September Review: North America-Group 1

Standings



Game Results

Game 1-Suriname def. Cayman Islands 1-0 in Paramaribo, Suriname on September 2, 2011

• Suriname Goals-Friso Mando (11')

Not the start Suriname was looking for but they'll take a victory. Narrowly beating Cayman Islands is not a good omen for them though. I dubbed them the only team capable of topping El Salvador in this group and 1-0 victories over Cayman Islands aren't going to instill any fear in the Salvadoran team.

Game 2-El Salvador def. Dominican Republic 3-2 in San Salvador, El Salvador on September 2, 2011

• El Salvador Goals-Rodolfo Zelaya (54',77'), Christian Bautista (63')
• Dominican Republic Goals-Johan Cruz (66'), Domingo Peralta (89')

Impressive fight shown by the Dominican Republic. Rather then folding after surrendering the first goal by Zelaya they crawled back and managed a pair of goals to keep the scoreline at 1 despite being down to 10 men for most of the second half. Surely has to be a wake-up call for El Salvador who looked sluggish for much of the match and were at risk of giving away the victory to the worst team in the group.

Game 3-Suriname tied Dominican Republic 1-1 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic on September 6, 2011

• Suriname Goals-Friso Mando (25')
• Dominican Republic Goals-Erick Ozuna (68')

I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that Suriname isn't necessarily playing down to their opponents; they just aren't that good. Another quick lead was grabbed courtesy of a Friso Mando penalty kick but Suriname could do nothing to pad their lead and relentless pressure by the Dominican Republic led to an inevitable equalizing goal. Now 2 points back of El Salvador in the group, Suriname has a tough road to climb to advance to Round 3.

Game 4-El Salvador def. Cayman Islands 4-1 in George Town, Cayman Islands on September 6, 2011

• El Salvador Goals-Christian Bautista (49'), Luis Anaya (62',80'), Xavier Garcia (90+3')
• Cayman Islands Goals-Mark Ebanks (73')

This is more what you would expect to see from El Salvador in a group like this. Like in their first game, they posted no first half goals as they tested out their opponent but the goals came pouring in in the second half as they cruised to a 4-1 victory. Scoring primarily in the second half is not a bad habit to have but what was better about this game for El Salvador is that they slammed the door shut on their opponent, unlike in their first game where they allowed the Dominican Republic to hang around.

Thoughts

Cayman Islands-Not exactly a surprise that they find themselves at the bottom of the group. Suriname and El Salvador are clearly ahead of them in talent and coaching. They'll finish up qualifying with a pair of games against a more suitable opponent in the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately for the Caymans, those games will probably be meaningless if they don't pick up some wins in October.

Dominican Republic-I'm impressed with their play even they're only one point. This isn't the same Dominican team we've seen in years past. They're focused and are willing to play aggressive football which is nice to see; most overmatched teams have a tendency to sit back and let the opponent come to them. This team is showing no fear and it makes for some exciting games. All that said, they're still in the same boat as Cayman Islands. They need points and quickly if they want to advance.

El Salvador-Shaky first game but much better showing in the second. Some first half scoring to take the pressure would be helpful but I don't think the coaching staff will be upset with 7 goals in 2 games. If they continue on this path then advancement should be easily attainable.

Suriname-Like I said earlier, I'm not yet sure if they're playing beneath their capabilities or I'm overrating them. It's probably a bit of both. Regardless, they absolutely have to make sure they can pick up a pair of wins in October before facing El Salvador in November. Being down 2 points going in to that series is acceptable. Being down 4 (or more) points would be crippling for Suriname.

Going Forward

Four group games for CONCACAF in October as opposed to 2 for Asia. On the 7th, El Salvador travels to Dominican Republic while Suriname visits Cayman Islands. On the 11th, Cayman Islands goes to El Salvador while Dominican Republic is at Suriname.

I felt both El Salvador and Suriname would win both games in September and the same is true for these games setting up a decisive series in November. Both Cayman Islands and Dominican Republic will be eliminated on the 7th if BOTH TEAMS LOSE.

Post-September Standing Predictions Revisited:

Prediction:

El Salvador-6 pts
Suriname-6 pts
Cayman Islands-0 pts
Dominican Republic-0 pts

Actual:

El Salvador-6 pts
Suriname-4 pts
Dominican Republic-1 pts
Cayman Islands-0 pts

Ruined by the Suriname-DR tie. I can assure you though that game is more upsetting for Suriname then for me.