Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Hex schedule and takes
The Hex draw was done yesterday in Zurich, with the United States getting the #6 ball. Therefore, the schedule is as follows:
February 9 @ Trinidad/Tobago
March 26 or 27 @ Mexico
March 30 vs. Guatelmala
June 4 or 5 vs. Costa Rica
June 8 @ Panama
August 17 vs. Trinidad/Tobago
September 3 or 4 vs. Mexico
September 7 @ Guatemala
October 8 or 9 @ Costa Rica
October 12 vs. Panama
On the surface, the schedule is workable. We get the easiest road venue first, followed by the most difficult, with four of the following five matches on home soil and the Gold Cup scheduled between Matchdays 5 and 6 also in the US. The pain-in-the-rear of the schedule comes in the second half, with Mexico here on Labor Day weekend and a Matchday 9 encounter with Costa Rica. Oddly enough, our weekend dates are with Mexico and Costa Rica, teams that I would prefer to be playing mid-week when crowds on both sides would be lessened and we would have a better chance of getting road points and guaranteeing a pro-US crowd at home.
As for venues, I would choose to play Mexico behind doors if at ALL possible because of the date issue, but would then choose Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC to host the tilt if a closed-doors match were unfeasible. I'd play Costa Rica in Kansas City again, play Guatemala in the elevation of Denver (I was won over to this choice), Panama at the new house in Frisco, and Trinidad/Tobago in Columbus as part of a doubleheader. In reality, I expect Mexico to be in Columbus, Foxboro to get a date, Seattle or Portland to get the Guatemala match, with the other two dates involving Columbus, Frisco, Kansas City, and Victoria Street.
Best-case scenario: We get four points from the first two matches and clinch a spot to Germany before the trip to Saprissa.
February 9 @ Trinidad/Tobago
March 26 or 27 @ Mexico
March 30 vs. Guatelmala
June 4 or 5 vs. Costa Rica
June 8 @ Panama
August 17 vs. Trinidad/Tobago
September 3 or 4 vs. Mexico
September 7 @ Guatemala
October 8 or 9 @ Costa Rica
October 12 vs. Panama
On the surface, the schedule is workable. We get the easiest road venue first, followed by the most difficult, with four of the following five matches on home soil and the Gold Cup scheduled between Matchdays 5 and 6 also in the US. The pain-in-the-rear of the schedule comes in the second half, with Mexico here on Labor Day weekend and a Matchday 9 encounter with Costa Rica. Oddly enough, our weekend dates are with Mexico and Costa Rica, teams that I would prefer to be playing mid-week when crowds on both sides would be lessened and we would have a better chance of getting road points and guaranteeing a pro-US crowd at home.
As for venues, I would choose to play Mexico behind doors if at ALL possible because of the date issue, but would then choose Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC to host the tilt if a closed-doors match were unfeasible. I'd play Costa Rica in Kansas City again, play Guatemala in the elevation of Denver (I was won over to this choice), Panama at the new house in Frisco, and Trinidad/Tobago in Columbus as part of a doubleheader. In reality, I expect Mexico to be in Columbus, Foxboro to get a date, Seattle or Portland to get the Guatemala match, with the other two dates involving Columbus, Frisco, Kansas City, and Victoria Street.
Best-case scenario: We get four points from the first two matches and clinch a spot to Germany before the trip to Saprissa.
MLS World Cup Qualifying update
The tally heading into 2005:
* 48 goals by 18 current or former MLS players (yes, I'm counting former Crew draft pick and current Toronto Lynx striker John Barry Nusum in that total, and adding in goals from now-current MLS players from prior in qualifying) representing 13 countries OTHER than the United States in 3 confederations. (# = country is eliminated from qualifying)
I will re-format this list for the start of qualifying in February with just those on nations still in the hunt listed.
* 48 goals by 18 current or former MLS players (yes, I'm counting former Crew draft pick and current Toronto Lynx striker John Barry Nusum in that total, and adding in goals from now-current MLS players from prior in qualifying) representing 13 countries OTHER than the United States in 3 confederations. (# = country is eliminated from qualifying)
#John Barry Nusum (Bermuda) 7
Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala) 6
Stern John (Trinidad/Tobago) 6
Dipsy Selolwane (Botswana) 5
#Amado Guevara (Honduras) 4
#Dwayne DeRosario (Canada) 4
#Duncan Oughton (New Zealand) 2
Andy Herron (Costa Rica) 2
#Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand) 2
#Jean-Philippe Peguero (Haiti) 2
Zizi Roberts (Liberia) 1
Shaun Bartlett (South Africa) 1
#Saul Martinez (Honduras) 1
#Damani Ralph (Jamaica) 1
#Jorge "Zarco" Rodriguez (El Salvador) 1
Cornell Glen (Trinidad/Tobago) 1
William Sunsing (Costa Rica) 1
#Andy Williams (Jamaica) 1
I will re-format this list for the start of qualifying in February with just those on nations still in the hunt listed.
