The Road To Brazil 2014 via Wellington feat. Mexico

Oh well, Ryan Nelson maybe available for technical assistance for AW's now. Can't see him surviving the Toronto collapse in last 8 mins vs Portland  just now. Lost 4-zip. Think in retrospect he rushed that move to Toronto. Still think he'll be good somewhere.

Presume there's no way he'll work with Herbert again.

Hopefully they can get something against the US, who have 3 players suspended and Bradley probably out through injury. Mexico play all their friendlies on US soil anyway with huge mexican crowds, so its basically home....... 

My prediction....

USA 20 pts

Costa Rica 19 pts

Honduras 17 pts

Mexico 11 pts

Park the bus away..

What a load of bollocks, so a crap team isgoing to play brilliantly and miraculously come intoform when they play us.... yeah right.  this defeatest attitude is the same one that keeps this sport behind rugby in this country

It's still pretty up in the air for that 4th spot with 3 games to play. 

My completely unscientific prediction weighting:

- Honduras 35%

- Mexico 45%

- Panama 20%

Don't think anybody has mentioned that Mexico sacked their managed yesterday after the match. So the Mexico we see in the next three games could be much better than the one we've seen so far. And if they do come fourth, they'll have time to improve under the new (interim) manager before November.

Good luck AWs if you're playing Mexico, you haven't got a shit chance of winning under the current management!

Mexico will violate us, lol at the clowns thinking otherwise. 

Feel free to quote me.

in reality, predictions of a drubbing at the hands of Mexico mean nothing. if they finish 4th, new manager or not, we have just as good a chance as winning or losing against panama or honduras if they finished 4th. just like we drew against italy, who predicted that? or how we really should have beaten paraguay for that matter. this is world cup football, they wouldn't play qualifiers if it was just an easy matter of picking teams that should win

double post deleted

Mexico's new coach is a guy called Tena. He coached the Mexico Olympic football team to a Gold Medal at the London Olympics. He is by all accounts a very very good coach. If this guy is the coach and we play Mexico be afraid...be very afraid!!!!

On the other side he might get Mexico back up to third place in the remaining playoff games. But either way..Mexico and Honduras are way way better sides than Bahrain. We would be huge underdogs.....I still would prefer Honduras. Playing away in Mexico in front of 105,000 screaming fans would be very tough....they have only lost twice there in decades!!  Park the bus....park two buses!!

You always have to have some hope but we have only three warmup games to go and it seems we are still experimenting with formations and trying out players in different positions. Ricki really needs to pick close to his starting 11 and just play them......the worrying thing is that he he might  not know his best 11 at this stage.

Why can't we play these guys instead ???

I think Mexico have a very good chance of getting a result against the USA since the US will have  four players missing and struggling teams often improve under a new coach

Michael Bradley (their best player, A.S. Roma), Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler will all be absent due to injury (Bradley) or cards.

"I don't think it changes a lot," Klinsmann said. "We need to have our four points at least to qualify. We will get those four points."

- so Klinsmann's not exactly desperate for a result...

If Mexico win (and there'll be plenty of Mexicans in the crowd in Columbus), then a lot hinges on Honduras v Panama.

Scenarios: (1) Mexico beat USA and Honduras and Panama draw: Table will be (i) Costa Rica (ii) USA 13 pts (iii) Honduras and Mexico level on  11 points , separated by  goals for and against: Honduras 8 : 8, Mexico 4 :4  (iv) Panama 8 pts

CONSEQUENCE: WOULD LEAVE IT WIDE OPEN FOR MEXICO TO FINISH IN TOP THREE

(2) Mexico and USA draw; Honduras beats Panama: Table will be: (i) Costa Rica (ii) USA 14 pts (iii) Honduras 13 pts (iv) Mexico 9 pts

CONSEQUENCE: MEXICO WOULD STRUGGLE TO MAKE THE TOP THREE AND COULD FINISH FOURTH

(3) Panama beats Honduras and USA beating Mexico would be great results for NZ leaving (i) Costa Rica (? pts) or USA (16 pts) at top (ii) Panama and Honduras level on 10 pts (iii) Mexico fifth on 8 pts

CONSEQUENCE: MEXICO OUTSIDE THE TOP FOUR 

Should point out Honduras have lost three games so far (with three wins), compared to Mexico only the one loss on the weekend (they've drawn five) - so Honduras are vulnerable to losing.

