Concacaf's 3rd spot....

[Gamma]

denmark and greece winning the euros is proof of that!

[Tilla]

Warlord, a part of your problem is that you do not realize that the game is played on the field, not on paper. I could point you to so many games where the stronger team on paper should have prevailed, but they did not. Hey, the last week we say Russia losing to Israel and England to Croatia. If we followed your way, England would have been in the Euro next year.

Mexico have some good players, not even counting Dos Santos and those other young ones. We can still beat them however with good coaching.

I also do not think #1 and 2 positions are guaranted to any team. They will have to work for it and as much as they can be considered fovorites, the game is still played on the field.

[Gamma]

interesting. completely contrasting opinions. we'll see.....

we won one game there...ES first win on central american soil. panama also beat us at home...

[Jawge]

One thing the US and Mexico must
note: Ja has improved in the finishing Dept. hence our scoreline
is now 3-0, 2-0 zip and so forth. Looking at the two games Ja played recently it will be no walk in the park. ES got the stronger JA team. I think the Priof will work to ccordinate our D with our mid collasping on it once we there is an attack on it. Tappa did not use flank attacks, which is good because we have players like Garfiled Reid to do it and the US and Mexico hasn't seen that aspect of our game.

It takes a very intelligent and fit wing backs to go forward and support our D at the same time. Look at Danny alves when ever he plays for Brasil and goes forward he exposes Lucio on the flanks the minute Lcuio leaves his kingdom (right now I don't any central D that can read and steal the ball as lucio in the 18) runs to the flanks Brasil is vulnerable (see Portugal and Mexico game). It takes speed and alertness to cover these grounds in the age of counter attacks. Let's see what the Prof. brings

[Warlord]

Do not think the 1st or 2nd spot is sure to go to the USA & Mexico. One of the two could be missing at the next World Cup...or arrive via the play-off route.

By any reasoned thinking the REGGAE BOYZ should not have a chance of making it. While all the other big TEAMs USA, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Honduras, Costa Rica and T'dad and Tobago have been preparing for years...from immediately after the last World Cup, we have had our very best TEAM i.e. the real REGGAE BOYZ, not playing from when we were ambushed 6 - 0 by ENGLAND. How then can we possible create a strong TEAM before June 2009?

Realistically our players should have less than 30 days of training preparations together. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised by the peformance in the first match.

After seeing that first match the second match was a letdown. I sat before my TV expecting to see at the very least the same standard of play. The group of players (...certainly I could not have expected to see TEAM...) in that second match performed at 2 or 3 levels below the performance shown in the first. ...but, there were periods when they suddenly put 4/5/6/7 passes together and zipped into the opponents penalty-area and created good goalscoring chances.

Our defense appears seive-like. In both matches it appeared to me that good TEAMs would 'walk through'...but, the 'potential to create GOOD TEAM' was seem. So my fingers are crossed behind my back and I hope the JFF can keep the members together and as busy as can be at preparations...who knows, we could be there at 2010 World Cup Finals?!


Knocking off one or both of the TOP 2 CONCACAF big boys? Maybe????

The USA in particular is not all that! Rigidly organized...lacking in creativity...they could fall! We can develop the same or greatly level of organisation and our players...all over the field...are more creative.

NB: The above assumes we shall win the first round we are involved in and advance from the second round.

I agree with everything you said, but when has the US ever been a skillful creative football team? I don't ever think i could say they were but they play intelligent team football. And they had an abundance of goalkeepers and defenders with decent midfielders. They know how to shut down their opponents in the last third but the midfielders take alot of pressure off their defenders.

That is one of our problems.

[Warlord]

The mindset of the players and the JFF should be to tek the game to the US & Mexico, especially at home. Aiming for the 3rd spot is not a high enough goal, and we should raise our expectations.

Like i said in a previous post. I don't think we will roll over and die when we play them. No one is playing for third place but that is more than likely what we will likely be fighting for.

Maybe if Honduras can do us a favor and knockout the US in a semi final grouping we'd have a better shot at #2 spot but even that will be a tall order for them as well.

[Warlord]

I think that we can qualify either in the number 1 or 2 spot. Even though USA and Mexico are favourites, the positions are not guaranteed to them. If Jamaica can draw a match between the two of them, then it opens up the Hex for the other teams to sneak in. I think this time around, the ReggaeBoyz will be a formidable opponent under proper coaching. We are not in the same position as we were before, we are now able to field almost 2 teams with professional players.

So you're saying that we can dislodge either Mexico or the US for the #1 or #2 spot?

Did you take a look at Mexico's future players? Hmnnn... Giovanni Dos Santos , Jonathan Dos Santos....Carlos Vela and there are several other members from their U-17 WC championship team who are already in Europe and are good and ready for this cycle.

And lets face it the US will realsitically finish the hex either no1 or no 2. We don't have an answer for that.

I agree that this team will be better but it will not realistically upset those two. Maybe a draw away and at home but we won't eclipse them.

