Qualifying Recap: NORTH AMERICA

RUNDOWN

Teams Entered in Qualfiying: 35
Spots Allocated by FIFA: 3.5
Number of Rounds: 4 + Intercontinental Playoff
Number of Matches Played: 144*
Goals Scored: 441
Top Goal-Scorer: 11 Goals; Deon McCaulay (BLZ)

North American Countries Previously in Cup Finals: 10
Most Appearances: Mexico (15)
Best Finish: Third Place (USA, 1930)

*-Includes matches later forfeited

INTRODUCTION

 North American qualifying consisted of 35 teams competing in 4 rounds as well as an intercontinental playoff. The 35 teams were seeded prior to Round 1. Seeds 1-6 received byes directly to Round 3. Seeds 7-25 were placed in Round 2, while seeds 26-35 participated in Round 1. The 10 Round 1 participants were drawn against an opponent in a 2-leg aggregate playoff, with the winners advancing to Round 2. The 5 winners, joined the 19 teams placed in Round 2, and were drawn in to 6 groups of 4. Winners of each group would advance to Round 3.

The 12 remaining teams in Round 3 again played in groups of 4, with the top 2 teams in each group advancing to Round 4. Round 4 consisted of a single group of the remaining 6 teams. The top 3 finishers in this group would qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth place team would advance to an intercontinental playoff against Oceania.

ROUND 1 (June-July 2011)

The 10 teams in this round were drawn against an opponent based on seed assigned to them prior to the round (Seed 26 vs. 35, 27 vs. 34, etc.) Teams played a 2-leg playoff against their opponent, with aggregate score determining the winner.

Pairings

Belize 8-3 Montserrat (5-2, 3-1)

Far more complicated then a match between these 2 nations ever should have been. The playoff was always Belize's to win, but that this ever got completed is a small miracle. The first leg was to be played in Montserrat, however no stadium on the island met FIFA's minimum criteria for hosting a match, and was subsequently moved to Trinidad & Tobago. With a return leg schedule for 4 days later, FIFA promptly suspended Belize's football federation for governmental interference. A drawn-out battle ensued, and days before an imposed deadline by FIFA to have the issue resolved, Belize was reinstated on the condition the second leg be played outside of Belize. Leg 2 went off in Honduras, creating the bizarre scenario of a 2-leg competitive playoff played entirely outside either team's borders.

Dominican Republic 6-0 Anguilla (4-0, 2-0)

A recurring theme in this region, Anguilla has no stadium suitable to host World Cup qualifiers, and elected to play both legs in the Dominican Republic. One of the worst teams in the world, with just 2 career wins against FIFA members, Anguilla posed little threat to the Dominicans. This was the 3rd straight qualifying campaign where Anguilla failed to score a goal.

British Virgin Islands 1-4 U.S. Virgin Islands (0-2, 1-2)

A regional derby of sorts, these 2 teams know each other better then most in the Caribbean, having played several times in the years leading up to this playoff. U.S. Virgin Islands were somewhat of a surprise winner, as they had never beaten British Virgin Islands before. These 2 wins represented just their 2nd and 3rd career wins against FIFA opponents.

Saint Lucia 6-6 Aruba (2-4, 4-2; Saint Lucia won 5-4 on penalty kicks)

An entertaining back-and-forth matchup with 10 lead changes over the course of the 2 games leading to a 6-6 draw on aggregate. Extra time proved uneventful leading to the first of 2 penalty shootouts worldwide in qualifying (the other taking place in Asian Round 5). The first 9 shooters all found the back of the net, but Aruban forward Jelano Cruden was unable to convert his attempt, sending Saint Lucia thru to Round 2 at home.

Bahamas 10-0 Turks and Caicos Islands (4-0, 6-0)

A writeoff on the field, this pairing made more news when Bahamas pulled out of Round 2, mere weeks before it was to begin. I covered this in-depth here but it is still one of the most frustrating things about qualifying in my opinion. Bahamas exited qualifying believing the costs were too great relative to their chances of qualifying.

It's the Bahamas, of course you aren't going to qualify, but you aren't going to improve your program if your players don't see you as caring enough to give them an opportunity to play. Further, this was a decision that could have been made long before you blew out Turks and Caicos. It even could have been made immediately after. Because the decision was delayed so long though, FIFA had no option to insert a replacement for Bahamas, making one Round 2 group 3 teams instead of 4.

ROUND 2 (September-November 2011)

The 5 winners in Round 1 joined seeds 7-25 in this round. Teams were drawn in to six groups of 4 teams, with each group playing a double round-robin. Group winners would advance to Round 3.

