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CONCACAF World Cup qualifying groups set

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And then there were 12.

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying wrapped up second-round action and there were no surprises in the head-to-head phase of qualifying. The powerhouse countries we thought we would see advancing to the third round did just that (with Panama being the one team I was surprised to see knocked off) and now we can start looking to the third round of qualifying.

Here are the Groups for the next round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying:

Group 1

  • USA
  • Guatemala
  • Cuba
  • Trinidad & Tobago

Group 2

  • Mexico
  • Honduras
  • Canada
  • Jamaica

Group 3

  • Costa Rica
  • Haiti
  • El Salvador
  • Suriname

Group 2 is unmercifully brutal, with a dangerous Jamaica team as the weakest in a loaded field. When you compare that group to Group 3 it’s almost criminal the disparity in strength. I would argue that every team in Group 2 would advance out of Group 3.

I really thought Panama was going to be in the mix. They showed so much promise in the last Gold Cup and to go from that to losing to El Salvador is shocking. Panama’s departure makes it that much more likely that Costa Rica will advance out of a week group that includes Haiti, which looked mediocre at best in last summer’s World Cup, and El Salvador, which played spoiler to Panama.

As for the U.S. team’s group, none of those teams pose a real threat to the Americans, though Trinidad & Tobago does have serious talent if it ever gets its act together. Cuba won’t be a pushover and Guatamala will be the favorite to join the USA in the Hexagonal.

My pick for the six are USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Haiti.

What do you think of the groups? What six teams do you see advancing to the Hex? Share your thoughts below

Comments

  1. group a USA,Guatemala/cuba would be funny.

    group b Honduras looks great they showed great potential from beating paraguay colombia they havent technecly lost so they are going to mexico strong, so honduras, mexico are my pics but i like canada to go, maybe honduras,canada.group

    c is a freak show cmon costa rica pick ur team up, el salvador fight 4 second slot.

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  2. I pick:

    Group 1

    Cuba

    Trinidad & Tobago

    Group 2

    Canada

    Jamaica

    Group 3

    Haiti

    Suriname

    That’s thE BOMB BUDDIES!! and the Winner of ALLL!!!

    SURINAME (you guys know my picks . . . through my sarcasm)

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  3. some of u guys have no idea wat canada is made off canada can easily make it..ive seen canadas last 5 games and dey schooled the teams they faced..ps canada faced brazil the best team and almost won the score ended up brazil 3 canada 2.. so soem of you better rethink which teams are gonna make it.

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  4. I think head of CONCACAF jack warner diliberatley set this one up so that T&T could advance. This is so unfair to group 2. They should have mixed them up some more.

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  5. you all hear this here first, the haitian team you’ll going to see the next round is one for the ages the haitian team just call a group of player from europe which should make us the team not only to advance in group c but also we looking to advance in the world cup.

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  6. why is it that some people are hating…

    we all know the easyest groups are #1 and #3

    mexico has not played good! but its mexico! this time our soccer will grow to new hights its time to lead the concacaf

    againg!

    VIVA MX KBRONES!

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  7. Group 1

    USA – 1

    Guatemala – 2

    Cuba – 3

    Trinidad & Tobago – 4

    Group 2

    Mexico – 1

    Honduras – 3

    Canada – 2

    Jamaica – 4

    Group 3

    Costa Rica – 1

    Haiti – 3

    El Salvador – 2

    Suriname – 4

    Here are my picks. In Group 1, the US should advance easily (though they are not as strong as past years) while I think Guatemala will take the second spot. Cuba will give them a run for their money finishing third while T&T will round out the bottom.

    In Group 2 (the “Group of Death”) it will most likely be Mexico finishing 1st with either one of the remaining three teams fighting for the last spot. Honduras is as strong as ever while Canada is a lot better than their 77th FIFA ranking would suggest (not playing enough games!). Jamaica will also be a contender; however I don’t see them making it through this round. If Canada wins their second game of the qualifiers against Honduras in Montreal, then I’d say they will go on to qualify. That will be the game to watch. Another note is that Mexico could possibly be knocked down to second (possibly even third?) if they play like they have been lately and both Canada and Honduras play their best soccer.

