WCQ: Round 2
What The Mexican Headlines Will Read If The Team Does Anything But Win Saturday NightSo I've got about 20 minutes to get this posted before getting back to my actual job. Of course, if my colleague Pat Walsh (formerly of goal.com)would stop calling me and taking up 30 minutes of my time... Who knows? Maybe he'll start writing some stuff on this blog as well?
Anyway, let's get to it. This weekend is the 2nd round of CONCACAF WCQ, and we've got a few interesting matchups to be played. Let's preview and predict each of the 3 games:
1. United States @ El Salvador - Let's put it this way; when the main guy for El Salvador is Eliseo Quintanilla, a guy who couldn't make it with DC United a few years back, you're probably not fielding a strong unit. Quintanilla is a good player but in no way can match up against Michael Bradley and our 2nd d-mid, probably Pablo Mastroeni. Personally, I think Sacha Kljestan should get the nod, as he brings more to the table offensively. I just think Bradley will play conservatively on the road (not always a bad move) and have the veteran in there. However, can Pablo keep his head out of his ass long enough to not get ejected from a big game? Because let's face it, you KNOW this game is going to get chippy from the start. The U.S. is better at pretty much every position, and El Salvador will probably foul early to try and get the U.S. out of rhythm. Unfortunately, I just don't trust Pablo anymore.
Up front, I would like to see Altidore (as would everyone on the soccer internet) but it will probably be Ching. The big target forward is Bob's M.O., and he does work well w/ Landon Donovan, who has had some big games against this team.
The defense will be Gooch and Boca in the middle, Heath Pearce at left back, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Hejduk on the right, again, Bob goes with experience on the road.
Midfield will be Bradley, Pablo, Donovan, Beasley, and Dempsey. No real worries there.
In goal will probably be Guzan, even though neither he or Hahnemann has played much recently for their clubs. If the defense does its job, then either GK shouldn't be too tested too much.
Prediction: Let's go 2-0 U.S., with goals by Bocanegra off a set piece and Bradley in the run of play, probably a long distance shot.
Bonus Prediction - over/under on the fouls? 33... over/under on the cards? 6 yellow and 1 red.
2. Costa Rica @Mexico - This is really a tough one to call. Costa Rica is the only team in the region to beat Mexico in Azteca. They are coming off an impressive 2-0 win against a solid Honduran team, and are arguably playing the best soccer in CONCACAF. The team doesn't have any truly "stud" players, but Head Coach Rodrigo Kenton has them focused and confident, a rarity for a team when it plays in the atmosphere of Mexico City.
Meanwhile, Mexico seems to be unraveling at the seams. Usual Team Captain Rafa Marquez is out due to suspension, which is bad enough, but in a recent article, he seemed to question the direction of where Mexican soccer is heading (no pun intended), although he fully supported his teammates in the interview. His leadership will be missed, as will the possibility of multiple starters out due to injury. Still, this is a team that, on paper, is better than Costa Rica and arguably the U.S. However, there seems to be something missing. Maybe it's Coach Sven- Goran Eriksson? He's not a favorite of the Mexican media, and the jury is still out on if the players will stand up and play for him when their backs are against the wall, which I think will happen sometime in tomorrow's game. Lose or draw, and i think a coaching change is made, even with a looming trip to Honduras on Wednesday. A win, maybe he'll last through game 3.
Prediction - 1-1. Mexico will score early in the game, but Costa Rica will find a way to even the score sometime in the 2nd half to get the all-important point on the road. The Mexican headlines on Sunday will practically write themselves.
3. Honduras @ Trinidad & Tobago - This is another tough call. I think this is the best Honduran team since the one that beat the U.S. at RFK in 2001, and had it not been for a complete collapse at home, would have qualified for 2002. They won't have their best player in David Suazo, out 4 months with a knee injury, so the team will probably have a very defensive look in Port-of-Spain Saturday night. Still, players like Amado Guevara, Carlos Pavon, and Wilson Palacios make this a really scary team that could sneak out a win.
