Quote:
Originally Posted by corporatejay
Does Canada have a legitimate chance of qualifying for this?
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I would say no, it doesn't look good.
It all depends on the draw on July 31. Canada main goal is to get to the 4th and final round of qualifying (THE HEX). Canada enters the competition in the 2nd round where there are 24 teams (6 groups of 4). Canada will be seeded in this draw and would like to avoid Guatemala and/or Nicaragua. Everyone else that is unseeded is crap. If Canada doesn't win this 2nd round group and advance to the 3rd round, the CSA needs to be blown up.
Win the Group and go to the 3rd round and be in a group with TWO of the following teams (USA, Mexico, Honduras) and (Costa Rica, Jamaica, Cuba).
Obviously Cuba is the weakest team here that everyone wants to draw them since two teams advance to The HEX.
If Canada gets a group like Honduras, Cuba, Canada, Haiti, they'll advance to the final round. If they get a group like Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, T&T, they're dead.
I think the extra round of games will help Canada as they beat up on the crap teams and get some playing time together to get some compatibility.
Again I think drawing Cuba in the 3rd round is the key. Canada playing 6 games and then facing a Cuban team that's been sitting around for a year will be a huge advantage. The FIFA Rankings screwed up, as usual, and Cuba got a bye to the 3rd round.
But you never know, "That's why they play the games!".