 1: 1).

CONCACAF championship

CONCACAF Nations Cup

From 1973 the tournament also served as a World Cup qualifier.

• 1963 and 1965 - did not take part
• 1967 - did not qualify
• 1969 - did not take part
• 1971 - 4th place
• 1973 - did not participate
• 1977 - did not qualify
• 1981 - 5th place
• 1985 - did not participate
• 1989 - did not qualify

CONCACAF Gold Cup

• 1991 - withdrawn
• 1993 - did not participate
• 1996 - did not qualify
• 1998 - preliminary round
• 2000 - did not qualify
• 2002 - preliminary round
• 2003 - quarter-finals
• 2005 - preliminary round
• 2007 - preliminary round
• 2009 - withdrawn
• 2011 - preliminary round
• 2013 - quarter finals
• 2015 - quarter-finals
• 2017 - did not qualify
• 2019 - preliminary round
• 2021 -

Caribbean Championship

• 1989 to 1990 - did not participate
• 1991 - withdrawn
• 1992 - 4th place
• 1993 - did not participate
• 1994 - withdrawn
• 1995 - 3rd place
• 1996 - 2nd place
• 1997 - did not participate
• 1998 - did not qualify
• 1999 - 2nd place
• 2001 - 4th place
• 2005 - 2nd place
• 2007 - 3rd place
• 2008 - 4th place
• 2010 - 3rd place
• 2012 - winner
• 2014 - 4th place
• 2017 - did not qualify

Record player

(As of November 19, 2019)

Record player
Games	player	position	Period	Gates
126 (112)	Yénier Marquez	Defense	2000-2015	15 (13)
122 (111)	Odelin Molina	goal	1996-2013	0
82 (?)	Jaime Colomé	midfield	2002-2013	12
74 (?)	Alexánder Cruzata	Defense	1996-2005	2
73 (?)	Lazaro Dalcourt	midfield	1995-2003	21st
68 (?)	Alaín Cervantes	midfield	2003-2016	8th
66 (?)	Silvio Miñoso	Defense	2002-2008	0
65 (?)	Reysander Fernández	Defense	2003-2012	3
62 (≤60)	Lester Moré	attack	1995-2007	29 (27)

Record shooters
Gates	player	Period	Games
29 (27)	Lester Moré	1995-2007	62 (≤60)
21 (?)	Lazaro Dalcourt	1995-2003	73 (?)
16 (?)	Roberto Linares	2008–2012	42 (?)
15 (13)	Yénier Marquez	2000-2015	126 (112)
13 (?)	Eduardo Sebrango	1996-1998	23 (?)
12 (?)	Serguei Prado	1999-2005	30 (?)
12 (?)	Maykel Galindo	2002-2005	33 (?)
12 (?)	Osmin Hernandez	1995-2004	46 (?)
12 (?)	Jaime Colomé	2002-2013	82 (?)

Source: Cuba - Record International Players on rsssf.com

1. ↑ Incl. Matches and goals against French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Martinique , Saint Martin and Sint Maarten , who are members of CONCACAF but not members of FIFA and are therefore not taken into account by FIFA. (Matches and goals recognized by FIFA in brackets, if different.)

Known players

• Alberto Delgado (* 1978)
• Tomás Fernández
• Rey Ángel Martínez (* 1980)
• Carlos Oliveira
• Lázaro Alfonso Prats (* 1981), 13-time national player, semi-professional in Germany
• Dany Quintero (* 1984)
• Hector Socorro
• Juan Tuñas (1917-2011)
• Kelvin Alfonso Macey Martínez
• Lautaro Ulloa Ferreira , two-time national player, semi-professional in Germany

Trainer

• William Bennett (1999-2000)
• Miguel Company (2000-2004)
• Luis Armelio García (2004-2006)
• Raúl González Triana (2006-2008)
• Reinhold Fanz (2008)
• Raúl González Triana (2008–2012)
• Alexander González (2012)
• Wálter Benítez (2012-2015)
• Raúl González Triana (2015-2016)
• Julio Valero (2016)
• Raúl Mederos (2016-2019)
• Pablo Elier Sánchez (since 2019)

See also

• Cuban National Football Team (U-17 Juniors)
• Cuban National Football Team (U-20 Men)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ FIFA does not take into account all of its games, as some of them were played against non-FIFA members.
2. ↑ The FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking. In: fifa.com. July 16, 2020, accessed July 21, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Cubans have arrived in Bonn , spiegel.de
4. ↑ Blatter se interesa sobre las deserciones de futbolistas cubanos  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  in: Prensa Libre of April 18, 2013, accessed on August 1, 2013 (Spanish)
5. ↑ Yosmel de Armas, Cuban soccer player, defects , in: Global Post from April 11, 2012, accessed on August 1, 2013 (English)
6. ↑ International match in Canada: Cuban footballers break away , in: Hamburger Abendblatt from October 13, 2012, accessed on August 1, 2013
7. ↑ USA vs. Cuba: Not a soccer game like any other  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   , in: Stern from July 12, 2013, accessed on August 1, 2013
8. ^ Members of Cuban football team in police custody. In: RJR News from April 1, 2015, accessed May 5, 2015
9. ^ Cuban footballers freed of rape charges.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   In: Loop Jamaica, April 10, 2015, accessed May 5, 2015
10. ↑ Nuevas sanciones en el fútbol cubano. In: On Cuba from May 20, 2015 (Spanish)
11. ↑ Suspenden a seleccionador de Cuba por comportamiento racista. In: Marca of May 18, 2015 (Spanish)
12. ↑ Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin: Cuba - Record International Players ( English ) rsssf.com. January 31, 2019. Accessed July 8, 2019.
13. ↑ Favorite role for the coming season has probably already been assigned ( memento of the original from May 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
14. ↑ Lautaro Ulloa-Ferreira - SV Frisia Loga ( Memento of the original from May 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Web links

Commons : Cuban National Soccer Team  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files