Matchday 4 of Semifinal Round as it happened

Matchday 4 of the Semifinal Round is now over.  Scores on the front page, commentaries below the fold. 

[Group A] USA 6-1 Cuba
[Group A] Guatemala 0-0 Trinidad & Tobago
[Group B] Jamaica 1-0 Mexico
[Group B] Honduras 3-1 Canada
[Group C] Suriname 1-4 Costa Rica
[Group C] Haiti 0-0 El Salvador

The Trinidadian players are celebrating the result on the field with the coaching staff and the rest of their entourage.  They'll be happy with the point, but Guatemala still occupy second position on goal difference (5 goals scored vs. 3 allowed).  Now it will be a matter of who will drop points against an eliminated Cuba, and who will win points against a secure USA.  

That puts the period on a long day of football - over eight hours!  And I actually blogged it all!  Thanks to those of you who have visited from all over CONCACAF and the rest of the world to follow the action and my account of it.  I need to take a break for a while, but I'll be back at it on Wednesday night.  Two teams are in the Hexagonal, two or three more should secure their spots on the next matchday.  Good night!

2100:  FULL TIME Guatemala 0-0 Trinidad & Tobago

2059:  Crowd becoming more insistent for Guatemala to move forward.  Their midfield is actually good at winning the ball, but their crosses are awful.

2057:  Into stoppage time.  Three minutes to be added.

2054:  Cornell Glen is more than a handful for the Guatemalan defense on the left flank.   He draws a foul just outside the area.  And the resulting free kick by Yorke crashes off the near post!!

2053:  Trinidad & Tobago have had a couple of free kicks in the Guatemala half, so it's not over by any means.

2050:  Finally got hold of a semi-reliable video link.  The Guatemalan commentators are saying that Guatemala has been superior to the T&T side, that it's a matter of time before they score...but time is running out.  Just five minutes left.

2035:  I haven't been able to provide timely updates, so I missed the fact that Cyd Gray received a second yellow card near the end of the first half. 

2032:  Honduras take the lead in Group B after today's emphatic victory in San Pedro Sula.  Canada are eliminated from the World Cup.

2027:  FULL TIME Honduras 3-1 Canada

2025:  GOAL Honduras 3-1 Canada (90')
Honduras make sure of the points with a goal by Hendry Thomas just before stoppage time.

2018: Five minutes to go at Honduras-Canada.  Honduras have had more of the action in the last 30 minutes.

1958:  HALFTIME Guatemala 0-0 Trinidad & Tobago

1953:  GOAL Honduras 2-1 Canada (60')
Carlos Costly puts Honduras back in the lead with a long-range effort that is impossible for Hirschfeld to save.

1952:  GOAL Honduras 1-1 Canada (51')
Andre Hinault is first to get to a ball that rebounds off the post, and Canada are tied with Honduras!

1940:  The second half has kicked off in Honduras.

1933:  I finally have lineups for the Guatemala-T&T match:
Guatemala -- Trigueño (gk), Flores, Gallardo, Cabrera, Mario Rodríguez, Ruíz, García, Ramírez, Papa, Luis Rodríguez, Márquez.
Trinidad & Tobago -- Ince, Gray, John, Thomas, Lawrence, Birchall, Wolfe, Latapy, Edwards, Scotland, Yorke.

1920:  HALFTIME Honduras 1-0 Canada

1914:  A mistake by the Guatemalan defense puts T&T's #11 alone on goal from the right flank.  His shoot crashes against the Guatemala 'keeper and goes out for a corner.

1912:  As you might expect, the Mateo Flores stadium is completely full. 

1910:  Last match of the evening is underway.

1908:  Honduras and Canada are playing it even.  It may be an even match but Canada need to create a goal to get back into the match.

1901:  Mexico's first loss in the qualifiers, and Jamaica still have some life left in their World Cup campaign.

1901:  FULL TIME Jamaica 1-0 Mexico

1900:  Four minutes are up, the ref is going to add a bit more time now...

1900:  Goodison takes it to the corner, gets a throw-in, and Salcido gets mad about it.  Let it go.

1859:  Mexico has plenty of talent to change the game in one play, but the way they're playing it doesn't look like they will.  Still 90 seconds to go.  There's an injury on the field, so the referee will add some time.

1858:  Halfway through stoppage time now.  Very intense, and very loud. 

1857:  Four minutes of stoppage time.  A wall of noise at National Stadium.

1856:  Another free kick to Mexico in Jamaica's half.  It does not go well, and Jamaica clear with Campbell starting a counter on the right flank.  Eating up lots of time.

1852:  Four minutes of normal time.  What a thrilling match.

1851:  Another close effort by Mexico, this time from Arce's free kick.  "Close" is not the same as "in", but Jamaica is living dangerously.

