Although relations between the US and Cuba are still not always very clear, reasonable or even very easy for most people outside of the world of politics to understand, there is one occasion where representatives from both nations do get to meet, mingle and perhaps even exchange ideas and that is over a soccer ball at the Copa de Oro.

The Copa de Oro is played every 2 years, basically providing a dose of international competition between FIFA World Cup tournaments, which are played every two years. A number of nations from all over the world participate, including Cuba and the US with all the participants basically coming from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. That does mean that South American powerhouses like Argentina and Brazil are not participants at the Copa de Oro and the weaker teams on the international scene get the chance to shine a little and show the world what they can do.

Cuba is not particularly a soccer loving nation, baseball is the real national pastime. However it is not the chosen sport of many US sports fans either, although it has grown in popularity over the last decade or so with the introduction of a national soccer league, the MLS and an improved national team that can now compete with some of the biggest names in the world.

Soccer in Cuba is also developing but at a slower rate. Once more women played the sport than men did but gradually the gentlemen are catching up. Encouragingly their male youth sides, especially their under seventeen side, are doing very well in international competitions, holding their own against “stronger” teams. Therefore the chances are that not too long from now a US/Cuba match up in the Copa de Oro could turn out to be a very interesting meeting indeed.