Trinidad & Tobago is feeling fairly confident. El Salvador has more doubts, especially heading into Wednesday’s opening match of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying at Cuscatlan Stadium.
The Soca Warriors are coming off a relatively successful five-game tour of Argentina. El Salvador, conversely, stumbled through the Central American Nations Cup, opening with a 1-1 draw against Nicaragua, losing 1-0 to Costa Rica in a semifinal that was abandoned in the 60th minute and finishing with a 1-0 defeat to Honduras in the third-place game.
El Salvador still managed to qualify for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, but now must quickly regain the form that earned it a second-place finish in its group during the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, where it lost twice to Costa Rica but feasted on Haiti and Suriname.
Mexican coach Carlos de Los Cobos will still rely on the forward Rudis Corrales, whose seven goals tied him with Jamaica’s Luton Shelton for the semifinal stage scoring lead, and Eliseo Quintanilla, who is tipped by the coach as the future of his team.
"When it comes to football in El Salvador there's Eliseo Quintanilla and then there's the rest," De los Cobos said. "When he's in the side he knows he's the one who has to dictate play."
Trinidad reached the hexagonal by virtue of a second-place finish in its semifinal round group with three wins, two draws and one loss against United States, Guatemala and Cuba. However, with a reduced squad, it was unable to get to the semifinals of the Caribbean Championship in December and will miss the Gold Cup for the first time since 2003.
Its recently completed tour of Argentina was viewed as a success by Maturana, and after two wins, two draws and a loss during a two-week tour through South America, he settled on his final roster selections on Tuesday.
The only surprising absentee was Swansea City striker Jason Scotland, who will miss the match against El Salvador due to his club team's FA Cup commitments, but is expected to rejoin the team later in qualifying.
Maturana was to scout El Salvador when it faced Peru in Los Angeles on Friday, with midfielder and player-coach Russell Latapy in charge of the squad until two final training sessions Monday and Tuesday.
The Soca Warriors were bolstered during the semifinal round by the inspirational return to the international stage of veteran midfielder Dwight Yorke, and the recent addition of his Sunderland teammate Kenwyne Jones could be a further boost.
The Soca Warriors have won twice and drawn the other in the last three meetings with El Salvador, adding to their confidence heading to San Salvador.
CONCACAF.COM (By: Peter Mallett)
Breaking Down the Hex.
By Richard Snowden.
The first matches of the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup hexagonal are just around the corner and Soccer 365’s Richard Snowden takes a look at the teams and gives his insights on who might make it to South Africa 2010. Read his opinions, let us hear yours!
At long last, the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, also known as the Hexagonal, is very nearly upon us. The six teams still standing are gearing up to battle for three automatic spots in the planet's greatest sporting spectacle, while the fourth-place team will play off against South America's fifth-place finisher for another berth.
The time for no-brainer blowouts and playing on cruise control is over; now, things get serious, and they will likely get rather more difficult. With this in mind, let's take a closer look at the field of competitors to see who stands where entering the final phase.
Costa Rica
Of all the nations in CONCACAF, Costa Rica may well be the one most on the rise at this point in time. Having qualified for the World Cup in 1990, 2002 and 2006, Los Ticos increasingly look like a team capable of challenging Mexico and the United States for regional dominance.
The Costa Ricans cruised through the semifinal qualifying round with a perfect record, punctuated by victories of 4-1 away and 7-0 at home over Suriname. Their group was hardly a challenging one, but even so, garnering 18 points from six games and posting a 20-3 goal differential in international play is certainly a feat worthy of respect.
That form continued in the recent Central American Nations Cup, where Los Ticos breezed to the title game with a 100 percent record before surprisingly falling to Panama on penalties. They will face more severe tests in the Hexagonal, but the only team ever to beat Mexico at Estadio Azteca in World Cup qualifying looks a good bet to continue its strong run of form and grab a spot in South Africa next year.
Key players: Armando Alonso (midfielder – Saprissa); Celso Borges (midfielder – Fredrikstad, Norway); Walter Centeno (midfielder – Saprissa); Ricardo Gonzalez (goalkeeper – Herediano); Bryan Ruiz (forward – KAA Gent, Belgium); Alvaro Saborio (forward – Sion, Switzerland); Gonzalo Segares (defender – Chicago Fire, USA); Alonso Solis (midfielder – Saprissa).
El Salvador
The Salvadorans benefited from the same weak semifinal-round group as Costa Rica, taking second place comfortably on 10 points. However, the two-time World Cup participants (1970, 1982) seem likely to fare quite differently in the Hexagonal.
