USA, Costa Rica, El Salvador through; Mexico still waiting on qualifying touchline

October 17, 2008

The United States, Costa Rica and El Salvador already are making plans for next year. Mexico is drumming its fingers over why it already hasn’t.

With one round of games remaining the semifinal stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, half of the six-team “hexagonal” is set, with five teams in contention for the remaining three berths.

Costa Rica claimed its berth from Group C and the United States likewise in Group A, making them the first to get through by winning their fourth straight last Saturday. El Salvador joined them on Wednesday, beating Suriname in San Salvador 3:0 to secure the second place from Group C.

But El Tri is still waiting, mired in a two-game winless streak away from home that has even manager Sven-Goran Eriksson subdued.

“We make life difficult for ourselves," Eriksson said after Mexico twice had to rally from a goal down to earn a 2:2 draw with Canada in Edmonton.

Mexico still is in fair shape to reach the final round of qualifying next year, leading Group B with 10 points, one better than Honduras and three better than Jamaica. But El Tri will have to play its third and final semifinal-round qualifier away from home at Honduras on 19 November.

A draw would assure Mexico of advancing. Even if it loses, it has a plus-7 goal difference over Jamaica, which will need a comprehensive victory over Canada in Kingston in its final qualifier, and then hope for a fairly dominating victory by the Hondurans to get in.

Honduras could have clinched its place Wednesday, but lost to Jamaica 1:0 in the Caribbean on Wednesday and now must get a point at home against the Mexicans to ensure its advancement.

Jamaica is riding a two-game winning streak after Theodore Whitmore replaced Rene Simoes as manager, has another game at home but still has a fairly large hill to climb.

The Jamaican federation has said Whitmore will remain in charge through the final qualifier, delaying John Barnes’ ascension to the job until the Digicel Caribbean Championship finals in December.

The second berth in Group A comes down to Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Los Chapines appeared to have the advantage going into Wednesday’s games, facing winless Cuba while the Soca Warriors had to play the USA, but Cuba shocked Guatemala 2:1 and Trinidad toppled a revamped and young American team 2:1 to reverse both teams’ fortunes.

Now Trinidad is all but through, three points ahead of Guatemala and hosting Cuba in its final qualifier next month. Guatemala, conversely, must go to suburban Denver, beat the USA and hope Cuba can defeat Trinidad in Port-of-Spain.

Guatemala has never beaten the USA in a World Cup qualifier, never beaten the Stars & Stripes in the USA and hasn’t beaten the Americans anywhere since 1988.

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