Group 1

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
El Salvador	6	0	0	20	5	15	18
Dominican Republic	2	2	2	12	8	4	8
Suriname	2	3	1	5	11	-6	7
Cayman Islands	0	5	1	2	15	-13	1

A dip in performance after 2010 qualifying dropped El Salvador from the top seeds and forcing them to play in Round 2. This was unfortunate for everyone else in the group as El Salvador had reached the final qualifying group in 2010 and was one of the 2-3 strongest teams in Latin America at the time. Dominican Republic put up a fight, having lost both their games against El Salvador by just 1 goal, but no one else could get within 2 in any game with El Salvador and they comfortably moved on the Round 3.

Full Results

Suriname 1-0 Cayman Islands
El Salvador 3-2 Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic 1-1 Suriname
Cayman Islands 1-4 El Salvador
Dominican Republic 1-2 El Salvador
Cayman Islands 0-1 Suriname
Suriname 1-3 Dominican Republic
El Salvador 4-0 Cayman Islands
Dominican Republic 4-0 Cayman Islands
Suriname 1-3 El Salvador
Cayman Islands 1-1 Dominican Republic
El Salvador 4-0 Suriname

Group 2

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Guyana	4	1	1	9	6	3	13
Trinidad & Tobago	4	2	0	12	4	8	12
Bermuda	3	2	1	8	7	1	10
Barbados	0	6	0	2	14	-12	0

Trinidad entered as the top seed, and like El Salvador, were featuring in this round despite having reached the final round of qualifying in 2010. It was hardly the same story for them though. After an anticipated 2 wins to start qualifying, they lost a shocker to Bermuda, the lowest seed in the group. They entered their final 2 games, both against Guyana, trailing by a point an unable to afford a loss in either game though. Guyana though, a surprise group leader themselves opened the scoring early in the first leg, and doubled their lead with 10 minutes to play. English Premier League striker and captain Kenwyne Jones managed to get one back but it was not enough, and Guyana clinched the group with a game to spare.

Full Results

Trinidad/Tobago 1-0 Bermuda
Guyana 2-0 Barbados
Barbados 0-2 Trinidad/Tobago
Guyana 2-1 Bermuda
Barbados 0-2 Guyana
Bermuda 2-1 Trinidad/Tobago
Trinidad/Tobago 4-0 Barbados
Bermuda 1-1 Guyana
Bermuda 2-1 Barbados
Guyana 2-1 Trinidad/Tobago
Barbados 1-2 Bermuda
Trinidad/Tobago 3-0 Guyana (Originally ended 2-0, Trinidad was awarded a 3-0 victory as Guyana fielded an ineligible player. This had no meaningful impact on the group.)

Group 3

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Panama	4	0	0	15	2	13	12
Nicaragua	2	2	0	5	7	-2	6
Dominica	0	4	0	0	11	-11	0

Converted to a 3-team group when Bahamas exited, Panama's performance served notice to the rest of CONCACAF that they were a force to be reckoned with, a la Belgium's and Jordan's performances in other continents. Panama bulldozed through this group, averaging approx. 4 goals a game and never trailing in any game. Likely would have attained a perfect record even if Bahamas had remained in the competition.

Full Results

Dominica 0-2 Nicaragua
Nicaragua 1-2 Panama
Dominica 0-5 Panama
Panama 5-1 Nicaragua
Nicaragua 1-0 Dominica
Panama 3-0 Dominica

Group 4

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Canada	4	0	2	18	1	17	14
Puerto Rico	2	1	3	8	4	4	9
Saint Kitts and Nevis	1	1	4	6	8	-2	7
Saint Lucia	0	5	1	4	23	-19	1

A string of blowout wins, combined with some inexplicable scoreless draws made Canada's inevitable victory in the group a bizarre exposition of everything wrong with Canadian soccer. How a nation like Canada can go over 200 minutes without a goal at this stage of CONCACAF qualifying baffles and highlighted an issue that would come back to haunt Canada at later stages.

Full Results

Canada 4-1 Saint Lucia
Saint Kitts/Nevis 0-0 Puerto Rico
Saint Lucia 2-4 Saint Kitts/Nevis
Puerto Rico 0-3 Canada
Saint Lucia 0-7 Canada*
Puerto Rico 1-1 Saint Kitts/Nevis
Canada 0-0 Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts/Nevis 1-1 Saint Lucia
Saint Kitts/Nevis 0-0 Canada
Saint Lucia 0-4 Puerto Rico*
Puerto Rico 3-0 Saint Lucia
Canada 4-0 Saint Kitts/Nevis

*-FIFA 'awarded' both of these games as Saint Lucia had fielded an ineligible player. Awarded games are typically scored as 3-0. As both Canada and Puerto Rico had won by larger margins, FIFA kept the original scores intact.