Despite fielding a largely full-strength lineup, Los Cuscatlecos were unconvincing in this year's Central American Nations Cup. Despite thumping minnows Belize 4-1, this result was offset by a surprising 1-1 draw against lowly Nicaragua and a 2-0 loss to Honduras in group play.
The team then lost its semifinal 1-0 to Costa Rica in a bizarre game abandoned on 60 minutes after ejections and injuries had reduced them to six players. The Salvadorans followed up this result with a 1-0 loss to Honduras in a poorly played third-place match that raised doubts regarding both teams' prospects in the Hexagonal.
If current form is any guide, the Salvadorans will be lucky to avoid bottom spot in the Hexagonal. The team has a handful of talented players who might cause some problems for opponents, but nothing short of a miracle would be required for this team to end up in South Africa. At best, Los Cuscatlecos might be able to compete for fourth spot, but they will need to show much better form if they are to have even this much hope.
Key players: Luis Anaya (defender – Alianza); Rudis Corrales (forward – Aguila); Marvin Gonzalez (defender – FAS); Eliseo Quintanilla (midfielder – Aguila); Rodolfo Zelaya (forward – Alianza).
Honduras
On paper, Los Catrachos are always in with a shout in CONCACAF play, consistently producing quality talent and fielding good teams. Their primary Achilles' heel seems to be a penchant for inconsistency that borders on maddening, and if anything will keep the one-time World Cup participants (1982) out of the mix for a second berth, it will most likely be that characteristic.
The Hondurans played host to this year's Central American Nations Cup and appeared to have every reason to believe they could win it. After coasting through the group phase with a perfect record, however, the specter of inconsistency reared its ugly head in the team's 1-0 semifinal loss to underdogs Panama, leaving observers to wonder which Honduran side will show up for the Hexagonal.
Nevertheless, Los Catrachos proved that they can compete with anyone in the region on any given day during the semifinal phase of qualifying. They came close to beating Mexico in the Azteca before falling 2-1 and defeated Canada both home and away, their only blip coming in a narrow away loss to Jamaica before topping Mexico at home to close out the round.
With quality players from front to back, Honduras could challenge for one of the top three spots in this year's Hexagonal. Still, that inconsistent streak could crop up at any time; as a result, the Hondurans might end up settling for fourth place. Luckily, their recent 2-0 friendly win over Chile provides some hope that they just might have what it takes to overcome a South American opponent in a playoff if necessary.
Key players: Carlos Costly (forward – Birmingham City, England); Maynor Figueroa (defender – Wigan, England); Ivan Guerrero (midfielder – D.C. United, USA); Amado Guevara (midfielder – Toronto FC, Canada/MLS); Wilson Palacios (midfielder – Tottenham, England); David Suazo (forward – Benfica, Portugal); Maynor Suazo (midfielder – Köln, Germany); Noel Valladares (goalkeeper – Olimpia).
Mexico
Put simply, the Mexicans are in a fine state of disarray these days. Results are not going their way on the pitch, and criticism and dissension abound off of it. Pretty much the only thing the Mexican players seem to be capable of doing well in the run-up to their Hexagonal opener against the United States is making disparaging remarks about their American counterparts.
The Mexicans like to style themselves the giants of CONCACAF, but they have come up anything but huge for quite some time. After a cakewalk two-leg series against Belize to open qualifying, Los Tricolores stumbled badly in the semifinal round – so badly, in fact, that they are very lucky just to be in the Hexagonal, with only a better goal difference than Jamaica saving their bacon in the semis.
Worse still, the team dropped the ball yet again recently, losing 1-0 to a Swedish B-team in a friendly. Mexican fans and media alike are heaping scorn upon Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and his players. Meanwhile, several of the players themselves are complaining very publicly about Eriksson's selection of foreign-born players.
Needless to say, this is not how you want to start off the Hexagonal. Add in the loss of several key players through suspensions and injuries, and things are looking rather less than promising for the Mexicans as they prepare to face their American nemeses in the frigid conditions of central Ohio. Los Tricolores have not beaten the Yanks outside of the Azteca in a decade, and that trend hardly seems imperiled at the moment.
Under ordinary circumstances, this team would be a lock to qualify. But these are clearly not ordinary circumstances; indeed, so bad is the rot at this point that Mexico could even conceivably end up having to spend 180 nail-biting minutes battling a South American side for a ticket to South Africa come November if they don't turn things around pronto.
As always, though, Los Tricolores have one precious ace up their green sleeves: the filthy air, hemoglobin-sapping altitude, and hornet's-nest atmosphere of Estadio Azteca, which has been a veritable graveyard for opposing teams over the years. Even with everything else working against the Mexicans, this factor alone will likely provide enough points to see them safely through to South Africa.
