Can Australia beat the 5th place Sth american side and qualify for Germany 2006

[condor11]

i think the boys from down under can and will beat the 5th place South American team this time around. I think the playoff between Oceana as well as the south american conference is awful--South America has too many squads in the World Cup and Oceana should have at least one or even two teams to qualify for the world cup every rotation. I am glad overall to see Oceana leave the soccer global landscape--Oceana, we hardly knew ye--GOOD RIDDANCE!!

just because Australia is leaving the OFC does not mean it will dissapear of the global map

[almango]

do they really? hasn't australia been playing a south american team for the past 1000 years in order to go to the world cup and they lost every time??

From memory Australia has played off against South American nations for a World Cup spot twice. Argentina in 1993 and Uruguay in 2001. They have also played off against teams from each of the other confederations at one time or another, although a couple of these plaoffs were at earlier stages of qualifying.

[almango]

[QUOTE=nicodemus]It's also easier for Australians to get work permits in Europe because they belong to the Commonwealth. Many American players are denied work permits. The players that have played with the senior side for a long time find the process a bit easier, but the younger players that could play over there are often denied. Many of the US players that play in Europe are only eligible to play because they have one grandparent from an EU country (Jonathan Spector for instance) and have been able to obtain an EU passport.
QUOTE]
Being a commonwealth country has nothing to do with gaining work permits, however you have mentioned one reason why many Aussies find it easier to get work permits. Its because many more Australians can find one grandparent from an EU country as we had a large intake of immigrants from Europe post WW2 through to the 1970's. Lots of us have at least one parent or grandparent that qualifies us.

[Killboard]

Well, I'm uruguayan, and we are in the 5th position in the qualify... but we dont are qualified yet, remanis 2 dificult games for play.
If I thin in Australia, they dont hace soccer history, their players dont have experience in final matchs...just kewel & Viduka are players with experience in first level competitions, and we have players very much importants than australia.
Recoba(inter), Montero(ex-juventus), Zalayeta (juventus), Forlan (Villareal, tied with Henry the last year in top scorer of Europe), Garcia (real madrid), Diogo(real madrid), Lugano (Sao Paulo), are strong players with European Titles in theri backs...
The only chance for Australia is play like team... for players uruguay have much more posibilities.

For me, south america qualify is the most hard around the world...
All the teams are professionals, and the play is very close between the teams, Brasil & Argentina are candidates for the championship, and they dont have a diference big with the 2nd clase of nations, like paraguay, uruguay or colombia.
I think the most weak team in position of qualify is Ecuador, but they are strong in their home matchs, cause their stadium are like 2,5 miles over the sea level and the air have less oxygen than in the sea level. it's affect the perform of players that dont usually play there. For that they have the 3rd place in the qualifys.

Good Luck for everyone, and sorry for my poor english!

[Zviggy]

Australia's problem is that they play 2 important matches every 4 years and are expected to win those. The team needs more competitive matches. Yes we can beat the 5th place South American team, but odds are against us.

I would be more confidant in going for the australian team after a few years in Asia where they get to play in the asian nations cup etc and more important qualifying games.

In 1993 we got a draw vs Argentina only to lose 1-0 in theaway game. (note: maradona was pivotal in the victory and a month alter tested positive for drugs)

In 1997, we let ourselves down. Got a great 1-1 draw vs Iran and in the home game were up 2-0 until a lunatic cut the net down (stopped Australia's momentum and the game for 10 minutes) and we conceded 2 late goals. Interesting note that Australia and France where the only 2 teams that did not lose a game after the completion of the world cup. Unfair qualifying system?? especially when Iran lost 4 or 5 and where still there?

In 2001, got a good victory at home vs Uruguay 1-0 (many people seem to forget that we actually won our home game). But pressure AGAIN got to the boys away and we lost 3-0.

Its all in how the boys deal with the pressure. The socceroos can beat any team in South America (apart from Brazil and Argentina).

Will be interesting and am already getting nervous thinking about it. :)

[Killboard]

Colombia, Paraguay for sure have a richer tradition and in SA would probably mop us up. Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador we can play with anywhere, but were not necessarily better than.

Well, if u talk about tradition, all I can say is that uruguay have the same traidition in soccer than Brasil o Argentina. We are the first champions of the world, and we play better the difficult games than the easy games.
Its difficult explains why is of this way, but we are of this way.
Uruguay have 15 titles of south america cup, tied with argentina brasil have just 7, Colombia just one, and paraguay two. So, if u talk about tradition u must have sufficient knowledge.

If uruguay its the 5th qualified for SA(and im very optimistc!) im sure we will win in australia and here too. We are very much powerful than 4 years ago.
And I say very much. We have a change of coach in the middle of qualifies, and that change we style of the game. Some matches past and we dont finded the ideal eleven, but in the last 5 games this change. We dont lose a game in the all the second round.
The qualifies for SA are 18 games very tight. The leader in the table is Argentina and they just have .55 of total points porcent... so i think is very hard play qualifies in SA.

[Argentine Futbol]

I think Uruguay's biggest problem in qualifying is that every single players play his football in Europe. It takes Uruguay longer than Brazil and Argentina to play together as a team. If uruguay come in 5th place than i think they will have sufficent time to play together in friendlies around South america. I'll be glad to give a hand to our rio brothers...Australia knows the pressure of playing a Qualifier in South America and they will crumble.