Group 5

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Guatemala	6	0	0	19	3	16	18
Belize	2	3	1	9	10	-1	7
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	1	3	2	4	12	-8	5
Grenada	1	4	1	7	14	-7	4

A microcosm of the parity that exists in North America. Top-seeded Grenada at the bottom of the table and Belize in second, having gotten here through a Round 1 playoff. Over the last decade, the only truly consistent team in the group showed their class and experience and swept the group for a perfect record. A weak group of course helps. Until the last match, no team other then Guatemala had more then 1 win to their name.

Full Results

Grenada 0-3 Belize
Guatemala 4-0 Saint Vincent/Grenadines
Belize 1-2 Guatemala
Saint Vincent/Grenadines 2-1 Grenada
Saint Vincent/Grenadines 0-3 Guatemala
Belize 1-4 Grenada
Guatemala 3-1 Belize
Grenada 1-1 Saint Vincent/Grenadines
Belize 1-1 Saint Vincent/Grenadines
Guatemala 3-0 Grenada
Grenada 1-4 Guatemala
Saint Vincent/Grenadines 0-2 Belize

Group 6

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Antigua & Barbuda	5	1	0	28	5	23	15
Haiti	4	1	1	21	6	15	13
Curacao	2	3	1	15	15	0	7
U.S. Virgin Islands	0	6	0	2	40	-38	0

Following more closely to the expected script, this group came down to 2 teams, seeded 12th and 13th going in to the round. Having walked through the first half of the group, Haiti and Antigua/Barbuda appeared destined for their own 2-leg playoff at the end to determine the winner. Haiti was the first to stumble though, giving up 2 goals in the first 15 minutes of a home match against Curacao. They were able to pull back on even footing but no further and the draw sent them in to their 2 games with Antigua down 2 points.

Expected to be an offensive showcase, with both teams having scored 45 goals in 8 games so far, the first leg was a letdown, with neither side able to gain momentum until the waning minutes. Kerry Skepple, just substituted got free and buried a strike of the hands of the Haitian goalkeeper and in to give Antigua a 1-0 win and the group. Haiti won the return leg but was too far behind in points to matter. The group win marked the furthest Antigua/Barbuda has ever progressed in World Cup qualifying.

Full Results

Haiti 6-0 US Virgin Islands
Antigua/Barbuda 5-2 Curacao
US Virgin Islands 1-8 Antigua/Barbuda
Curacao 2-4 Haiti
US Virgin Islands 0-7 Haiti
Curacao 0-3 Antigua/Barbuda (Originally a 1-0 Antigua win. FIFA awarded a 3-0 victory as Curacao fielded an ineligible player.)
Haiti 2-2 Curacao
Antigua/Barbuda 10-0 US Virgin Islands
US Virgin Islands 0-3 Curacao
Antigua/Barbuda 1-0 Haiti
Haiti 2-1 Antigua/Barbuda
Curacao 6-1 US Virgin Islands

ROUND 3 (June-October 2012)


The 6 group winners from Round 2, joined the top 6 seeds in North America and were divided in to 3 groups of 4 teams, playing a double round-robin. The top 2 teams in each group would advance to Round 4.

Group 1

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
USA	4	1	1	11	6	5	13
Jamaica	3	2	1	9	6	3	10
Guatemala	3	2	1	9	8	1	10
Antigua & Barbuda	0	5	1	4	13	-9	1

An adventure for US coach Jurgen Klinsmann in his first real competition as US coach. Things started well with a 3-1 home victory against Antigua, but a Guatemala tie and a loss in Jamaica had a lot of US fans asking questions of their team, tied for second at the time. Things turned around just in time though, as they won the return leg against Jamaica and pulled out wins in the last 2 games to top the group. Expected result but concerning the difficulty faced in getting there.

Despite the US struggles, it would be a huge shock if they did not advance, so the group became a battle of Guatemala and Jamaica for the other spot. The 2 teams traded a pair of 2-1 home victories in their head-to-head meetings and went in to the final day of games with Guatemala up 3 points. With the final games played at the same times, it was a matter of scoreboard watching. At halftime of their respective games, Guatemala trailed the US 3-1 and Jamaica held a 2-0 lead over Antigua. An Antigua goal in the 61st minute put the teams even on goal differential, but with Guatemala holding the next tiebreak in goals for if everything could remain as is. Jamaica's Dane Richards wouldn't have that though, as he tallied for Jamaica twice in the last 15 minutes, sending them through to Round 4 on the goal differential tiebreaker.

