This is complicated.... This makes 12 teams left... Form into 3 groups of 4 Top 2 qualify from each make a new group of 6 Top 3 of this group goto the world cup 4'th place goes to playoff (5'th place in asia) Group 1 (winner of) Grenada Guyana -VS- USA Group 2 (winner of) Bermunda Montserrat -VS- El Salvador Group 3 (winner of) Haiti Turks and Caicos Islands -VS- Jamaica Group 4 (winner of) British Virgin Islands St. Lucia -VS- Panama Group 5 (winner of) Cayman Islands Cuba -VS- Costa Rica Group 6 (winner of) Aruba Surinam -VS- Guatemala Group 7 (winner of) Antigua and Barbuda Netherlands Antilles -VS- Honduras Group 8 Canada Belize Group 9 (winner of) Dominica Bahamas -VS- Mexico Group 10 (winner of) US Virgin Islands St. Kitts and Nevis -VS- Barbados Group 11 (winner of) Dominican Republic Anguilla -VS- Trinidad and Tobago Group 12 Nicaragua St.Vincent and the Grenadines
so how does this work? do guyana and grenada play a home and home series then the winner takes on the US? what the actually path of qualifying from 1st stage to the finals?
Take group one for example. Grenada and Guyana would play home and away. the winner of that game would play the USA. This would bring the group 1 listed above to 1 team left. It works the same way in all of them, except when there are 2 teams in the group. These two play home and away to determine who goes on. NOW you are left with 12 teams. They are then spilt into 3 equal groups. These teams all play each other home and away. The top 2 of these 3 groups goes to the last group. Group A First Second Third Fourth Group B First Second Third Fourth Group C First Second Third Fourth ----------- You are now left with one group of 6 teams. They all play each other home and away. First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth The teams in Bold (first, second, third) from the final group would go to the world cup. The team in Italics (fourth) would go to a play off against the fifth place team in the asia zone. Fifth and sixth have to sit in the stands for the world cup.
Is it yet determined which of the 12 group winners go to which semi-final group? I noticed that if you take the early groups 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12 together, that would leave US, Costa Rica, and Mexico in different semi-final groups. Anyone know for certain? Anyone want to guess how far the US will beat the Guyana-Grenada winner?
Concacaf Path I'll start this with the semi-final round groups as it makes things a little clearer to follow. Group 1 US v Grenada/Guyana winner El Salvador v Bermuda/Montserrat winner Jamaica v Haiti/Turks & Caicos winner Panama v British Virgin Is/St. Lucia winner Group 2 Costa Rica v Cayman Is/Cuba winner Guatemala v Aruba/Surinam winner Honduras v Antigua/Netherlands Antillies winner Canada v Belize winner Group 3 Mexico v Dominica/Bahamas winner Barbados v US Virgin Is/St Kitts & Nevis winner Trinidad & Tobago v Dominican Rep/Anguilla winner Nicaragua v St Vincents & Grenadines winner. Top two in each group advance to the Hex. Top three in the Hex advance to Germany. Fourth in Hex plays in a playoff v AFC 5th place.
If all the seeded teams advanced the semis would look like this: Group 1 USA El Salvador Jamaica Panama Group 2 Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Canada Group 3 Mexico Barbados Trinidad & Tobago Nicaragua
While nothing is a given in qualifying the US and Mexico are in good shape to advance to the Hex. Group 2 however is a real nasty one. It's real tough to pick two out of Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and Canada. Whoever loses the Cuba/Costa Rica first round game, and whoever finishes third in the semi's will probably have a good claim as being as good or better than at least one team that makes it to the Hex from Group's 1 or 2.
Group 2 is a real Group of Death! Canada is in tough, and it would probably be better that we don't qualify for the Olympics so we can have a full squad for the first game on Aug 18 in this Group. Hopefully we will get some home games later in the calendar so we can subject the Central Americans to a little brass monkey weather! ( expect that Cuba will be tough, but Costa rica should prevail over 2 games). Mexico has got the easiet route, and T & T lucks out again in terms of a ticket to the hex!
Playing either Grenada or Guyana is good since it will allow the US to have the game anywhere. No worries about the hispanic population coming out to turn it into an away game. You could have it in Dallas or Houston or Kansas City or where ever. Panama and El Salvador are easily managable. Jamiaca is always a bit of a challenge. They're either on or off but I don't see too much of a problem with them. They do have Damani Ralph and Andy Williams though. Along with Wolde Harris and some others.
Although dangerous, if you take it one step further, the hex may look like: USA Jamica Mexico Trinidad & Tobago Costa Rica Other (Canada, Honduras, Guatemala) Let the fun begin!
The draw is a disgrace. A total disgrace. How you can allow a draw to create one semifinal group so difficult as Costa Rica's and one so easy as Mexico's defies belief. I say this as a USA supporter, by the way, and the USA got the one reasonable semifinal group. And Cuba got ripped as well, having to play Costa Rica, where Nicaragua, of all teams, gets to play St. Vincent. Utter complete disgrace.
US doesn't have a cakewalk, but it clearly should get to the Hex. Jamaica has a rough home-and-home with Haiti just to get into the semifinal group and the US is well better than Panama and El Salvador over six games. Mexico has the easiest path again and T&T has to be loving that draw. Group 2 is a bear, starting with Costa Rica/Cuba in the opening round and then possibly having them with Canada, Honduras and Guatemala? Jeez. I think you could argue all four of those teams would have a qualification chance (or at least the play-in berth) in the final hex, and two will be gone after the semis.
Costa Rica has it toughest of the 3 2002 qualifiers for sure. And group 2 does look to be a bear if all of the "favourites" advance. Potentially, 4 trips to Central America for Canada just to get to the hex. Ah well, if it was easy, everyone would do it. Gotta win one's way to the World Cup. As it should be.
I must agree with you. This draw sucks ass for Cuba and Haiti (which are by and large better than Barbados and Nicaragua, and possibly T&T). T&T gets a free ticket to the Hex, whereas Semifinal group 2 has 4 teams that are good enough for the Hex: Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Canada Mexico has an extremely easy semifinal group. USA cannot complain.
The group is so easy.... FOR T&T too!!! This doesn't was made to benefit Mexico, but to clearly benefit T&T. Why does the USSF keep voting for Warner?
Hey we have more than Andy Wiliams and Damani Ralph on the Jamaican team We have Ricardo Fuller(Preston North End) Onandi Lowe(Rushden and Diamonds) Ricardo Gardener(Bolton) Jermaine Johnson (Bolton) Theodore Whitmore(somewhere in Scotland where they don't appreciate the beautiful game) Donovan Ricketts GK(Bolton) Claude Davis(Preston North End) Omar Daley (Reading) All the above are Jamaican born and bred Yet all that doesn't mean a thing as Haiti is extremeeeeellllly tough and the football is round. NOthing is guaranteed against Haiti respect
When it comes to the Cuba/Costa Rica series, the big game would be the San Jose leg. Especially if it is the first leg. If the Ticos can't come out with a outright win, they are in trouble.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/releases/wc_summary_a3.pdf The above link should show you all the draw results (for all regions). It indicates that Costa Rica will host the SECOND leg between the winner of Cayman Islands and Cuba. According to the draw procedures, the team listed first hosts the first leg. In contrast, USA hosts the first leg between the winner of Grenada/Guyana.