World Cup qualifying is quirky in some ways. I’ll give you a “for instance:”
The United States just launched its qualifying bid, warming up with three friendlies ahead of Friday’s match in Tampa and Tuesday’s down in Guatemala. So they’ve been working out the kinks for three weeks, trying to identify the optimum combinations, working to get 100 percent fit and healthy, etc.
But after Tuesday, we won’t see this team again until September, three months from now. Not competitively, anyway. (The United States does have a few friendlies between then and now.)
So, whatever problems the chattering class is chattering about today, whatever road humps Jurgen Klinsmann and his team is trying to drive around at the moment – we could all be dealing with an entirely new set of issues when the United States lines up in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sept. 7 on the next World Cup qualifying date.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s schedule of qualifiers (in all three groups) are here:
- Jamaica at Antigua & Barbuda
- Honduras at Canada
- Costa Rica at Guyana
- Cuba at Panama
- Mexico at El Salvador
- United States at Guatemala
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- rodge1 - Jun 9, 2012 at 11:43 AM
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They should combine the North/Central America and South America World Cup qualifiers. That will ensure the best teams go to the World Cup. Sucks as a soccer fan to see garbage teams from Central America qualify while powerhouses from South America stay home because the competition is better. Would also make the US team better having to play against quality teams.
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- ezmagic - Jun 9, 2012 at 7:17 PM
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Totally agree… Or only 1 from concacaf (north/central America) should go and 5 from conmebol (south America). with the 2nd place concacaf and 6th place conmebol in a playoff to get the last spot. South American futbol is so much better. The worst team could beat the best in north America.
