Putting Saturday's Game Against Panama in Perspective

[Lower St. John]

Present standings after three games
Team        GP   W    L    T    PTS
Mexico        3     2    0    1    7
USA            3     2    1    0    6
Guatemala    3     1    1    1    4
Costa Rica     3     1    1    1    4
Panama        3      0    1    2    2
T&T             3      0    2    1    1

Saturday June 4th games (Most Likely and Favorable Results for the Warriors)
T&T defeats Panama (Any other result and reading the rest of this post is moot)
Mexico defeats Guatemala
USA defeats COSTA RICA

Standings after June 4th
Team        GP   W  L   T    PTS
Mexico        4    3   0   1    10
USA            4    3   1   0    9
Guatemala    4    1   2   1    4
Costa Rica     4    1   2   1    4
T&T             4    1   2   1    4
Panama         4    0   2   2    2

____________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 1: Wednesday June 8th games (Most Likely and Favorable Result for the Warriors)
USA defeats Panama
Mexico defeats T&T
Costa Rica tie Guatemala

Team        GP   W  L   T    PTS
Mexico        5    4   0   1    13
USA            5    4   1   0    12
Guatemala    5    1   2   2    5
Costa Rica     5    1   2   2    5
T&T             5    1   3   1    4
Panama         5    0   3   2    2


Scenario 2: Wednesday June 8th games (Most Likely Result for the Warriors)
USA defeats Panama                                USA defeats Panama
Mexico defeats T&T                                 Mexico defeats T&T
Guatemala defeats Costa Rica                   Costa Rica defeats Guatemala


Team        GP   W  L   T    PTS                                            Team        GP   W  L   T    PTS 
Mexico        5    4   0   1    13                                               Mexico        5    4   0   1    13 
USA            5    4   1   0    12                                               USA             5    4   1   0    12
Guatemala    5    2   2  1    7                                                Costa Rica     5    2   2   1    7
Costa Rica     5    1   3   1    4                                               Guatemala    5    1   3   1    4
T&T              5    1   3   1    4                                               T&T             5    1   3   1    4
Panama         5    0   3   2    2                                              Panama         4    0   3   2    2

Scenario 3: Wednesday June 8th games (The Soccer Gods Smiles on The Warriors (Plenty Prayers involved in this one))
USA defeats Panama
Mexico tie T&T
Costa Rica tie Guatemala

Team        GP   W  L   T    PTS
USA            5    4   1   0    12
Mexico         5    3   0   2    8
Guatemala    5    1   1   2    5
Costa Rica     5    1   1   2    5
T&T              5    1   2   2    5
Panama         5    0   3   2    2
______________________________________________________________________________________

I would not go further and attempt to list other Scenarios (showing a victory for the Warriors in Mexico).  Maybe after Saturday's performance I might consider it but nothing in our past (recent or otherwise) suggests we will get a victory in Mexico.  The main purpose of the scenarios is to show that with a little luck we can still control our destiny going into the second half of the qualifiers once we start with a win against Panama.

I am sure most Forumites would settle for Scenario 2 showing us one victory (three points) off the third place qualifier position.  Showing the possible standings at the midpoint of the qualifiers shows how big this game is on Saturday. 

Fellas, plain talk bad manners, we need full points against Panama.  Most folks are aware of how daunting the tasks is ahead of us but there is still a lot of football to play in this campaign (and a number of quality warm up matches against good compettion in the Gold Cup and Unity Cup). 

Victory For the Warriors on Saturday and we cool, anything more after that is langniappe.   It doh make sense listing any negatives for Saturday.

[Touches]

I like scenario three.

Good job!

Also many people dont know about the qualifying format and what it takes to make it.

A young lady asked me in grounds when we were playing Bermuda if this was a qualifying match?

I know the board excited, but the public at large ent really care. They waiting and watching and they go hop on the band waggon if we beat Panama. All they look at is that TT lorse to NE stars and a Peru club team. They doe even know who on the side.

The amount of die hard fans few and far between. Plus the ones that like football cyar pay the 200 to see the match.

The only way the stadium filling up is if the waggonists come.

When I bought my ticket in KFC yesterday the girl watch me and bawl.........you really like football yes, me ent paying to watch them fellas . It didnt make sense trying to convince her of the merits of watching the team at that time........as the line was long and people were hungry. So I just asked how the rest of the ticket sales going, to which she replied..........you is the first for the day. N.B....It was about 8pm.

But in all fairness to the TTFF and the sponsors especially TSTT and Busta. They REAL REAL trying. Full page ads in the papers right tru. Ads on TV, the radio announcers on most of the stations talking about the game. So they trying.

But a full stadium doe equate to noise....look at ash Wed in the oval......only tourist and wannabees. No vibes atall.

But the last WCQ match..Best Vibes so far of the campaign, lets hope we can outdo that come saturday.

[real madness]

Ah win against Panama and draw with Mexico will bring out kinda fans even people who feel Latas still playing and Gally is de coach. I like scenario 3 but I prefer scenario 1 because a tie between Guatemala and Costa Rica will keep us close even if we lose against Mexcio because if either Guatemala or Costa Rica win, one of them will be 3 points ahead of us. 

[Ponnoxx]

 We have to win the rest and stop bowing down to these 'bigger' teams. We always expecting a mediocre result at best when we play teams like USA and Mexico. What we have to do is play hard and win games and stop making stupid excuses.  We MUST WIN  !!! ..Go T&T

[SHOTTA]

in all the scenarios it lookin like mexico and usa breakin way from the pack a realistic view though one that is full of heart ache

[Lower St. John]

Mission one accomplish.  I am looking for Scenario three. 

Big up Trinidad and Tobago.[/size]

[AB.Trini]

Reason fuh optimism: Panama hold this Mexican team to 1-1; we beat this Panama team; God is Great.

[jusme]

Reason fuh optimism: Panama hold this Mexican team to 1-1; we beat this Panama team; God is Great.

I have a feeling that when thursday morning come, mexico will regret not playing us in the high altitude stadium

[AB.Trini]

doh be surprise if the Mexicans change the venue afterthey read of this score.

[NUFF]

ah notice nobody consider de possibility of panama beating usa on wednesday.  If that happen and we lose in mexico then we go be back in last place.  Ah hope that doh happen.  Hopefully we could get at least 1 point on wednesday.

[AB.Trini]

Nff,
The way that the USA is playing it is likely but not probable. USA is playing consistently good aganist evryone except aganist Mexico.

[Lower St. John]

Anything is possible hence the reason why the games are actually played.  More importantly is it probable.  I do not think that the US will loose to Panama having gotten a good scare in the last round of qualifiers before the Hex (Ching scored to equalize late in that game).  While I am saying that I am realistic about us going to Mexico and getting a victory, a draw will be hard as it is.

[real madness]

USA played very good against Costa Rica.  Nothing is 100% guaranteed but I think they will beat Panama.  As for Costa Rica, they played well in spurts (Kasey Keller prevented 2 sure goals) but gave up after the second goal.  We can definitely beat dem.

[Lower St. John]

Scenario 1 is still a possibility with us being only one point out of third position.  But if Scenario 2 is the preferred option with Guatemala winning tonight and being on 7 points having to come and play us at home being three points behind them starting the second round.

We pretty much are in a position to control our drive for Germany at the start of the second round.  Full points against Panama was the key.  Most important we need to take care of our business.

Onward Warriors.