CONCACAF musings

A few thoughts after the US fell 3-1 in Costa Rica and came back to win 2-1 over Honduras in Chicago:

If US Soccer wants to be taken seriously by the rest of the world, there's about 4,907 things they need to do. But one of those many things is to assert control over a relatively weak region. The US has done one half of this work, dominating their opponents on their home soil, but it's time to make progress on the other half, winning on their opponent's home soil. I'm not talking about opponents such as Panama, Honduras, or Trinidad and Tobago, but the other stalwarts in the region: Mexico and Costa Rica. The US is now 0-7-1 in qualifying matches in Costa Rica, and its 0-12-1 in Mexico. It's not realistic to expect 0 losses over a stretch of 4-5 qualifying efforts, but the US needs to start winning in these hostile environments.

All reports indicate the game against Honduras featured a crowd that was about 80% (conservative estimate) Honduras supporters. This would be fine, except the game was played in Chicago. It's one thing to be ambivalent about the MLS, it's one thing to be ambivalent about friendlies, but these games determine whether the US makes the World Cup or not, US fans need to put in some effort before the World Cup tournament itself, that Honduras fans could so completely take over a qualifier in Chicago is an embarassment.

Bob Bradley has done a good job as the head of US Soccer since the 2006 disappointment. He has injected fresh blood into the team, which has broadened the pool of talent he has to draw from. However, he absolutely must figure out how to get the US to come out strong from the opening whistle. The US has given up goals in the 1st minute and the 5th minute in their last 2 games. The fact that they were able to recover and win against Honduras doesn't mean they'll be able to do it against Mexico, or Italy, or Argentina.

Speaking of Mexico...this stalwart of the CONCACAF region is in mild danger of not qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. The current standings look like this:

Team GP W D L GS GC GD P
Costa Rica 5 4 0 1 9 5 4 12
United States 5 3 1 1 10 6 4 10
El Salvador 4 1 2 1 6 6 0 5
Honduras 4 1 1 2 5 6 -1 4
Mexico 4 1 0 3 4 7 -3 3
Trinidad & Tobago 4 0 2 2 5 9 -4 2

Now, the top 3 teams after 10 games played get automatic berths, and Mexico is only 3 points out of third place, so with 6 games to go, this isn't the right time to panic. The Mexican soccer federation would be wise to realize this, as the team is already on its 4th coach since the 2006 World Cup. I think Mexico's superior talent will win out and they will snag that 3rd spot, but if they don't make their move (and get some wins) soon (next up is 2 home games against T&T and the US), they'll find themselves running out of time.