It's March, right? Looks like we've got Cinderella alive and well in the soccer universe! Hopefully this all points to a very competitive cycle with lots of surprises. I know Barbados made it to the last 12 back in the 2002 cycle and even stunned Costa Rica in their opener. The winner here gets Aruba, so obviously one of them will go through to the third round. Hopefully there's a couple minnows who make their way through because you just know US will get stuck with Honduras in their 4th round group when they are "announced".
The 4th round groups will be made at the official draw on July 25. I don't think they will be rigged. As for hoping for a minnow, last time was the first time Antigua and Barbuda reached the Semifinals and the USA needed a 90th minute goal to win at Antigua and Barbuda. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y...tlight-as-concacaf-gets-underway-2569663.html is titled "US Virgin Islands grab spotlight as CONCACAF gets underway."
Four goals already this evening. Nicaragua leads Anguilla, 2-0, after 12th- and 23rd-minute goals. Meanwhile, St. Kitts and Nevis and Turks and Caicos Islands are 1-1 after the hosts (SK&N) scored in the 18th minute, and the visitors tied it four minutes later. About 25 minutes have been played in both games.
I don't think I'm ready for a world in which the USVI and Turks and Caicos Islands can put up a fight. What's next, French Guiana in the Gold Cup?!
SKN also missed penalty in 12th minute and are a man down after red card for Howe. Nicaragua 3-0. SKN lead 2-1 with 4-0 in Managua. 3-1 in Basseterre, two goals in last five mins of first half. Seems like an entertaining match, shame we can't watch it.
I searched for St. Kitts and Nevis on YouTube and found a link to http://edigitalplace.tv/FOOTBALL1/join.html which you have to pay for. I don't know if it's legal, if it's reliable, or what games they have. It costs $4.95 for a 3 day trial and then $45 per year (which if it has many games you want is reasonable and much cheaper than Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Soccer2Go). Anguilla has no chance at advancing. St. Kitts and Nevis did better while down a man. I'd give Turks and Caicos Islands some chance at advancing if they lose by 2 goals or fewer considering they will have at least 1 away goal (which may or may not matter but I'm expecting away goals to matter) and the ejected player, Mudassa Howe, will be suspended for the second leg. I predicted Nicaragua and St. Kitts and Nevis to both win 4-0.
Unfortunately, it's not looking good for T&CI as they gave two goals after going a man up (red card issued to SK&N in the 27th minute, followed by goals in the 42nd and 45th minutes; oh, and SK&N also had a prime opportunity in the 12th minute when they failed to convert a penalty). St. Kitts and Nevis leads, 3-1, at the half. Meanwhile, Nicaragua is pulling away as well as they are up, 4-0, on Anguilla at the half. Tough draw for Anguilla as there were plenty of easier opponents that they could have been paired with.
http://www.rojadirecta.me/goto/planetadeportesweb.com/canal2.php is a stream of the Nicaragua-Anguilla games. Edit: Nicaragua scored to go up 5-0 and then Tapia subbed on.
I should have checked the Turks and Caicos Islands Facebook page sooner as they posted a link to live video of their game.
Awesome - I got to actually watch that goal! Another score for Saint Kitts and Nevis, who are now up, 4-1, in the 68th minute. It's kind of incredible how much control they have over this game, considering that they have been a man down for a quite a while now. Nicaragua's up, 5-0, in the 72nd minute.
Maybe I spoke too soon! Turks and Caicos Islands just scored, cutting their deficit to 4-2. I still don't think they have a shot, but if they can play much better at home, a 2-0 win would send them through (assuming 4-2 ends up being the final score tonight).
This game is like a basketball game, "end-to-end play," as the announcer just said. It almost feels like we are going to see two or three more goals - not sure who is going to score them, however.
Well, there were in fact two more goals, both for Saint Kitts and Nevis, who won, 6-2; they should have no problem now moving on to the next round (remember that they scored five of those goals shorthanded). Also, Nicaragua took a stranglehold on their series with Anguilla, winning, 5-0.
Final Scores: Nicaragua 5-0 Anguilla St. Kitts and Nevis 6-2 Turks and Caicos Islands (FIFA is missing 1 goal scorer for each team) It was the 18th game for Turks and Caicos Islands and 2 is tied for the most goals they have ever scored. They played their first game in 1999. Edit: Orlando Mitchum scored 3 goals for St. Kitts and Nevis. Turks and Caicos Islands' second goal was an own goal.
CONCACAF wrote http://www.concacaf.com/article/copete-nets-brace-as-nicaragua-wins-wcq-opener about Nicaragua's win, but didn't write anything about St. Kitts and Nevis-Turks and Caicos Islands. There are no qualifiers today. Tomorrow there's French Guiana-Honduras in the Gold Cup Playoff at 7:00 P.M., Bahamas-Bermuda at 7:30 P.M., and Belize-Cayman Islands at 10:00 P.M.
Yes, after I made my previous post. Tonight there's Bahamas-Bermuda at 7:30 P.M. and Belize-Cayman Islands at 10:00 P.M.
Caribbean Football @caribbeanfooty · 5 hHace 5 horas Four matches today: Dominican Republic - Cuba (friendly), Bahamas - Bermuda, Belize - Cayman Islands (WCQ), and French Guiana - Honduras
Aaaaaand it's 0-1 in Nassau. 5 mins gone. 0-2 after a penalty, 15th minute. Bermuda cruising, they can start preparing for Guatemala trip. 0-3 after 30.
I'm guessing there's no media coverage of this game? I can't find any online, not even radio coverage. Nice showing by Bermuda so far. Did not expect them to perform quite this well tonight.
Their lack of participation in the Caribbean Cup makes them hard to track, but they punched well above their weight in the last round of WCQ. They finished third behind Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (shocking the latter with a 2-1 win), but were the only third-place team to reach 10 points from that cycle's first group stage.
I wonder why they haven't played in that competition that often. They seem like they are good enough to perhaps sneak into a Gold Cup. By the way, things went from bad to worse for the Bahamas after Happy Hall received a red card in the 42nd minute. I'm guessing that Bermuda is going to keep going for the kill in the second half and really ensure that there is no uncertainty who will advance from this match-up once this evening is over.