Several teams jumped ahead in the early going of the first group phase of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, winning two consecutive matches in their bid to reach the semifinal round.

Peter Byers scored three and Randolf Burton added two more to pace Antigua & Barbuda to an 8-1 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands, moving it atop Group F ahead on goal difference in front of Haiti, which beat Curacao 4-2 for its second straight.

Likewise, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago won their second in as many games on September 6 to virtually share the lead atop Group B, while Canada, Guatemala and El Salvador moved alone atop their respective groups with six points each.

Guyana defeated Bermuda 2-1, Trinidad won 2-0 at Barbados, Canada beat Puerto Rico 3-0, Guatemala held off Belize 2-1 and El Salvador beat the Cayman Islands 4-1. In other qualifiers, it was: the Dominican Republic 1, Suriname 1; St. Lucia 2, St. Kitts & Nevis 4; and Nicaragua 1, Panama 2.

Only the group winners will advance to the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying.

For more detail, please visit the World Cup page at CONCACAF.com. http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/Home/0,,12813,00.html

El Salvador overcame an 11-2 rout by Portugal in its opening game to reach the semifinals of the Beach Soccer World Cup (where it lost 7-3 to eventual champion Russia), to finish fourth after a 3-2 loss to the Portuguese in the third-place match Sunday.

"Los Cuscatlecos" had lost all six matches in two previous appearances at the Beach World Cup, yet earned the best performance by a CONCACAF team at the event since Mexico was runner-up in 2007.

Frank Velasquez had nine goals to end as the tournament's third-leading scorer, scoring in every game but El Salvador's 4-3 victory over Oman, including the winner in extra time in a 6-5 win against Italy in the quarterfinals.

Mexico also reached the knockout round, beating both Japan and Ukraine before falling to Russia 5-3 in Friday's quarterfinals.

Several CONCACAF sides not involved in World Cup qualifying used last week's September 6 international fixture date for friendlies. The United States lost its second game in five days with a 1-0 loss to Belgium in Brussels, while it was Ecuador 4, Costa Rica 0; Colombia 2, Jamaica 0; and Honduras 0, Paraguay 3.

The United States remained winless in three matches under manager Juergen Klinsmann, suffering its second defeat in five days. The loss extended the United States' winless streak to four games, including a 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

In Quito, Ecuador, a pair of goals in each half lifted Ecuador past Costa Rica in the Ticos' first match since it announced Jorge Luis Pinto would replace Ricardo Lavolpe as manager. Costa Rica was still under the direction of interim manager Ronald Gonzalez, who guided the Ticos against the United States.

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Teofilio Gutierrez scored in the 54th and Jackson Martinez in the 90th to hand Jamaica a fourth consecutive loss and second in five days. Gutierrez scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Honduras three days earlier at Red Bull Arena in suburban New York City.

In San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a first-half goal by Nestor Camacho and a pair by Oscar Cardozo in the final three minutes to its second straight loss.