Full Results

USA 3-1 Antigua/Barbuda
Jamaica 2-1 Guatemala
Antigua/Barbuda 0-0 Jamaica
Guatemala 1-1 USA
Jamaica 2-1 USA
Guatemala 3-1 Antigua/Barbuda
Antigua/Barbuda 0-1 Guatemala
USA 1-0 Jamaica
Antigua/Barbuda 1-2 USA
Guatemala 2-1 Jamaica
Jamaica 4-1 Antigua/Barbuda
USA 3-1 Guatemala

Group 2

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Mexico	6	0	0	15	2	13	18
Costa Rica	3	2	1	14	5	9	10
El Salvador	1	3	2	8	11	-3	5
Guyana	0	5	1	5	24	-19	1

It was this stage in 2010 qualifying that gave Mexico fits and left them a mere 3 goals in differential away from failing to advance to the last round of qualifying. The rest of the group was hoping for a repeat of that performance, but instead got the Mexico the rest of CONCACAF fears playing. At no point in their 6 games did Mexico ever trail an opponent and while they left their goals late in a few matches, this was a clinic put on by the Mexican team who essentially walked in to Round 4.

Of the 3 groups in this round, this was the toughest on pair. Half of the Round 4 teams from 2010 were placed in this group, leaving 1 of Costa Rica and El Salvador on the outside looking in. The deciding match came on the second last match day, with El Salvador home to Costa Rica and holding a 1-point lead for second place. Seemingly in the driver's seat, El Salvador could not get the job done. Jose Miguel Cubero scored midway through the first half, and Costa Rica held on to get the victory and eventual second-place in the group. Frustrations were evident for El Salvador, who received a pair of straight red cards in the dying minutes.

Full Results

Mexico 3-1 Guyana
Costa Rica 2-2 El Salvador
Guyana 0-4 Costa Rica
El Salvador 1-2 Mexico
El Salvador 2-2 Guyana
Costa Rica 0-2 Mexico
Guyana 2-3 El Salvador
Mexico 1-0 Costa Rica
Guyana 0-5 Mexico
El Salvador 0-1 Costa Rica
Costa Rica 7-0 Guyana
Mexico 2-0 El Salvador

Group 3

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
Honduras	3	1	2	12	3	9	11
Panama	3	1	2	6	2	4	11
Canada	3	2	1	6	10	-4	10
Cuba	0	5	1	1	10	-9	1

The most intriguing group with 3 legitimate contenders for first place that wasn't decided until the last day of qualifying. Panama continued their run that started in Round 2 by opening with a road victory against a Honduras. A home draw with Panama and a split with Canada gave them 10 points and a +4 goal differential going in to the final day. Canada also found themselves on 10 points having knocked off Cuba twice and tied Honduras, leaving them with a +3 goal differential. Honduras, with 2 wins and 2 draws to their credit was behind on 8 points with a +2 goal differential.

Rare in groups like this with two advancing teams, none of the 3 had clinched a spot in Round 4. Panama would only be eliminated with a loss and a Honduras win, and even then, only if Canada had a better goal differential. For Canada, they entered knowing a draw would get them through, and with Panama facing last-ranked Cuba, they could not rely on losing and goal difference. For Honduras, it was win or you're out.

Panama struggled in Cuba. Pointless in 5 games, the Cubans came out firing and picked up their lone goal of the competition late in the first half. If the result held, Panama would need help to get through. Honduras were happy to oblige them. In a stunning blowout, Honduras overwhelmed the Canada defence from the start, on their way to an 8-1 victory and leading to the firing of long-time Canada coach Stephen Hart. Panama's place was secure, a fact they confirmed by tying Cuba late to get through on their own accord.

Full Results

Cuba 0-1 Canada
Honduras 0-2 Panama
Canada 0-0 Honduras
Panama 1-0 Cuba
Cuba 0-3 Honduras
Canada 1-0 Panama
Panama 2-0 Canada
Honduras 1-0 Cuba
Canada 3-0 Cuba
Panama 0-0 Honduras
Cuba 1-1 Panama
Honduras 8-1 Canada

ROUND 4 (February-October 2013)


The 6 teams that advanced from Round 3 were placed in a single group, known as the Hexagonal or "Hex". The group played a double round-robin, and the top 3 teams qualified directly for the World Cup. The 4th-place team would advance to an intercontinental playoff against the winner in Oceania qualifying.

