Top 5 – Edition II

Well another interesting round of WCQ matches have passed and as usual there were some surprises and realities that make The Beautiful Game so compelling.  So with that said, here is the 2nd Edition of the Top 5 Things We Learned From Previous Round of WC Qualifying:

The Motherland of New Faces

Those seeking new nations to support for the 2010 World Cup, look to the Motherland. 4 of the 5 African nations in the ’06 World Cup were 1st timers to the Great Tournament. As for this time around The Teranga Lions of Senegal are out after a 1-1 draw vs.  Gambia in Dakar and teams such as Malawi, Benin, and Gabon were all impressive in advancing to the 3rd and final round of qualifying. Continental powers Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, and Cote D’Ivoire must beware the smaller countries hungry for their first taste of World Cup glory.  If they don’t take heed, there will be new faces once again representing Africa in 2010.

Portugal sure does miss Big Phil

Since Luiz Felipe Scolari left to coach Chelsea, the Portuguese have been average at best. They have won once in their opening 4 UEFA WCQ matches and that was against Malta. They lost to Denmark 3-2 at home and then suffered back to back 0-0 draws to Sweden and Albania. Queiroz has been juggling his lineup and the combo of Cristiano Ronaldo & Deco have yet to play together. Injuries have played a part in Portugal’s disappointing start with Deco, Ronaldo, and Maniche ailing. Despite the injuries, Portugal should not play a 0-0 game against an Albanian side playing with 10 men for over 50 minutes. It seems that Quieroz is struggling to inspire Selecção das Quinas in the same way his predecessor did.

Caribbean Riddims on its way back to South Africa

In the 1st edition of Top 5, a grim outlook was forecasted for the Caribbean footballing nations in CONCACAF WC Qualifying. It cited their poor goal differential and a coaching switch, oh have times changed. In an encouraging turn of events, Jamaica got back to back 1-0 home wins vs. Mexico & Honduras. They now have 7 points just 2 back of Honduras & 3 points behind Mexico with one match left in this round. A home win vs. Canada and a Honduras loss vs. Mexico would see the Reggae Boyz through to the final round. Trinidad & Tobago just beat the USA 2-1 at home after drawing Guatemala 0-0 on the road. Led by the “Old Couple” Russell Latapy 40 Y.O. and Dwight Yorke 36 Y.O. The Soca Warriors need only a draw at home against Cuba to advance to the CONCACAF final round. BIG UP MY CARIBBEAN BRETHREN!! No longer will there be doubt.

La Roja eyes 4th place, maybe higher

South America is the most difficult of all continental zones and qualifying is a grueling battle. The only team that is consistently winning their battles is Paraguay. The other teams have been erratic which makes for some fine intrigue. Beginning with the battle for 4th place. Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina are the top 3 and will go through. The 4th place spot is currently held by Chile. Ex-Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has La Roja in a good position to qualify. However, Chile are inconsistent, they looked good against Colombia, a 4-0 victory but that followed a 3-0 whipping vs. Brazil. This past week, they lose to Ecuador 1-0 and then beat Argentina 1-0. Which Chile will we see? If its the one versus Colombia & Argentina than La Roja is in. Currently, Chile are tied with Argentina on 16 points 1 point back of Brazil. 2nd place is a real possiblility. By the way, Humberto Suazo is arguably the most underrated goal scorer in South America.

Race for 5th place: Uruguay vs. Ecuador

Uruguay needed 2 goals in the 2nd half to get a point from Bolivia (lately, they have been scoring more than Hugh Hefner).  Los Charrúas are the highest scoring team in CONMEBOL but against the Top 3(Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay) they have only scored 2 goals. For Uruguay to qualify they are going to have to get some points against the Top 3.  Fortunately, Uruguay’s next matches against the Top 3 are at home.

As for Ecuador, their problem is that they have to play games away from Quito.  They have already given up as many goals on the road this qualifying cycle as they did in the ’06 qualifying cycle.  Sixto Vizuete’s insertion as coach has helped but they have to improve their road form.  Their home form is good but not as dominant as their ’06 WC qualifying which could be their downfall.   They lost twice to Venezuela, that is not a good sign even though Venezuela is much improved. Against the Top 3, Ecuador have given up 11 goals in 3 games. Uruguay by comparison has allowed only 5.

It could come down to Round 17 when Uruguay travels to Ecuador to play for a chance at glory in South Africa.  We shall see.