2010 World Cup Qualifying

The Game Room
#1

Suppose I should have started this a bit sooner, but there are a lot of interesting matches coming up over the next week. Feel free to comment on any games that interest you.
This weekend, 28-29 March 2009, we have the following games on tap:

**AFC (Asia)
**
North Korea vs United Arab Emirates in Pyongyang
Uzbekistan vs Qatar in Tashkent
Iran vs Saudi Arabia in Tehran
Japan vs Bahrain in Saitama

Asia is in their fourth and final round. The top two teams from eachof two groups of five qualify; the team with the third place team from each group playing off against each other to earn another playoff versus Oceania rep New Zealand. Australia, Japan, and the Koreas are currently in front, but Iran are just one back of North Korea going into their match in Tehran.

CAF (Africa)

Final round starts with five groups of four countries. Each of the five group winners book a spot in the Finals. 2nd place gets you nothing. Group favorites are Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire, but it seems that we always get one or two upsets out of Africa. As host nation the Republic of South Africa get an automatic berth.

28 March
Rwanda vs Algeria in Kigali
Togo vs Cameroon in Accra
Kenya vs Tunisia in Nairobi
Burkina Faso vs Guinea in Ouagadougou
Morocco vs Gabon in Casablanca
Sudan vs Mali in Omdurman

29 March
Mozambique vs Nigeria in Maputo
Ghana vs Benin in Kumasi
Côte d’Ivoire vs Malawi in Abidjan
Egypt vs Zambia in Cairo

**
CONCACAF (North and Central America)**

El Salvador vs USA in San Salvador
Mexico vs Costa Rica in Mexico City
Trinidad and Tobago vs Honduras in Port au Spain

This is the second game of ten for each of the six teams in the Hex. The top three qualify for South Africa. The fourth place finisher plays against the fifth place team out of South America.

CONMEBOL (South America)

Uruguay vs Paraguay in Montevideo
Ecuador vs Brazil in Quito
Argentina vs Venezuela in Buenos Aires
Colombia vs Bolivia in Bogota
Peru vs Chile in Lima

Current table:

Paraguya 23 points
Brasil 17
Argentina 16
Chile 16
Uruguay 13
Ecuador 12
Colombia 11
Venezuela 10
Bolivia 9
Peru 7

Each team has already played 10 matches of 18. Each plays the other home and away. The South American FA hosts a really large round robin with the top four teams qualifying and a fifth in a playoff against the fourth place CONCACAF team.
Oceania

Winner New Zealand awaits a playoff against the fifth place Asian country.

[Will continue with UEFA in a separate post]

#2

UEFA (Europe)

The 53 national teams were split into eight groups of six teams and one group of five. The group winners receive an automatic berth in the Finals, then the eight best second place teams play a home and way series for the final four spots.

This weekend:

Wales vs Finland in Cardiff
Luxembourg vs Latvia in Luxembourg
Russia vs Azerbaijan in Moscow
Northern Ireland vs Poland in Belfast
Moldova vs Switzerland in Chisinau
Ireland vs Bulgaria in Dublin
Malta vs Denmark in Ta’Qali
Germany vs Liechtenstein in Leipzig
Armenia vs Estonia in Yerevan
Cyprus vs Georgia in Larnaca
Albania vs Hungary in Tirana
Portugal vs Sweden in Porto
Slovenia vs Czech Republic in Maribor
Belgium vs Bosnia-Herzegovina in Genk
Romania vs Serbia in Constanta
Montenegro vs Italy in Podgorica
Netherlands vs Scotland in Amsterdam
Israel vs Greece in Ramat Gan
Lithuania vs France in Kaunas
Spain vs Turkey in Madrid

Denmark, Greece, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and Netherlands are atop their respective groups, but it’s too early to tell much other than I don’t think Faroe Islands will go through.

#3

Brad Guzan, the keeper for the USA since Howard is suspended, and I played youth soccer together. Our parents live about a mile apart. I’ll be interested in that game a bit more than I usually am. I don’t think the US will have any trouble at all in qualifying.

#4

Just a side note that, once again, the United States shows how clueless it is when it comes to how soccer should be done. On a night when the national side is playing an important qualifier, our top domestic league is also playing, not only forcing those clubs to proceed without their top players, but forcing fans to choose between going to the team they root for, or staying home and supporting the national side in its efforts on the telly. :rolleyes:

#5

Are any of these games available online somewhere? I only have basic cable and I’m in the states, so I don’t think they’ll show them. My only hope is the Spanish channels. :frowning:

#6

If you get ESPN Deportes, US programing will show Uruguay/Paraguay qualifier.