    Group 3 is by far the weakest of all the groups. Suriname has been improving but I don’t think they will stay in contention very long. Haiti ā€“ same story. Costa Rica and El Salvador should make it through to the final round with flying colors.

    Reply
  8. Gruop 2 winner will be in the wrld cup FOR SURE!

    Gp 1 USA, T & T

    Gp 2 Jamaica, Mexico

    Gp 3 Costa Rico, El Salvador

    Reggae Boyz is BACK!!

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  9. Now this might shock some of you, the fifa rankings are garbage. Jamaica is stronger than Canada, stronger than Honduras and on a good day can compete with Mexico. here is what will happen, Jamaica will beat Honduras and Canada in the office, beat Canada in Canada and draw with Honduras in Honduras. The Mexico game in Jamaica will be drawn and Jamaica will loose in Mexico. 11 points will take Jamaica through

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  10. Ok for those who did not know, Suriname, and Guyana are considered to be a part of the Caribbean. They are prospective members of a pending Caribbean single market and economy and a proposed Caribbean federation which would see one Caribbean nation, which would probably see one united Caribbean team. Now wouldnt that be something. That is why they are apart of our qualifiers

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  11. 1998 world cup.

    Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts

    *1 Jamaica 6 4 1 1 12 3 9 13

    *2 Mexico 6 4 0 2 14 6 8 12

    3 Honduras 6 3 1 2 18 11 7 10

    4 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 0 0 6 6 30 -24 0

    * advance to the world cup

    Reply
  12. The final 6 teams will play home-and-away matches throughout 2009. The top 3 teams are in. The 4th place team will play a home-and-away match with the 5th place South American qualifier for the final available spot.

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  13. My recollection is 3 teams from the HEX qualify directly for the WC 2010 and the 4th place team has a playoff; this time against CONMEBOL? T&T were lucky in the playoff for WC 2006. Whoever it is this time will have a much tougher task. I pick US, Mex, and Honduras for the direct route with Guatemala having to playoff.

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  14. suriname, guyana and french guyana are not really considered part of south america even though they are actually located on the continent. they speak a different language, have a very different culture and are actually a lot more similar to carribbean countries than south american countries. my guess is that they asked to be a part of CONCACAF or that south america wasn’t interested in those 3 countries being part of their CONMEBOL group. i think french guyana is part of the european union.

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  15. I think that Group 2 is certainly the most difficult, particularly with a markedly improved Canada from the last cycle. Here are the predictions to come out of each group:

    Group 1:

    United States

    Guatemala

    (Kenwyne Jones’s injury will really hurt T & T)

    Group 2:

    Mexico

    Canada (the home field advantage if they play every game at BMO will put them over the top)

    Group 3:

    Costa Rica

    El Salvador (that comeback against Panama was impressive, but was it a one time thing?)

    To qualify out of these six:

    USA

    Mexico

    Canada

    Costa Rica vs. South America 5th

    All North America, I know, but believe it or not Canada’s group is a bit easier after their Semifinal Group of Death.

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  16. I want to see Canada and Honduras come out of Group B. Canada has the best midfield in CONCACAF in my opinion (tons of talent in the starting XI + good depth off the bench). We’re not afraid of anyone in this group but we respect them all.

    Mexico’s not been this weak looking in years. I say Canada should schedule their home match vs. Mexico in October at the stadium in St. John, Newfoundland where Canada clinched its only trip to the WC 22 years ago. Make the Mexicans freeze their butts off to cancel out the home field advantage they have at Azteca.

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  17. am i crazy to pick the reggae boyz AND the maple leafs to BOTH advance? okay,just one of them and mexico.

    other than that: usa, t&t, costa rica, and suriname (just because).

    Reply
  18. @Thom

    I would be delighted to answer your questions regarding the CONCCAF memberships for Guyana and Suriname.

    As you know, I am corrupt. So, I let the Suriname federation join after a hefty deposit into mynumbered Swiss bank account.