[Karl]

Just curious about this cycle. Its still early yet and although I know we shouldn't be aiming for the 3rd spot, I was wondering what many of you forumers think of it. I have been watching the last few WCQ cycles and Costa Rica has had a lock on it for the longest time but I think that era has come to an end.

They have recently had to deal wid an aging squad and most of their players will not be around this cycle which means that they are in rebuilding phase. Paulo Wanchope has recently announced his retirement and many of their players are done.

Personally, I think they will struggle this cycle because Honduras and Guatemala have much stronger teams. The Hondurans have been playing well this year and they will be a challenge for us but I think we can still eclipse them which means that they may be the #1 threat from Central America should we reach the hex this cycle. I would much rather qualify from that 3rd spot outright than have to play a half spot playoff with the 5th placed team from the South American zone ( could be Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay or possibly Bolivia)

I think The US and Mexico are guaranteed to qualify but that 3rd spot will be up for grabs. What do you guys think. Should we look at that option? Of course if for some reason or the other Guatemala or Honduras gets eliminated early, it makes it more realistic for the boyz.

Discuss....

Do not think the 1st or 2nd spot is sure to go to the USA & Mexico. One of the two could be missing at the next World Cup...or arrive via the play-off route.

By any reasoned thinking the REGGAE BOYZ should not have a chance of making it. While all the other big TEAMs USA, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Honduras, Costa Rica and T'dad and Tobago have been preparing for years...from immediately after the last World Cup, we have had our very best TEAM i.e. the real REGGAE BOYZ, not playing from when we were ambushed 6 - 0 by ENGLAND. How then can we possible create a strong TEAM before June 2009?

Realistically our players should have less than 30 days of training preparations together. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised by the peformance in the first match.

After seeing that first match the second match was a letdown. I sat before my TV expecting to see at the very least the same standard of play. The group of players (...certainly I could not have expected to see TEAM...) in that second match performed at 2 or 3 levels below the performance shown in the first. ...but, there were periods when they suddenly put 4/5/6/7 passes together and zipped into the opponents penalty-area and created good goalscoring chances.

Our defense appears seive-like. In both matches it appeared to me that good TEAMs would 'walk through'...but, the 'potential to create GOOD TEAM' was seem. So my fingers are crossed behind my back and I hope the JFF can keep the members together and as busy as can be at preparations...who knows, we could be there at 2010 World Cup Finals?!


Knocking off one or both of the TOP 2 CONCACAF big boys? Maybe????

The USA in particular is not all that! Rigidly organized...lacking in creativity...they could fall! We can develop the same or greatly level of organisation and our players...all over the field...are more creative.

NB: The above assumes we shall win the first round we are involved in and advance from the second round.

[Hortical]

It isn't realistic that we can have two major scalps in one cycle. We can get there in the future but not today or next year.

The mindset of the players and the JFF should be to tek the game to the US & Mexico, especially at home. Aiming for the 3rd spot is not a high enough goal, and we should raise our expectations.

[Warlord]

Our focus should be on qualifying, and we have beaten Mexico in the past. Sooner or later we will tek down the US for sure.

Yea but how often do we do that? How consistent is it? And we've never beaten USA in WCQ.

It isn't realistic that we can have two major scalps in one cycle. We can get there in the future but not today or next year.

[Warlord]

despite the US dominance we've played them very tough and should have got the btter of them in that game that teofore scored the beautiful goal before ricketss gifted them the tying goal....

we can take them! i'm more concerned about our form in latin america.

I disagree wid you here. There is a difference between could've and doing the business. We didn't that's the reality. Had we scored more goals then maybe. We are not on their level.

Now on to our form against Central American teams, I like our chances. Last cycle in the semi-final round we had a better away record than at home.

[Jangle]

I think that we can qualify either in the number 1 or 2 spot. Even though USA and Mexico are favourites, the positions are not guaranteed to them. If Jamaica can draw a match between the two of them, then it opens up the Hex for the other teams to sneak in. I think this time around, the ReggaeBoyz will be a formidable opponent under proper coaching. We are not in the same position as we were before, we are now able to field almost 2 teams with professional players.

[Hortical]

Our focus should be on qualifying, and we have beaten Mexico in the past. Sooner or later we will tek down the US for sure.

[Gamma]

despite the US dominance we've played them very tough and should have got the btter of them in that game that teofore scored the beautiful goal before ricketss gifted them the tying goal....

we can take them! i'm more concerned about our form in latin america.

[Warlord]

Agree. But that was the U-23 squad under Boxhill in a one-leg match. I say let's play for the first place and qualify outright. If not, then we play for the 2nd or 3rd spot which still qualifies us.

Good point but realistically we cannot challenge Mexico or the US for 1st or second. We are just not on their level yet. I'm not saying we should lay down and get murdered by them but we have alot of work to do to get to their level. Maybe in the future we can match them in every dept but as of right now i don't think we can eclipse them.

This is the reason why I mentioned that the 3rd spot could be ours this cycle because the lock Costa Rica had on it is gone. They are rebuilding and will struggle.