Key players: Omar Bravo (forward – Deportivo La Coruña, Spain); Andres Guardado (midfielder – Deportivo La Coruña, Spain); Rafael Marquez (defender – Barcelona, Spain); Antonio Naelson (midfielder – Toluca); Guillermo Ochoa (goalkeeper – Club America); Pavel Pardo (midfielder – Club America); Carlos Salcido (defender – PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands); Gerardo Torrado (midfielder – Cruz Azul).
Trinidad and Tobago
Like Mexico, the Trinidadians have recently suffered a surprise run of poor results. Like Honduras, they boast several talented players but can be frustratingly inconsistent. And like El Salvador, they will probably struggle to make much of an impact in this year's Hexagonal.
For all its raw talent, Trinidad and Tobago is fortunate to be here, blessed by an upset win over a U.S. B-team and the fact that Guatemala proved to be even more inconsistent in the semifinal phase. Football may indeed be a funny old game, but even in football, luck will only take teams so far. Once luck runs out, inconsistency will kill any team, and it is this factor that could very well be the Trinidadians' undoing.
That inconsistency is exactly what was on offer during the recent Caribbean Nations Cup. After posting a shock 2-1 loss to modest Grenada to open group play, the Trinidadians followed a narrow 2-1 win over similarly lowly Barbados with a 1-1 draw against Jamaica, promptly eliminating them from a competition many felt they would win.
Nevertheless, as was the case in the 2005 Hexagonal, their talent and speed might be able to carry them to the playoff spot in a pinch. In fact, one of the more interesting potential storylines of this Hexagonal could end up being the battle between the Trinidadians and Hondurans for both fourth place and the least consistent team award.
Unfortunately, fourth place won't be far enough this time around. Trinidad and Tobago would stand little chance of besting a quality South American opponent, for no matter who that opponent might be, they will certainly be much better than the minnows from Bahrain that the Trinidadians faced in the 2005 playoff. In any case, it seems more likely that they will duke it out with El Salvador for last place instead.
Key players: Carlos Edwards (midfielder – Sunderland, England); Clayton Ince (goalkeeper – Walsall, England); Stern John (forward – Bristol City, England); Kenwyne Jones (forward – Sunderland, England); Russell Latapy (midfielder – Falkirk, Scotland); Dennis Lawrence (defender – Swansea City, Wales/EFL); Jason Scotland (forward – Swansea City, Wales/EFL); Dwight Yorke (forward – Sunderland, England).
United States
There may be no guarantees in life, but the United States earning one of the Hexagonal's three automatic tickets to South Africa could very well be the next closest thing. Given Mexico's current form in particular, most observers would probably be surprised if the Americans failed to top the group.
From day one of 2010 World Cup qualifying, which saw the Yanks demolish Barbados by an 8-0 margin, this team has been all about taking care of business. They made thirsty work of it at times, as anyone who watched their performances in Cuba and Guatemala will be well aware, but in the end the U.S. team sailed comfortably through its semifinal group and should make good headway this time out as well.
Less technically gifted than even some of their weaker opponents, the Americans' strength lies in a solid core built from the back. The hallmark of the U.S. team is its airtight defense, easily the region's stingiest, and few teams anywhere on the planet can match the Americans' work rate and physical prowess.
The Yanks further compensate for their technical deficits with discipline, tactical acumen, strong teamwork, and a willingness to battle for everything. Since ending their four-decade hiatus from the World Cup in 1990, the Yanks have also made huge strides in their passing and possession game, making them even more difficult to break down.
If this team has one significant weakness, it is its lack of scoring punch, an unfortunate side effect of modest technical skill. Nevertheless, the Yanks' speed, power, and increasingly deft passing typically proves sufficient to break down its regional opponents, and no team in CONCACAF is more dangerous on set pieces. And given their rock-solid backline, one goal is often all the Americans require.
It may not be the prettiest soccer you'll ever see, but it is generally quite effective, especially in CONCACAF play. If any U.S. fans should wish to go ahead and make reservations for June 2010 in South Africa, they may do so with great confidence.
Key players: DaMarcus Beasley (midfielder – Rangers, Scotland); Carlos Bocanegra (defender – Rennes, France); Michael Bradley (midfielder – Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany); Steve Cherundolo (defender – Hannover 96, Germany); Clint Dempsey (forward – Fulham, England); Landon Donovan (forward – L.A. Galaxy); Tim Howard (goalkeeper – Everton, England); Oguchi Onyewu (defender – Standard Liege, Belgium).