Belize-148th (22nd North America)
Grenada-118th (16th North America)
Guatemala-113th (13th North America)
St.Vincent/Grenadines-158th (25th North America)
Schedule
September 2, 2011
- Belize at Grenada
- St.Vincent/Grenadines at Guatemala
- Grenada at St.Vincent/Grenadines
- Guatemala at Belize
- Grenada at Belize
- Guatemala at St.Vincent/Grenadines
- St.Vincent/Grenadines at Grenada
- Belize/Guatemala
- Grenada at Guatemala
- St.Vincent/Grenadines at Belize
- Guatemala at Grenada
- Belize at St.Vincent/Grenadines
Belize
- 2011 to date: 2-2-1
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 1-2-1
- vs. Group opponents: 0-4-2
- 2011 to date: 0-5-2
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 1-1-1
- vs. Group opponents: 5-6-6
- 2011 to date: 2-5-2
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 3-3-2
- vs. Group opponents: 6-0-2
- 2011 to date: 0-0-1
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 0-2-0
- vs. Group opponents: 5-6-6
Belize
The highest ranked team in Round 1, they've leapt from 26th to 22nd in CONCACAF on the strength of 2 victories against Montserrat. Of all of the lowest-seeded teams, comprised primarily of Round 1 winners, Belize has the best shot at possibly advancing to Round 3. Part of that is calibre of team they are able to put on the field but they're also going to benefit from having a very weak group. Despite being the lowest seed, Belize is actually currently ranked 3rd in the group and the top-seed Grenada hasn't won a competitive game all year. Belize has been given a group in which they can make noise in if they so choose. Belize's team is formed primarily of domestic players and they will rely heavily on 5 players who play in the strong Honduran leagu, including goalkeeper Shane Moody-Orio and forward Deon McCaulay who scored 4 goals in their 2-leg Round 1 matchup with Montserrat. Those Honduran-based players form the core of Belize's team and if they are on their game, Belize will have a legitimate chance of advancing from this group. Last game that Belize played against a group opponent was a friendly against Guatemala in 2010, which they lost 4-2.
Grenada
Easily, the worst top seed in Round 2, Grenada is in my opinion not even the primary challenger for the top spot. I believe they firmly rest third in a pecking order in this group behind Guatemala and Belize. Grenada is winless on the year and in their last 10 matches dating back to 2010. Most recently they competed at the 2011 Gold Cup where they posted losses to Jamaica, Honduras and groupmate Guatemala, allowing a combined 15 goals in the process. I've said before that momentum matters in international soccer and this is a perfect example of a team that is caught in a downward spiral. One saving grace for Grenada is that they won't have to deal with Guatemala until November, so that's hopefully enough time to pick up some wins and erase the memory of a 4-0 loss in June to exit the Gold Cup.
Guatemala
No less then 3 coaches of top-seeded Round 2 teams said ahead of the preliminary draw that the one team they wanted to avoid at this stage was Guatemala, and with reason. Amongst their records this year: wins against Grenada, draws against Honduras and Bolivia, a narrow loss to Mexico (Guatemala led at halftime). It's especially true that this group would have wanted to avoid Guatemala. None of their group opponents have ever defeated Guatemala. While they are the favourite in the group, they will have a tough task ahead of them; Belize played well in Round 1 and has competed with Guatemala before and there's no telling when the lightswitch might go on again for Grenada. Between those two opponents, Guatemala will still need to be at their best if they hope to return to Round 3 as they did last campaign.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
St.Vincent have the honour of both the longest name of a nation participating in the World Cup as well as the most name variations which I write out depending on my mood and how much space I have to work with. Saint Vincent is a team outside the bottom echelon in CONCACAF but not one who is a going to really challenge to take the group. It's unfortunate that they haven't been able to string together some positive results and have fallen so far down in the continental rankings (they were 13th in CONCACAF last qualifying campaign). I wouldn't rule them out entirely though; in a pair of friendlies with "top-seeded" Grenada last year they posted a 1-0 loss and a 0-0 draw. If they can repeat that performance then thye might have a shot. We'll know a lot more about the form they're in after Sunday as they play a pair of friendlies tomorrow and Sunday against Antigua/Barbuda (ranked 11th in CONCACAF).
September Games:
Game 1
Belize at Grenada
September 2, 2011
Time: 3:30 pm EDT
Location: Grenada National Stadium, St. George's, Grenada
Game 2
St.Vincent/Grenadines at Guatemala
September 2, 2011
Time: 10:00 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Game 3
Grenada at St.Vincent/Grenadines
September 6, 2011
Time: 3:00 pm EDT
Location: Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, St.Vincent/Grenadines
Game 4
Guatemala at Belize
September 6, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm EDT
Location: FFB Field, Belmopan, Belize
Group 5 is very intriguing because I'm not sure exactly where each team stands right now relative to each other. I wouldn't be surprised to see some timid play to open the group and probably a fair number of draws throughout the course of the campaign. Belize/Grenada in Game 1 is a tossup. I expect Guatemala to win Game 2. Grenada should win Game 3 but nothing they've done this year makes me convinced they will and Game 4 is again a tossup. It's going to be fun to watch, simply because there is no overwhelming top seed like we've seen in most of the other CONCACAF groups so far.
Post-September Standing Predictions:
Guatemala-4 pts
Belize-4 pts
Grenada-3 pts
St.Vincent/Grenadines-0 pts
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