This is the third and final part of my analysis of the first-round matches in CONCACAF WC qualifying. Previous posts in this series can be found here (Group 1) and here (Group 2).
US Virgin Islands vs. Grenada
Grenada will have some faces familiar to American soccer fans, as well as observers of the English leagues. The face of Grenadian football, at least to those in the USA, is midfielder Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution. To those in England, it's Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts. And of course there are the British players of Grenadian descent such as the Bubb brothers in midfield (Byron and Alvin) and Tony Bedeau up front. The question - which is a common one of the Caribbean micro-countries - is how are Grenada going to put together in sufficient time an organized and prepared national squad.
A similar question could be asked of the US Virgin Islands, where football lags behind baseball and basketball in popularity (it is the birthplace of Tim Duncan, after all). Other than the NBA star, USVI are perhaps known for defender MacDonald Taylor, who at 46 years 180 days became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup qualifier. Alas, Old MacDonald has retired, but the team still might need him to keep the final margin under five goals (their last three official matches were lost by ten, six, and five goals, respectively).
I think Grenada will go through -- by at least five goals on aggregate.
Suriname vs. Montserrat
Suriname have some very talented players -- native-born or of heritage -- who have made their name on the world stage. Unfortunately, none of them have actually played for the Surinamese national team. Of those who decided to play for the Suriboys, Clifton Sandvliet is their best-known player; he is their most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer. The majority of the national team plays for SV Robinhood, the Surinamese side that advanced to the final of the CFU Clubs Championship in 2005 (albeit without having to face a team from Jamaica or Trinidad & Tobago until the final).
Montserrat's resources are non-existent even for a small Caribbean country. Because of the continuous volcanic eruption on the southern half of the island, almost two-thirds of the population have had to evacuate. As a result the national team has played only 11 matches since 1995, two of which were at home. The team is a collection of players from the tiny local league and a few English-based players of Montserratian descent, Junior Mendes of Notts County being the highest profile player.
Suriname should advance to the second round, but just being able to put together a national team should give people in Montserrat some pride.
El Salvador vs. Anguilla
Football in El Salvador has taken a nosedive since the 1990s, when Raúl Díaz Arce, Ronald Cerritos, and Mauricio Cienfuegos were making their mark in MLS and taking El Salvador on the brink of World Cup qualification. In the 2006 qualifying cycle El Salvador were poor, and recent results relegated them to the first round of the 2010 cycle. There will be some familiar faces to MLS observers, such as Cerritos and Eliseo Quintanilla, but this squad is drawn entirely from local clubs.
The good news for Anguilla is that they are no longer at the bottom of the FIFA rankings. Their last victory was 4-1 against Montserrat, which should give you an idea of how bad Montserrat are. They were routed by Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis last year in Gold Cup qualifying, and I don't see how the series with El Salvador would have a different outcome.
Nicaragua vs. Netherlands Antilles
Finally we come to Nicaragua and the Netherlands Antilles. In Nicaragua and Belize football has a lower profile compared to other sports such as baseball and basketball, and it's no surprise that these two national teams are the weakest in Central America. Most of the Nicaraguan squad plays locally, and the few players who do play outside the country do so in El Salvador or Honduras. One player, Lester Meléndez, is a goalkeeping coach for the women's soccer team at the University of Miami! The most important field players for Nicaragua are Wilber Sánchez and Emilio Palacios (the first Nicaraguan to score a hat-trick in an official match).
This could be the last time that the Netherlands Antilles participates in the World Cup as an island confederation. A majority of the national team players play for the local teams that have participated in the CFU Club Championship, such as CSD Barber and Jong Colombia, but several of the Antillian players (Rocky Siberie, Chaly Jones, Angelo Cijntje) are plying their trade in European leagues -- the Netherlands, of course, but also Greece and Malta, among others.
Nicaragua have never beaten the Netherlands Antilles in an official match, but the most recent match was in 1982. The scoreline probably won't be a rout like previous games, but I expect the Antilles to advance.
