In a clash in San José between the reigning UNCAF Nations Cup champions and the holders of the Digicel Caribbean Cup, Costa Rica take on Haiti. This matchup is a reprise of their 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ group stage fixture - a game that finished 1:1 with Walter Centeno scoring first for Costa Rica midway through the second half before Alexandre Boucicaut equalized for the Haitians ten minutes later. For Haiti, it will be their first full national team game since the conclusion of their involvement in the Gold Cup. Costa Rica drew 2:2 this past weekend in another friendly game against El Salvador making it four straight draws (against Peru, Honduras, Canada and El Salvador) for los ticos.
Trinidad & Tobago will play El Salvador at San Salvador's Estadio Cuscatlán. This game is also a repeat of a matchup that took place during this summer's Gold Cup which the cuscatlecos won 2:1 thanks to a winning strike nine minutes from time from Dennis Alas. The soca warriors only goal came from Silvio Spann who scored one of the goals of the tournament with a stunning 40 yard volley.
Mexico will face Guatemala in another all-CONCACAF clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California, USA. Both teams have strong support in the California area as evidenced by large crowds in previous appearances for both teams. The tricolores played Venezuela at the Coliseum in May 2006 winning the game 1:0 thanks to a goal from Omar Bravo drawing a crowd of over 50,000 while the chapines were well represented during the two CONCACAF Gold Cup™ games they played at the Home Depot Center this past June. For Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz the game will be a chance to take sole possession of the mantle of top goal scorer for his country. He is currently tied with Juan Carlos Plata on 35 goals (74 games).
The USA will travel to Basel to take on Switzerland who are joint hosts with Austria of UEFA Euro 2008. The game is set for St. Jakob's Park - a venue that will play host to the very first game of next year's tournament. The stars & stripes have never beaten Switzerland in six attempts (3 draws, 3 defeats) but the game gives coach Bob Bradley a chance to call up some of his European based players. This will be the second last game of the year for the USA with a friendly in South Africa to follow on 17 November in Johannesburg.
