now St Kitts & Nevis NT have only 2 players abroad, 1 in W Connection (T&T Pro League), 1 in Real Salt Lake (MLS) for Belize, there are some players in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, France, Bulgaria clubs now
According to wikipedia, St. Kitts also has 3 players in the lower english divisions. I think it will be a tight game, and although i'd like to see Belize get through i have a feeling St. Kitts will win.
this game will played in Mateo Flores Stadium in Guatemala city, so Belize will have excellent home conditions......
St Kitts and St Nevis prior to their WCQ they go to England to scout an dhold try-outs for english players who are of St Kitts and St nevis descent.
sounds like Belize is the under dog in this one. So i'll say that yes, they will pass on to the 2nd round.
first leg 6th feb http://fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/matches/index.html probably be on www.soccernet.com just text and score updates (live)
Belize probably could win, here is my reasoning.. One Belize will have Mateo Flores in Guatemala an incredible Facility compare anything that st kitts have as thier New head quarters ... 2 Belize gave Guatemala and ES and incredibly hard time and both Guatemala and ES could put the hurting on st kitts easily .. picture of where Belize will play as much as i would like to follow that game , Guatemala will be playing Argentina that Night... so keep me updated, cause i have a feeling we will cut down another giant like we did to Mexico in 2007...
Heh, you guys have no idea what Belize will be up against. Belize has some good and very athletic players but none of their strykers caught my attention during the last UNCAF whereas St-Kitts has three young and very talented strikers who will probably terrorize Belize defence. I hope Belize goalie is still as good as he was against ES in the last uncaf.
well, 11am 22nd Jan the Belize v El Salvador friendly will help us get a good idea of how they currently are...
I would say that St Kitts and Nevis will win but Belize's last showing at the UNCAF tourney makes me think that this match could go either way.
Let me just say that the fact that Belize has to play a home match in Guatemala has at the very least brought some attention to the sport in the country. Apparently there is not one stadium that qualifies for a FIFA event. There are quite a few people who are unhappy and embarrassed about it. But it could turn out to be a blessing as it may be the final chapter of the federation presidents career. He has done no good for football in this country and only corruption has kept him in power. As far as Belize's chances, I have heard from a friend of the manager that he thinks they can win and advance. I have not seen the team since the game vs. ES in the UNCAF tourney. Belize has some very athletic players, but in my opinion it comes down to money. We need more players playing fulltime not semi-pro, better facilities and better training staff. But who doesn't?
I was very impressed by Belize's keeper Orio when he played against Canada. If it wasn't for him, the score would have been much worse than 8-0 on aggregate. That being said, if their defense isn't signifigantly better than it was in 2004, St. Kitts will rip them apart. I expect (and hope) Belize will make things interesting, but my gut says St. Kitts will win.
Just for a little perspective - St.Vincent beat Nicaragua (2-2 away, 4-1 at home) in 2006 Qualifying. St.Vincent to St.Kitts is a similar jump in quality from Nicaragua to Belize at the moment, so one would expect that St.Kitts would qualify. However, Belize do play against harder teams (and St.Kitts wouldn't be able to regulary lose by just one and 2 goals against Central American opposition). However, this may be down to familiarity rather than Belize being a better team. On current form, I have St.Kitts & Nevis at 21st in CONCACAF, with Belize at 23rd. A tough match, but St.Kitts should take it.
St. Kitts & Nevis is the best team out of the small Caribbean Islands after St. Vincent. Football is also the number one sport there(I´m don´t think it is in Belize.) and as someone already noted, they can call on English-based players with St. Kitts ancestry. It will be tough for Belize. They do have one goalkeeper who played in the CRL, but not many players abroad besides him.
BELMOPAN, Belize: The government has announced that Belize is boycotting the upcoming World Cup qualifying football match to be held in Guatemala City on February 6,2008 between Belize and St Kitts and Nevis. The government has called on players not to attend the game. Prime Minister Said Musa has said that to play the game in Guatemala City would be an insult to the sovereignty of Belize, especially since the game is being termed a “home” game. Since players may be financially affected by their decision not to play, the government is calling on the private sector to collaborate with government in ensuring that players will be adequately compensated for any financial loss. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/sports/sports.php?news_id=5742&start=0&category_id=8
What a good game it is on Gotv right now if anyone wants to watch it, Come on Belize you have my full support my border brother.
FANTASTIC!! I was sure I had posted that they wouldn't win, but I didn't!! In fact, on my blog I mentioned that it was a game to keep an eye on - that's a relief!! ... sort of makes up for me predicting El Salvador 0 - Anguilla 0 ... maybe...
Correction to Disco Dale's blog: Bermuda and Cayman Islands played on 3rd February, not "3rd March" like you said in the "other important oddities" paragraph on 4 February.
Belized moved up 25 points in rankings. Currently tied at 176 w/ Nicaragua, how cool would that be if they broke passed their highest ranking of 157.