Mexico's last qualifiers: 12/10 v. Panama (H)   16/10 v. Costa Rica (A)

Honduras last qualifiers: 12/10 v Costa Rica (H)  16/10 v. Jamaica (A) 

Also:     12/10  USA v Jamaica       16/10 Panama v USA

CONCACAF Schedules and results: http://www.concacaf.com/category/world-cup-qualifying-men/schedule-results

Table: click on "Standings"

the mexican fans have been turning on their team at the slightest mistake.  so that turns into 105,000 mexicans hating their team

teams have been parking the bus at the azteca and they can't find a way through

the new coach will probably change both the attitude of the fans and the way the team play, so things are likely to be different by the time they play us if this is how it unfolds

We will lose by at least 3 or 4 goals away from home if we play Mexico. We probably won't touch the ball or string together more than 5 passes either. It's madness to believe we have as good a chance of beating Mexico than Panama...

Any team in that position isn't playing as well as the others above it...but we are woefully woefully short of match practice. We looked disorganised against the island nations and haven't had any chances to rectify that.

IRC the year leading into the play-off we'd played Spain and Italy and a fair few others. We did play Mexico, but I can't remember if this was before or after the play off. Actually did we play them twice?

This year- Saudi and UAE.

OK genius, set out for me why you believe we have a better chance to beat a team that finishes 3rd in the group as opposed to beat the team that finishes 4th?

Err, football isn't that black and white sunshine. A team might finish below another, especially in a group stage or round robin, due to poor form and 1 or 2 bad results. If Mexico finish 4th as opposed to 3rd it doesn't suddenly render them completely shite. By the same token them finishing inside the top 3 doesn't suddenly mean anyone can ignore their recent wretched form. They have a group of players far more accomplished than either Panama or Honduras, you cannot dispute that.

Action speak louder than words.

Again, being undefeated as WC2010 make us one of the best teams in the world?? 

Red herring argument

it's so hard thinking who its going to be against starting to get nervous now

Last two results I could find...only as good as your last result...

Mexico 2 - 0 New Zealand in 2010; Los Angeles (friendly)

My memory of this games was Mexico just played with us and then flipped a switch and scored 2 goals in 5 minutes or something!

Mexico 3 - 0 New Zealand in 2011; Denver (friendly)

I don't even remember this game....except for the fact it was played in mile high stadium!

Yes, teams change and even in the last 2-3 years we have better players on the pitch. But, if either of these results happen in early Nov in Mexico - forget about it..... 

Either Honduras or Mexico would be very very tough. But the thought of of a match hardened Mexican side with Vela, de Santos and Sanchez attacking wide at Lockhead or possibly Siggy or centrally at 36 yo Vicilich or converted DM Dura in front of 105,000 fans at Azeteca stadium just gives me nightmares.

The AW's look very very underdone IMO. Wasn't it Roy Keane who always said   "fail to prepare , then prepare to fail"

WOW !!! 

USA V MEXICO - LIVE ON ESPN - 11.45 AM -2 PM WEDNESDAY

(Portugal v Brazil friendly originally scheduled live now delayed at 3pm)

Family ticket now available.  Cost is face value or less.

Only genuine buyers please. PM me: chicken.little@angst4u.co.nz

Isnt it about Time Herbert got shown the door. This should've happened after the lost in the OFC.

There is no way this team can even be comeptitive with no matter who gets the fourth spot.