So am I...
Costa Rica just hasn't looked anything like the team they had in 2002. Thank goodneess both Poland and Ecuador have been unconvincing as well...
The US won't get through in such a hard group playing like they have since the beginning of march.
Mexico as usual is still our flagship, and whereas they're going to have to try very hard if they don't come out of the group they have, I still fill they need to at least get to the quarterfinals to justify their WC seeding (even if I DO believe it was justified)
Trinidad's group is hard enough as it is without us being such a small country and a first timer.
Its easy to understand why the US and Mexico are listed so high: Seven good results in a year in competetive matches are all you need, and there's no counting if its a B team you play or not, once its listed as an official fifa game.
-Mex beats Brazil during the confederation cup
- the US and Mex both get one by beating each other once during a WC qualifier.
- Both beat Costa Rica at home they get another (CR = top 25-30 team)
- In the gold cup, the US gets another go at CR, Mex gets a guest team like Colombia, South Korea or Brazil B (or the contrary)
- Mexico can beat CR away, the US has a harder time doing so
Mexico gets a friendly with a team like ecuador, paraguay, uruguay or colombia (top 25-top 40) that they can definitely beat at home and on neutral territory, draw at home. The team usually plays the us in the us as well.
-In the buildup to the world cup cup, Mexico can draw with a team like argentina, or beat a team like japan, USA can draw with a team like denmark and beat a team like japan
- Assuming 2006 goes like 2002, if Mex beats or draws Portugal that's another. Same goes for the US against Czech or ITaly
There you have it. number 4 and number 5 in the World. Doesn't necessarily mean you're the 4th strongest team in the world, just that you have the 4th strongest 7 results in the year as calculated by the table. Basically, any team that has a strong world cup can break into the top 20
(we're assuming if they qualified they did well to get there as well) and into the top 10 if their choice of opponents is decent)
People shouldn't take the ranking so seriously
