Action from the World Cup qualifier between host Trinidad & Tobago and the USAs (white jersey) on November 17, 2015, in Port of Spain. (Photo: Caribbean Action Images)
NEW YORK – Fourth-round play in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup concludes Tuesday with two of six Hexagonal berths still be decided.
Honduras (Group A) and the United States (Group C) can advance with draws, while Canada (Group A) and Guatemala (Group C) will need to win, hope that the team directly in front of them loses and that goal difference ultimately points in their favor.
CONCACAF.com takes a look at each of the six curtain-closing encounters:
2018 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING – CONCACAF
FOURTH ROUND, MATCHDAY 6 (SEPTEMBER 9, 2016)
GROUP A
SCENE SETTER
- Mexico has already clinched first place
- Honduras captures second place with a win or draw at Mexico
- In order for it to finish in second place, Canada needs: a) to defeat El Salvador; b) Mexico to beat Honduras; c) if a) and b) happen for goal difference to go in its favor (Honduras currently has advantage: 0 to -5)
- Canada will be eliminated if it loses or draws
- El Salvador has been eliminated from contention
MEXICO v HONDURAS
Estadio Azteca – Mexico City, Mexico
1st Meeting
November 17, 2015: Honduras 0, Mexico 2 (Jesus Corona 67'; Jurgen Damm 72')
Mexico (1st place: 5W-0D-0L … 13GF, 1GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-5; D-0; L-0; GF-13; GA-1
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-2; D-0; L-0; GF-5; GA-0
- Goals: Jesus Corona (3); Andres Guardado (2); Jurgen Damm, Javier Hernandez, Hector Herrera, Raul Jimenez, Hirving Lozano, Hector Moreno, Angel Sepulveda, Carlos Vela (1)
- Only team in CONCACAF WCQ with a perfect record … scored 2 goals or more in each of 5 2018 WCQs
- Participated in last 6 World Cups
- Champion, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup (record-extending 7th title)
- 2015 CONCACAF Cup winner (qualified for 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup)
- World Cup Appearances: 15 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
Honduras (2nd place: 2W-1D-2L … 6GF, 6GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-2; D-1; L-2; GF-6; GA-6
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-0; D-1; L-1; GF-2; GA-3
- Goals: Romell Quioto (2); Alberth Elis, Oscar Garcia, Antony Lozano, Mario Martinez (1)
- Conceded 5 goals in first 3 2018 WCQs … allowed only 1 goal in last 2 WCQ outings
- Participated in last 2 World Cups
- World Cup Appearances: 3 (1982, 2010, 2014)
CANADA v EL SALVADOR
BC Place – Vancouver, Canada
1st Meeting
November 17, 2015: El Salvador 0, Canada 0
Canada (3rd place: 1W-1D-3L … 2GF, 7GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-4; D-2; L-3; GF-12; GA-8
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-3; D-1; L-0; GF-8; GA-3
- Goals: Tosaint Ricketts (4); Cyle Larin (3); Tesho Akindele, Atiba Hutchinson, Manjrekar James, Will Johnnson, Russell Teibert (1)
- Scored 1 goal or fewer in last 6 WCQs
- Has not participated in final round of CONCACAF WCQ since the 1998 cycle
- World Cup Appearances: 1 (1982)
El Salvador (4th place: 0W-2D-3L … 3GF, 10GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-3; D-3; L-2; GF-10; GA-10
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-1; D-1; L-2; GF-3; GA-7
- Goals: Nelson Bonilla (4); Alexander Larin (2); Arturo Alvarez, Jonathan Barrios, Darwin Ceren, Irvin Herrera, Pablo Punyed (1)
- Only 2018 WCQ away win came against Curacao, 1-0, on September 4, 2015 (Alexander Larin 12’)
- Conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of last 5 WCQs … posted 3 shutouts in 2018 WCQ
- World Cup Appearances: 2 (1970, 1982)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GROUP B
SCENE SETTER
- Costa Rica and Panama have already earned final-round places
- Costa Rica can clinch first place with a draw against Panama
- Panama can clinch first place with a three-goal win over Costa Rica
- Jamaica and Haiti have been eliminated from contention
COSTA RICA v PANAMA
Estadio Nacional – San Jose, Costa Rica
1st Meeting
November 17, 2015: Panama 1 (Luis Tejada 71’), Costa Rica 2 (Bryan Ruiz 66'; Marco Ureña 69')
Costa Rica (1st place: 4W-1D-0L … 8GF, 2GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-4; D-1; L-0; GF-8; GA-2
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-2; D-0; L-0; GF-4; GA-0
- Goals: Bryan Ruiz (2); Jhonny Acosta, Randall Azofeifa, Celso Borges, Cristian Gamboa, Marco Ureña, Johan Venegas (1)
- Quarterfinals, 2014 FIFA World Cup
- Champion, 2014 Central American Cup (record-extending 8th title)
- Quarterfinals, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Conceded 1 goal or fewer in each of 5 2018 WCQs
- Marco Ureña was the joint-top scorer in the 2011 Copa Centroamericana with El Salvador’s Rafael Burgos (3 goals)
- World Cup Appearances: 4 (1990, 2002, 2006, 2014)
Panama (2nd place: 3W-1D-1L … 6GF, 2GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-3; D-1; L-1; GF-6; GA-2
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-1; D-1; L-0; GF-2; GA-0
