Top Stories

Morning Ticker: Mexico romps, Costa Rica cruises and Guatemala advances

Carlos_vela_ap

Three more teams booked their places to the third round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying as regional powers Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica all posted victories. Here is a rundown of their victories.

Mexico trounces Belize

So much for that huge upset in CONCACAF qualifying.

When Mexico only defeated Belize 2-0 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying series there was at least a little speculation about whether the tiny Central American country could shock the world and knock off mighty Mexico.

Not so much.

The Mexicans scored seven unanswered goals to smash Belize, 7-0, to win the series and book their expected place in the third round of World Cup qualifying. Now Mexico joins a qualifying group that includes Honduras, Canada and Jamaica, with only two of the four teams advancing to the final round of World Cup qualifying.

Costa Rica tops Grenada, Guatamala rolls

Bryan_ruiz_ap

Costa Rica booked its place to next round of qualifying with a 3-0 win against Grenada to record a 5-2 series victory. Alvaro Saborio, Bryan Ruiz and Randall Azofeifa all scored for ‘Los Ticos’ to book a place in a third round group that will include the winners of the Guyana-Suriname, Panama-El Salvador and Haiti-Netherland Antilles match-ups, which are all slated for completion today.

Guatemala also cruised in its second-leg match against St. Lucia, rolling to a 3-1 win to take a 9-1 series victory. Gonzalo Romero scored twice while Carlos Ruiz started and played 90 minutes for ‘Los Chapines’. Guatemala became the first team to qualify for a group expected to include the United States and the winners of the Trinidad & Tobago/Bermuda and Cuba/Antigua and Barbuda series.

Comments

  1. I agree Mexico’s group is ridiculous. All four of those teams should be in the final group, imo. Mexico and Honduras are in the top 3 teams in CONCACAF (with the US). Canada and Jamaica both have some talent too.

    All four of those teams should be in the final group, imo. My guess is the final group will include:

    USA

    Mexico

    Honduras

    Guatemala

    Costa Rica

    Panama

    when it should probably include:

    USA

    Mexico

    Honduras

    Guatemala

    Canada

    Costa Rica

    Reply
  2. I live in Costa Rica and must say that the national team here is considerably worse that in previous years, which makes their qualifying group that much worse. This is a team that should not even come close to qualifying, but probably will because 2 of the better teams will get eliminated, substantially increasing the probability they get through. I’m really pulling for Canada for 2010. They’ve made tremendous strides over the last 4 years and really deserve to have their hard work rewarded with a trip to South Africa. However, with their group being as difficult as it is, there’s a strong chance that they may not even make it through. There’s no doubt in my mind that 3 of the top four teams will play in the group of death. This new format by CONCACAF is a complete sham, one that truly favors the caribbean teams. That really shouldn’t surprise us though as the president is from T&T and has constantly pushed to give fellow island teams a boost in whatever tournaments he can.

    Reply
  3. I think the main problem is how weak Costa Rica’s group is. Trade out one of Honduras, Canada and Jamaica, and it’s pretty even. In a way, it’s fitting to put the two biggest under-performers in our region, Canada and Jamaica, in the same pressure packed group. I don’t have too much sympathy, step up or go home.

    Reply
  4. Mexico might be in a tough group but I don’t see any of those teams going to Mexico and taking and coming out with points

    Reply
  5. The current set up does at least increase the possibility of seeing some new teams get into the final 12 and final 6. That’s at least better from an entertainment stand point. At least to me. New blood is good.

    Reply
  6. Mexico’s group in the SF round is unfairly difficult. CONCACAF shoots itself in the foot with seedings like this. We need to make sure we have the best possible representation at the WC. Can’t do this if we knock out viable contenders too early.

    Reply
  7. There was talk a few years ago about Surinam allowing people to take dual citizenship. That would have seem to have huge implications for their soccer team, as there are plenty of quality players of Surinamese descent in Holland, who aren’t good enough to be on the radar for the Dutch national team, but who could SEEMINGLY improve the Surinamese team dramatically.

    Does anyone know if this ever happened?

    Reply

Leave a Comment