Programación por ESPN Deportes

Mexico’s programing carries the England friendly plus the Germany, Italy and Holland qualies just in case you’re interested and have access to a sportsbar that gets it.

#7

I’m watching Slovenia v Czech Republic right now. I have almost basic cable but pay out a couple of extra bucks to get Fox Soccer Channel, which also gets me Gol TV and a lot of games on Galavision.

If you’re in the USA and care about the US MNT then that game is on tonight on ESPN 2. It’s a pretty late game and MLS is in the most early part of it’s season so to me it’s a no brainer which to watch – and I don’t care much about MLS since they jacked over our city.

#8

**AFC (Asia)
**
**North Korea **2:0 UAE
Uzbekistan 4:0 Qatar
Iran 1:2 **Saudi Arabia **
Japan 1:0 Bahrain

Pretty big upset for KSA in Tehran.

#9

CAF (Africa)
28 March

Rwanda 0:0 Algeria
Togo 1:0 Cameroon
Kenya 1:2 Tunisia
Burkina Faso 4:2 Guinea
Sudan 1:1 Mali

Morocco vs Gabon in Casablanca - can’t find a result on this yet.

#10

Please. MLS has a lot more scheduling issues forced upon them than leagues in other countries do. You can save your roll eyes when all MLS teams play in their own stadiums, midweek games aren’t attendance-killers, and we live in a country with weather patterns that allow for a European-like 10 month season.

Go Quakes! Go USA!

-Piker

#11

CAF (Africa)
28 March

Rwanda 0:0 Algeria
Togo 1:0 Cameroon
Kenya 1:2 Tunisia
Burkina Faso 4:2 Guinea
Sudan 1:1 Mali

Morocco 0:2 Gabon at the half in Morocco

#12

CAF (Africa)
28 March

Rwanda 0:0 Algeria
Togo 1:0 Cameroon
Kenya 1:2 Tunisia
Burkina Faso 4:2 Guinea
Sudan 1:1 Mali
Morocco 1:2 Gabon

Morocco gets one back but fail to get any points at home.

#13

UEFA (Europe)

Wales 0:2 Finland
Luxembourg 0:4 Latvia
Russia 2:0 Azerbaijan
**Northern Ireland ** 3:2 Poland
Moldova 0:2 Switzerland
Ireland 1:1 Bulgaria
Malta 0:3 Denmark
Germany 4:0 Liechtenstein
Armenia 2:2 Estonia
Cyprus 2:1 Georgia
Albania 0:1 Hungary
Portugal 0:0 Sweden
Slovenia 0:0 Czech Republic
Belgium 2:4 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Romania 2:3 Serbia
Montenegro 0:2 Italy
Netherlands 3:0 Scotland
Israel 1:1 Greece
Lithuania 0:1 France
Spain 1:0 Turkey

#14

You mean like they have in countries like Russia, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Byelorus, Ukraine, etc? :rolleyes:

MLS could easily give up the dates that the men’s national team is playing. Yes, they might have to schedule a few midweek games to cover, but it’s a matter of getting it right, rather than continuing to assert that we somehow can do soccer differently than everywhere else in the world and it won’t have any effect upon the game. In other words, taking a small hit now will help build a bigger audience down the road.

#15

Back to the thread:

I watched the second half of Iran v. Saudi Arabia. It was funny, because the color commentator mentioned shortly after the Iranian goal that the Iranian team has a tendency to go into a shell after scoring. Wasn’t that long after that that the KSA scored the first goal.

#16

Ugh, do we look UGLY tonight. As if holding the ball at the back is sufficient to win games. Lousy passing, no willingness to pressure the ball when the other team has it. Beautiful play by El Salvador for their goal. If we don’t wake up, we’s a gonna be losers… :frowning:

#17

I’m thorn.

I’m a US citizen, but also a Salvadorean. (El Salvador decided that even if you become a citizen of another country you remain a Salvadoran by birth, so I have dual citizenship)

The USA is supposed to be ranked 17th in the world, El Salvador is currently 107!

A big upset if the score remains.

#18

GOOOOOOOOL!!!
:eek:

[Spoiler]El Salvador 2 - USA 0!,

15 minutes to go…[/spoiler]

#19

**Open spoiler **as I just noticed a spoiler is not needed

USA just scored!

USA 1 - El Salvador 2
7 minutes remain…

#20

Wow, the USA just managed to tie the game,

Final score 2-2

The USA just managed to get one point out of this.