Australia beating Honduras wouldn't be a surprise, but Australia outclassing Honduras over both legs, including away from home, is perhaps suggestive. Whether Honduras is 4th or 5th or 6th in Concacaf, they are still a Concacaf side which generally is able to give the top teams in Concacaf a run for their money and has finished among the top 4 in Concacaf twice in a row. To be sure, all the evidence would need to be put together in one package to make any judgment on the comparative strength of Concacaf v AFC, but certainly this part of the equation doesn't look good for Concacaf.
It's really curious to defend CONCACAF against Asia in calling it "Concacrap" but let's take your argument. Okay for the US being above (when they play at home), but who else would take the 5th place? Jamaica? Canada? Other than that, the likes of T&T, Guatemala, Haiti or El Salvador are far below to me. Or maybe, considering the number of French Caribbean players wearing blue shirts (Varane, Coman, Martial...), you actually think about France?
I think AFC and CONCACAF are pretty equal. I would say the tiers go like this. Tier 1: CONMEBOL and UEFA Tier 2: CAF Tier 3: AFC and CONCACAF Tier 4: OFC
I saw their whole match and Australia's best player, and definitively whom decided the match, between them both, was the referee (Pitana). Not only gave australian players license to kill (the player Ellis from Australia should have been sent off at the 2nd minute of the match after almost breaking an opponents foot in a reckless and dangerous action, and Jedinak was involved in lots of other similar plays, of which in one of them, forced Honduras to make an undesired substitution later on, that didn't even meant him, a yellow). But also gave 2 penalty kicks to Australia (of its 3 goals scored), of which the first of them, never touched any Honduras players hand, as how the referee said it did (yes, one of their hands was very close to the ball in a very un-natural position, but it didn't touch the ball with it, which is what should be called and not sole intentions; and least of all, he shouldn't call it after 2 diferent actions take place after it, which meant no one in the match, really understanding what he was calling) Australia did seem superior, and probably would have won anyway, but with the help a a bad referee, it gets lots easier to do so.
Russians love ice hockey, I don't know if they love it more than football, but it might be a close second. It is probably the team sport where they have the best record. Yet, in Sochi 2014 ("Their" Olympics), in front of Putin, they couldn't pass the first round in this sport, which has much less depth at international level than football. So russia doing well in their World Cup is definitely not a guarantee, unless of course you know something we don't.
well, to make it even, the "C" at the end of AFC, must stand for pretty much the same .... I believe (personal opinion), Jamaica is a better team than theirs, whom unfortunately was in a tougher preliminary group (where both Costa Rica and Panama qualified to the final hex, from), together with the fact they were going through a bad moment of time when they played it (happens all the time to diferent teams), reasons why they didn't get through to the final hexagonal in Concacaf.
Historically the first part of that is true but I'm not so sure anymore. At the very least the gap has closed to the point where the heaviness at the top for CONCACAF is offset by its shallower depth. That's why I think AFC has caught-up to CONCACAF (but I may change my mind in 7 months )
http://ultra.zone/2018-FIFA-World-Cup-Group-Stage-Draws LOL Russia's group was Russia, Switzerland, Tunisia and South Korea when I did this. When I simulated it I came to the conclusion that this World Cup's field of teams is weaker than 2014's.
Welcome to qualifying in the Americas.... https://t.co/MGe2ZzNjPA— Duane Rollins (@24thminute) November 15, 2017
If FIFA can force teams to play home games in neutral territory for other reasons, can't they do the same here?
FIFA has no jurisdiction to make a team play somewhere else in this situation. It is not like it happened at a stadium or at any furbol/FIFA related area. It happened in a public place and that is up to the local authorities. And they probably turn a blind eye to it and laughed.
Easier for those who haven't seen it...still funny. Peru fans 'welcoming' NZ ahead of their WCQ..with fireworks outside the NZ hotel at 3:30a😳 Never change, South America..📹: @aaroncordova90 pic.twitter.com/RYz3NJTE8E— COPA90 US (@Copa90US) November 15, 2017
The Peru dirty tricks are starting to get a bit much. The NZ chartered jet was put in a holding pattern for so long that they had to go to Chile to refuel. The NZ bus traveled at a third of the speed limit on an empty motorway so that and the delayed landing meant that a 9pm arrival time turned into 2am. The Peru supporters were up all night last night letting off fireworks outside the NZ hotel and Shamans have been cursing the NZ flag and players. The Peru government sent fighter jets to buzz the NZ hotel in the wee hours of the morning as well.
Fireworks are standard in SA for big games. Typically Libertadores. But nothing that a good set of earbuds can't take care of. The other stuff is pretty bad if true.
Uruguay did similar shit to us in 2001, so in 2005 we stayed across the river in Argentina and came in for game day.
lol. this member, rickdog, blames AFC for chile not making it, then disappeared for a few weeks. now he is back again and making wild claims such as the ref deciding the australia honduras game. australia deserved to go through man. i dont know what you have against AFC. it is not AFCs fault that chile did not make it. give it a rest.
Uruguay has three players of "legend" status at present: Suarez, Cavani and Godin. Croatia has two: Modric and Rakitic. However, I agree that Croatia produces one of the highest levels of elite athletes per capita.
I know that Mandzukic might not be a golden ball contender lol but he won champions league finals and played the final with 2 different clubs won italian league german league...he is a warrior for la vecchia signora Juventus. But Glad you admit it is not 3 times more then My point was especially to say that Uruguay and Croatia both produces football talents in spite of their populations but Croatia being involved in a lot of sports they have much less people focused on football than in Uruguay.