    Guyana, well that’s another story entirely. They haven’t been able to field a decent team since the Jim Jones kool-aid suicides. So, I took pity on them. They could never qualify in Conmebol.

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  19. A 12 team home-and-away format would be a decent way to do it, but it’s CONCACAF, it has to be complicated.

    Of the 12, Mexico, Honduras and the US would be the top three and qualify automatically for the World Cup. The fourth spot, and the playoff against the fifth place finisher from CONMEBOL, would probably be close between Jamaica, Canada, T&T, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

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  20. in my opinion, concacaf qualifying isn’t all that difficult. europe (even though they get a lot of slots) and africa qualifying is much more difficult. i think even south america is more difficult with brazil, argentina and paraguay in the bracket. that only leaves one secure slot for 7 teams left. i see an some complaining from canadians. common, it could be much worse in other groups. sure, you have the toughest group, but you are in one of the weakest continents on the planet. would you rather be in south america, europe or africa instead?

    Reply
  21. good point- why aren’t Surimame and Guyana in Comebol?

    Let’s get Jack Warner on the phone and see how much he wants us to pay him in advance,in cash, for a answer.

    Reply
  22. Group B is tough for CONCACAF. I’d hate for the US to be in a group like that. Group C is a joke, especially with Panama’s ousting. My picks for the hexagonal are:

    USA

    Guatemala

    Mexico

    Honduras

    Costa Rica

    Haiti

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  23. The horrible part about the CONCACAF qualifying format (if I understand it correctly) is that to get to the finals Canada will have to play Mexico FOUR times (home and away in the stage 3 + home and away in stage 4). That’s brutal for anyone.

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  24. Grp 1: US heavy fave; Guate and Cuba fight it out for 2nd. I won’t be surprised if Cuba makes history.

    Grp 2: MEX heavy fave; another shocker in Canada for 2nd place.

    Grp 3: This is Costa Rica’s to lose. I don’t see them losing a match. But I think maybe their coaching dilemma distracts them a bit. 2nd place: At a loss.

    GOOD LUCK CONCACAF!

    Reply
  25. 13 march 1954 el salvador champions of the central american games El salvador beat mexico 3-2 in their own territory mexico city. el salvador has been the first team in central america to beat mexico in their own city and el salovador was the first team to got to a world cup from central america and also the first to get beaten by 10-1 in a world cup but i rather have my team lose 10-1 than to never enter a world cup .

    JUST A BIT OF HISTORY SALVADOREƱo

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  26. I wish we did a single table of the Teams and the top ____ went through! that would be awesome!

    BPL Style so we could identify our Big Four or Three or _____!

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  27. Here’s the list of last WC appearances for those who are curious with overall appearances in []:

    USA [8] – 2006

    Guatemala [0]

    Cuba [1] – 1938

    T&T [1] – 2006

    Mexico [13] – 2006

    Honduras [1] – 1982

    Canada [1] – 1986

    Jamaica [1] – 1998

    Costa Rica [3] – 2006

    Haiti [1] – 1974

    El Salvador [2] – 1982

    Suriname [0]

    As for why Suriname is in CONCACAF (along with Guyana & French Guiana), you can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that were members of the CCCF when it and the NAFC merged to become CONCACAF.

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  28. Hey guys tell me what you think about this elimination, I think all most of the team has been to a world cup before

    The following table shows the CONCACAF representatives at each edition of the FIFA World Cup, sorted by number of appearances.

    Team

    1930

    1934

    1938

    1950

    1954

    1958

    1962

    1966

    1970

    1974

    1978

    1982

    1986

    1990

    1994

    1998

    2002

    2006

    2010 Total

    Mexico ——– 13

    USA ———— 8

    Costa Rica —— 3 1990, 2002 & 2006

    El Salvador —– 2 1986 & 1982

    Cuba————- 1 1938

    Haiti ————1 1974

    Honduras ——– 1 1982

    Canada ———- 1 1986

    Jamaica ——— 1 1998

    Trinidad and Tobago 1 2006

    exept for Guatemala & Suriname they both never been to a world Cup. Just a little history Eric..

    Reply

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