[La Rosa Morreti]

No . Australia does not have the Quality or depth to advance. If they did they would not move confederations.

[Auxodium]

Yes it is true Australia always faces this problem every November before the world cup the following year. the 2 games is all that matters essentially. But i think that with Guus at the helm i think we can be better prepared than if we had Frank Farina who clearly had no idea in Montevideo in 2001, i was watching it at 4am and i was annoyed that the glaring errors were not checked and they went on to win 3-0.

and we played ok against Venezuela in 2004 with a second rate side but that was against a 'weak' South american nation so i think it will be worrying but i am sure we will do better than in 2001.

[Auxodium]

virtually, Roos can beat any South American side, except for Brazil and Argentina.

so, Oz can well be in Germany next summer.

agreed as in Germany 05 the Argies were pure class when we played them.

it angers me but also i understand the narrow views of some american posters here on this board regarding Australia as the US have a weakish confederation like the OFC (but stronger than the OFC by a mile) and the US users here do not understand the way Australia has to qualify for the past 60 years under FIFA's wonderful rules to get to the world cup. And in the US because they have qualified for what 4 WC's in a row, their game is very solid whereas in Oz because we fail, the other codes of sport take centre stage. Australia has been kicked in the guts by FIFA for too long now, and now that we will be part of the AFC is what we always wanted.

Plus when we play the likes of UEFA nations, we would of had more south american experience then they would ever dream of! :D I mean when was the last time England went to South America??? 1978? or something like that? :o

[New World Order]

Australia???..NO CHANCE !!!
They should go in the outbacks and play with their kangaroos.

[balla]

Australia???..NO CHANCE !!!
They should go in the outbacks and play with their kangaroos.
Isn't it bed time for you? :rolleyes:

[WALDO]

Australia???..NO CHANCE !!!
They should go in the outbacks and play with their kangaroos.You average about one post a month and this is the kind of garbage you post. Maybe you should go back to the pizza parlor and finish your greasy pizza with your bed buddy Rico. ;)

[WALDO]

Frankly, I'm getting tired of you ignorant S.Americans who think your the toughest and best group. Have you forgotten Europe? The only reason you can talk big, is because of Brazil & Argentina. After that there is a considerable slide. You got Columbia and Paraguay. Slightly below the level of USA & Mexico in my opinion. Then you got Uruaguay and Chile. Playing slightly below Columbia and Paraguay. After that you got Peru, Venuzuela, and Bolivia. With respect to their people, those teams are not good.

So yes, the S.Americans are the second toughest group, but the talent isn't evenly distributed. S.Americans 5th place team maybe only slightly better than the Aussies. But if the players are anything as ignorant as they are on BS then it will be the Socceroos who will be flying to Germany in 2006.

[Latin Pride]

You got Columbia and Paraguay. Slightly below the level of USA & Mexico in my opinion.

Kinda funny you say that since both have winning records over Mexico in international competitions

[Latin Pride]

Kinda funny you say that since both have winning records over Mexico in international competitions

the US and Mexico are only currently above Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.. you guys are not any better then the rest really.

[kpaulson]

the US and Mexico are only currently above Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.. you guys are not any better then the rest really.
It's interesting, you know. I think Colombia, for example, has had some great teams, but they've managed only about a point a game in their World Cup appearances-- pretty much the same as the US.

[Killboard]

Frankly, I'm getting tired of you ignorant S.Americans who think your the toughest and best group. Have you forgotten Europe?
Ingnorant?, i can talk with anybody, this makes me less ignorant than u, who just calls people ignorant for born in other continent...
The only way for find a common idea is look the numbers.
What can u say me about the porcent of matches win?
Which for u is the most closed group in all europe?
This is the most closed:
Switzerland Ireland Republic France Israel Cyprus Faroe Islands
The leader have a 62% of his point won. The Leader in Southamerica is Argentina 64%. I think this 2% no matter.
The last team in Southamerica have 27% of his point won. The best last place in Europe Qualifys is Moldova, with 20%. This difference still without be important to me.
But if u look better I took the extremes in Europe by one side & natural numbers in SA for other side...
All the teams in South America reaches The World Cup at least one time, just Venezuela never can reach it. And they are growing fast. They still have chances for germany with just 2 games remains..by other side, some groups of Europe are real joke like these:
Portugal Slovakia Russia Latvia Estonia Liechtenstein Luxembourg
4 of this 7 countries dont know how play football... so.. which is your answer? :D

[WALDO]

the US and Mexico are only currently above Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.. you guys are not any better then the rest really.Well their is no solid proof right now one way or the other. All I can say is are reserved players beat Columbia reserved players 3-0. We beat Uruaguay & Paraguay last time we played them. We beat Chile at least 3 times in a row including the last one at Chile. You S. Americans are still thinking in the 90's when you used to be better then us.

There is a new sheriff in town!

[WALDO]

the US and Mexico are only currently above Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.. you guys are not any better then the rest really.Well their is no solid proof right now one way or the other. All I can say is our reserved players beat Columbia reserved players 3-0. We beat Uruaguay & Paraguay last time we played them. We beat Chile at least 3 times in a row including the last one at Chile. You S. Americans are still thinking in the 90's when you used to be better then us.

There is a new sheriff in town!