- Goals: Abdiel Arroyo, Felipe Baloy, Armando Cooper, Luis Tejada, Gabriel Torres, own-goal in favor of (1)
- Third Place, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Posted shutouts in 4 of 5 2018 WCQs … 0 goals conceded in last 291 minutes of WCQ play
- World Cup Appearances: 0
JAMAICA v HAITI
National Stadium – Kingston, Jamaica
1st Meeting
November 17, 2015: Haiti 0, Jamaica 1 (Clayton Donaldson 62’)
Jamaica (3rd place: 1W-1D-3L … 2GF, 8GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-2; D-1; L-4; GF-6; GA-11
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-0; D-1; L-2; GF-3; GA-6
- Goals: Darren Mattocks (2); Simon Dawkins, Clayton Donaldson, Adrian Mariappa, Je-Vaughn Watson (1)
- Runner-up, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Champion, 2014 Caribbean Cup
- Conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of 7 2018 WCQs
- World Cup Appearances: 1 (1998)
Haiti (4th place: 0W-1D-4L … 0GF, 3GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-2; D-1; L-4; GF-6; GA-5
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-1; D-0; L-2; GF-3; GA-3
- Goals: Duckens Nazon (2); Kervens Belfort, Mechak Jerome, Wilde-Donald Guerrier, Jean-Eudes Maurice (1)
- Quarterfinals, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Third Place, 2014 Caribbean Cup
- 0 goals scored in last 5 WCQs … … 0 goals scored in last 491 minutes of WCQ play … last goal scored by Kervens Belfort (49’) in 3-0 home win v Grenada on September 8, 2015 … conceded 1 goal or fewer in each of 7 2018 WCQs
- Duckens Nazon scored both of Haiti’s 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup goals
- World Cup Appearances: 1 (1974)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GROUP C
SCENE SETTER
- Trinidad & Tobago has clinched a final-round place
- USA can clinch a final-round berth with a win or a draw v Trinidad & Tobago
- In order for it to finish in second place, Guatemala needs: a) to defeat St. Vincent & the Grenadines; b) Trinidad & Tobago to beat USA; c) if a) and b) happen for goal difference to go in its favor (USA currently has advantage: +13 to +1)
- Guatemala will be eliminated if it loses or draws
- USA will finish first in group with win v Trinidad & Tobago
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines has been eliminated from contention
USA v Trinidad & Tobago
Everbank Field – Jacksonville, Florida, USA
1st Meeting
November 13, 2015: Trinidad & Tobago 0, USA 0
USA (2nd place: 3W-1D-1L … 16GF, 3GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-3; D-1; L-1; GF-16; GA-3
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-2; D-0; L-0; GF-10; GA-1
- Goals: Jozy Altidore (4); Geoff Cameron, Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood (2); Matt Besler, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson, Sacha Kljestan, Gyasi Zardes, Graham Zusi (1)
- Fourth Place, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin are only U.S. players to play every minute of 2018 WCQ … Yedlin is suspended for match v Trinidad & Tobago
- Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has used 26 different players in first 4 2018 WCQ matches
- With Friday’s goal v St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Jozy Altidore moved into a tie with Clint Dempsey for the all-time USA lead in World Cup Qualifying goals (14)
- USA holds a 16W-4D-2L all-time advantage v Trinidad & Tobago and is 11-1-0 in home matches
- World Cup Appearances: 10 (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Trinidad & Tobago (1st place: 3W-2D-0L … 13GF, 5GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-3; D-2; L-0; GF-13; GA-5
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-2; D-0; L-0; GF-5; GA-3
- Goals: Joevin Jones, Kenwyne Jones (3); Trevin Caesar, Levi Garcia (2); Sheldon Bateau, Khaleem Hyland, Kevin Molino (1)
- Quarterfinals, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Runner-up, 2014 Caribbean Cup
- 11 of 13 2018 WCQ goals scored in 2nd half
- Kenwyne Jones is only player on current to appear in a World Cup (2006)
- World Cup Appearances: 1 (2006)
GUATEMALA v ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
Estadio Mateo Flores – Guatemala City, Guatemala
1st Meeting
November 17, 2015: St. Vincent & the Grenadines 0, Guatemala 4 (Stefano Cincotta 23'; Mynor Lopez 32'; Denniss Lopez 48'; Gerson Tinoco 81')
Guatemala (3rd place: 2W-0D-2L … 7GF, 6GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-4; D-2; L-3; GF-12; GA-9
- 2018 WCQ Home Record: W-2; D-1; L-1; GF-5; GA-2
- Goals: Carlos Ruiz (4); Stefano Cincotta, Denniss Lopez (2); Mynor Lopez, Carlos Mejia, Rafael Morales, Gerson Tinoco (1)
- Carlos Ruiz has scored Guatemala’s last 3 WCQ goals
- Last appeared in CONCACAF Hexagonal during 2006 World Cup cycle
- World Cup Appearances: 0
St. Vincent & the Grenadines (4th place: 0W-0D-5L … 3GF, 25GA)
- 2018 WCQ Overall Record: W-1; D-2; L-6; GF-12; GA-33
- 2018 WCQ Away Record: W-1; D-0; L-3; GF-6; GA-18
- Goals: Tevin Slater (5); Oalex Anderson (3); Myron Samuel (2); Shandel Samuel, Cornelius Stewart (1)
- Tevin Slater is CONCACAF’s top scorer in 2018 WCQ (5 goals)
- Conceded 2 goals or more in 8 of 9 2018 WCQs
- World Cup Appearances: 0
