FIFAworldcup.com
With regional heavyweights the United States and Mexico already assured of their tickets to Germany next summer, the third and final automatic qualifying spot from the CONCACAF region is still not decided.
However, Central American giants Costa Rica look like a safe bet given they hold a five-point lead over Guatemala - their only remaining competition for third place – ahead of their next match at home against the United States on 8 October.
First into the finals following a tasty home win over Mexico on 3 September, US head coach Bruce Arena is now more concerned with experimentation than points. With Arena giving chances to younger and less experienced players, the Ticos can expect to meet a far weaker team in San Jose than the one that thumped them 3-0 back on 5 June in Salt Lake City.
That said, Costa Rica head coach Alexandre Guimaraes – who played for the country on their finals debut in Italy back in 1990 – is taking nothing for granted. He still considers his team a long way back from the region’s top two and considering his side’s inconsistency over the course of the Germany 2006 qualifying campaign, he has good reason to be pensive.
“Any team, especially a national team like ours, requires time to work,” Guimaraes said to Costa Rica's La Nación newspaper. “We need to continue growing football-wise, not only to obtain the (FIFA World Cup) ticket but to become a better team …We are not where we want to be at the moment.”
In their final match, they will have to travel to Guatemala City and the intimidating Estadio Mateo Flores – a venue where the Costa Ricans have had only spotty success in recent years. It will be their first trip back to the ground since losing 2-1 last September in the penultimate round of regional qualifying.
Guatemala debut dream lives on
Despite Costa Rica’s greater pedigree and the fact that they are looking to become four-time finalists, would-be debutants Guatemala are not ready to throw in the towel just yet. And with the added motivation of the fourth-place play-off spot making every point crucial, the Ticos will do well to beware their highly ambitious pursuers.
Up next for coach Ramon Maradiaga’s Chapines is a trip to Mexico. Though usually a daunting trek for any team in the region, Guatemalan hopes will be pinned on Mexico fielding a weakened side after having qualified already for the finals with a rout of Panama last week.
However, the fact that they could not manage to beat a decidedly under-strength US team in a similar set of circumstances at home on 7 September should mean they will probably not have their hopes too high. At least the Central Americans will pose a greater scoring threat as they welcome back top scorer Carlos Ruiz after missing the US game through suspension.
Caribbean outsiders Trinidad and Tobago were only just stripped of their outside shot at third place by their loss to Costa Rica last time out. Though they can still catch the Ticos on points, their head-to-head record of one loss and one draw will leave them out in the cold. But fourth-place still remains a possibility for the islanders who have undergone a dramatic turnaround since the arrival of new boss Leo Beenhakker. With Panama officially eliminated, the battle for fourth looks like being a tight one at the wire.
Since the Dutchman took over from Bertille St Clair back in April, T&T – who came closest to qualifying for the finals way back in 1989 – have been playing with a new level of confidence and organisation. “We must go and win our next two games against Panama and Mexico. But our fate is still in our hands and that is the most important thing for us right now,” Beenhakker said.
Led by old campaigners Dwight Yorke and the recently restored Russell Lattapy, the Soca Warriors will need all the motivation they can muster before their road trip to Panama on 8 October and the home date with Mexico on their final matchday. “We’re definitely still in with a chance. We will need to play well in our next two games but we are still very much into it,” added the 37-year-old Lattapy.
A play-off with either Bahrain or Uzbekistan awaits whichever side does end up finishing fourth – and then, perhaps, a first-ever appearance on the world’s biggest stage.