Team	W	L	T	GF	GA	+/-	Points
USA	7	2	1	15	8	7	22
Costa Rica	5	2	3	13	7	6	18
Honduras	4	3	3	13	12	1	15
Mexico	2	3	5	7	9	-2	11
Panama	1	4	5	10	14	-4	8
Jamaica	0	5	5	5	13	-8	5

It was a reversal of fortune for the 2 North American powerhouses in Round 4. After dropping the opener against Honduras, the USA took 22 of 27 points from the remaining matches and qualified with 2 games left to play. Extra sweet for the US was qualifying on a 2-0 win over hated rival Mexico at home which spawned the Twitter hashtag #DosACero.

For Mexico, this round was a nightmare. Normally untouchable at home, the Mexicans managed just a 1-1-3 record at Estadio Azteca, and tied 5 of their first 6 matches in the group. The bad results also caused havoc in the Mexican football federation. No less then 4 different managers led the team in 2013 alone, as they tried desperately to find a winning formula.

By the time the final match day rolled around, USA and Costa Rica were qualified, and only Jamaica was not going to have a shot at Brazil. With only 1 game remaining, Honduras held a 3 point lead on fourth-place Mexico, in turn 3 points ahead of fifth-place Panama. What happened next was one of the most compelling sagas in the qualifying stages.

All 3 teams vying for qualification/playoff spots were playing at the same time, none of them against one of the other teams. Honduras, only needing a draw at Jamaica to clinch advancement saw first and second half leads disappear, but held on to a 2-2 draw, ensuring their qualification. Panama, needing a win against the U.S. and a Mexico loss, took an early lead through Gabriel Torres and led 1-0 at halftime. They were doing their part, but needed help from Costa Rica against Mexico, tied 1-1 at half.

A Costa Rica goal from Alvaro Saborio put them up 2-1, but the advantage gained for Panama was quickly wiped out by a Michael Orozco goal for the US. Then, with 10 minutes to go, Luis Tejada scored for Panama to give them a late 2-1 lead over the US. If both scorelines held, Panama would claim fourth place in the group and eliminate the favoured Mexicans. Mexico wouldn't score again, meaning Panama had control of their destiny. In a cruel twist of fate though, the US scored not once but twice in injury time, to win the game 3-2. Mexico's disastrous round of qualifying was saved only by last-second assistance from the hated Americans, who had soundly beaten them a month prior. No American fan will let Mexico forget this fact for a very long time.

Full Results

Costa Rica/Honduras (1-0, 0-1)
Costa Rica/Jamaica (2-0, 1-1)
Costa Rica/Mexico (0-0, 2-1)
Costa Rica/Panama (2-2, 2-0)
Costa Rica/USA (0-1, 3-1)
Honduras/Jamaica (2-0, 2-2)
Honduras/Mexico (2-2, 2-1)
Honduras/Panama (0-2, 2-2)
Honduras/USA (2-1, 0-1)
Jamaica/Mexico (0-0, 0-1)
Jamaica/Panama (1-1, 0-0)
Jamaica/USA (1-2, 0-2)
Mexico/Panama (0-0, 2-1)
Mexico/USA (0-0, 0-2)
Panama/USA (0-2, 2-3)

NORTH AMERICA-OCEANIA PLAYOFF (November 2013)

By finishing fourth in Round 4, Mexico advanced to an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand, who had won the Oceania qualifying tournament. The teams played a 2-leg aggregate playoff with the winner qualifying for the World Cup.

Mexico 9-3 New Zealand (5-1, 4-2)

Saved by the US a month prior, Mexico found themselves requiring a playoff in order to make an appearance in Brazil. Fortunately for Mexico, North America had been drawn against Oceania for the playoffs, and standing in their way was New Zealand, a team whose world ranking would only be good for 12th in North America. Now under the control of current manager Miguel Herrera, Mexico managed to erase some of the memories of the last round, jumping out to large early leads in both legs and knocking off the Oceanic champions with ease. Mexico qualified, just one round later then everyone might have expected.




Qualifiers

Costa Rica: 4th Finals Appearance (Last appearance in 2006). Only Round of 16 appearance in 1990. Group Stage in '02 and '06. World Ranking: 34th
Honduras: 3rd Finals Appearance (2nd consecutive). Group Stage in '82 and '10. World Ranking: 30th
Mexico: 15th Finals Appearance (6th consecutive). Quarterfinals in '70 and '86. Have advanced to Round of 16 in every tournament since 1994. World Ranking: 19th
USA: 10th Finals Appearance (7th consecutive). Third Place in 1930. Advanced to quarterfinals in '02 and Round of 16 in '10.