T&T will be without the legendary Dwight Yorke, but let's be honest; has he really made that much of a difference recently? The team should be able to play a bit faster without him and will be more athletic, which can help a team going against better players (yes, I said Honduras has better players). Kenwyne Jones and the seemingly ageless Stern John should put plenty of pressure on the Honduran defense, which is the team's weak link. Plus, the Soca Warriors always play well at home.
Prediction - 2-2. I think this will be a wide open game from start to finish. Honduras will try to be patient to start, but I think their tendency to attack will eventually win out. Of the 3 games on Saturday, I think this will be the most entertaining.
So there you have it. I'll be back on Monday w/ a piece on the WPS, which starts this weekend as Washington heads to L.A. to play the Sol. I had a nice conversation w/ Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra yesterday, so I'll be sure to let you know what he thinks about the league, the season, and how the WPS differs from the WUSA.
Thanks for reading!
The defense will be Gooch and Boca in the middle, Heath Pearce at left back, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Hejduk on the right, again, Bob goes with experience on the road.
Midfield will be Bradley, Pablo, Donovan, Beasley, and Dempsey. No real worries there.
In goal will probably be Guzan, even though neither he or Hahnemann has played much recently for their clubs. If the defense does its job, then either GK shouldn't be too tested too much.
Prediction: Let's go 2-0 U.S., with goals by Bocanegra off a set piece and Bradley in the run of play, probably a long distance shot.
Bonus Prediction - over/under on the fouls? 33... over/under on the cards? 6 yellow and 1 red.
2. Costa Rica @Mexico - This is really a tough one to call. Costa Rica is the only team in the region to beat Mexico in Azteca. They are coming off an impressive 2-0 win against a solid Honduran team, and are arguably playing the best soccer in CONCACAF. The team doesn't have any truly "stud" players, but Head Coach Rodrigo Kenton has them focused and confident, a rarity for a team when it plays in the atmosphere of Mexico City.
Meanwhile, Mexico seems to be unraveling at the seams. Usual Team Captain Rafa Marquez is out due to suspension, which is bad enough, but in a recent article, he seemed to question the direction of where Mexican soccer is heading (no pun intended), although he fully supported his teammates in the interview. His leadership will be missed, as will the possibility of multiple starters out due to injury. Still, this is a team that, on paper, is better than Costa Rica and arguably the U.S. However, there seems to be something missing. Maybe it's Coach Sven- Goran Eriksson? He's not a favorite of the Mexican media, and the jury is still out on if the players will stand up and play for him when their backs are against the wall, which I think will happen sometime in tomorrow's game. Lose or draw, and i think a coaching change is made, even with a looming trip to Honduras on Wednesday. A win, maybe he'll last through game 3.
Prediction - 1-1. Mexico will score early in the game, but Costa Rica will find a way to even the score sometime in the 2nd half to get the all-important point on the road. The Mexican headlines on Sunday will practically write themselves.
3. Honduras @ Trinidad & Tobago - This is another tough call. I think this is the best Honduran team since the one that beat the U.S. at RFK in 2001, and had it not been for a complete collapse at home, would have qualified for 2002. They won't have their best player in David Suazo, out 4 months with a knee injury, so the team will probably have a very defensive look in Port-of-Spain Saturday night. Still, players like Amado Guevara, Carlos Pavon, and Wilson Palacios make this a really scary team that could sneak out a win.
T&T will be without the legendary Dwight Yorke, but let's be honest; has he really made that much of a difference recently? The team should be able to play a bit faster without him and will be more athletic, which can help a team going against better players (yes, I said Honduras has better players). Kenwyne Jones and the seemingly ageless Stern John should put plenty of pressure on the Honduran defense, which is the team's weak link. Plus, the Soca Warriors always play well at home.
Prediction - 2-2. I think this will be a wide open game from start to finish. Honduras will try to be patient to start, but I think their tendency to attack will eventually win out. Of the 3 games on Saturday, I think this will be the most entertaining.
So there you have it. I'll be back on Monday w/ a piece on the WPS, which starts this weekend as Washington heads to L.A. to play the Sol. I had a nice conversation w/ Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra yesterday, so I'll be sure to let you know what he thinks about the league, the season, and how the WPS differs from the WUSA.
Thanks for reading!
posted by Bushman @ 1:33 PM
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