1849:  Canada have recovered a bit after that early goal and they are putting some pressure on the Honduran goal.

1846:  Vuoso comes close again after an aggressive run into the penalty area.  Jamaica's midfield is starting to collapse into the its own end.

1846:  Ten minutes to go in Kingston.

1843:  Now Salcido has been booked for kicking one of the Jamaican players (Campbell?).  There was a scuffle before that after a hard Jamaican challenge.  It's been tense for a while, but the action is starting to boil over now.

1840:  Rafa Márquez has just been booked, and he will miss the qualifier against Canada in Edmonton.

1840:  GOAL Honduras 1-0 Canada (7')
Walter Martínez opens the scoring for the catrachos after a fine effort in the penalty area by Palacios.

1839:  High drama here.  Free kick by Mexico, cleared out but it doesn't gets too far, whipped back in and Rafa Márquez hits the post!

1835:  Vuoso came oh so close with his effort.  This match is truly on a knife edge.  Honduras and Canada have kicked off, but I'm going to focus on the match in Jamaica, if you don't mind.

1829:  With 25 minutes to go, I'd still give a slight edge to Jamaica.  Mexico are very disjointed in their attack without the presence of Guardado.  Campbell has been the best player on the field, and that slight edge to Jamaica is reflected in the scoreline.

1826:  Jamaica and Mexico are playing a tense game.  You can sense it in the crowd and the effort being given by the players.

1825:  Jamaica respond through Campbell's cross on the right, and Gardner's rebound volley is met with a reflex body save by Sánchez.

1819:  Great corner by Mexico, and Salcido nearly scores with his header.

1811:  The lineups for Honduras vs. Canada:
Honduras:  Valladares (gk), Chávez, Figueroa, Thomas, Bernardez, Mendoza, Guevara, Palacios, Núñez, Costly, Martínez.
Canada: Hirschfeld (gk), Klukowski, Hainault, McKenna, Staltieri, Bernier, Radzinski, Gerba, De Jong, Hutchinson, Harmse.

1811:  Second half kicks off in the Jamaica-Mexico match.

1804:  So the USA are the second team to secure a spot in the Hexagonal, and they did so with contributions from their veterans and young players on the bench.

1804:  FULL TIME USA 6-1 Cuba

1802:  Now that's a damper on the evening.  Michael Bradley receives a yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time, and he'll miss the next match against Trinidad & Tobago.   He's a good player, but he has a propensity of picking up stupid and ill-timed yellow and red cards.

1800:  GOAL USA 6-1 Cuba (90')
USA stroke the ball around from right to left, Freddy Adu gets past a defender and launches a fantastic cross from the left onto Oguchi Onyewu's head. 

1757:  GOAL USA 5-1 Cuba (87')
Jozy Altidore is released by Dempsey, shrugs off a Cuban challenge in the box, and shoots with his right foot past Molina.  One goal in about fifteen minutes is pretty good production.

1757:  The USA are on the verge of victory, and a spot in the Hexagonal.

1755:  HALF TIME Jamaica 1-0 Mexico

1751:  Jamaica-Mexico will have four minutes of stoppage time.  It's been a lackluster performance by the Mexicans.  It just goes to show how big of a difference Andrés Guardado makes on the field.

1738:  And it's official.  José Torres has entered the field in place of Heath Pearce, and with that he is now tied to the US national team.  But Mexico still have plenty of Argentines and Uruguayans to choose from.

1735:  Jamaica's counterattacks are just as dangerous as Mexico's, especially when Fuller is taking the lead.

1733:  GOAL USA 4-1 Cuba (63')
Free kick by Beasley, Klejstan makes a powerful header across the face of goal, and Brian Ching pounces first to prod the ball over the line.

1732:  What an incredible save by Ricketts to preserve the Jamaica lead.  Beautiful counterattack by Mexico.

1731:  USA have shown steady improvement through the semifinal round.  They aren't there yet, but they are playing better as a unit than before.

1730:  Donovan chooses to lay the ball off to Beasley rather than score himself, but Beasley's shot is saved by Molina.

1727:  Almost an Olympic goal at Sánchez had to jump to palm away a Jamaica corner.

1720:  GOAL Jamaica 1-0 Mexico (14')
Ricardo Fuller opens the scoring with a fine shot from outside the area.  May have caught a deflection off Márquez, but it's still a great goal nonetheless.  National Stadium erupts.

1718:  GOAL USA 3-1 Cuba (48')
Instead it's the USA that takes the initiative.  Good combination between Bradley and Donovan, who gives it to Ching in the area.  Ching wheels around and passes it to a streaking Pearce on the right, whose cross slides across the penalty area and is met by Donovan who deflects it into the net.

1717:  I like ESPN's graphics on their soccer coverage.  They aren't perfect, but they're much less intrusive than previous versions.

1716:  Second half kicks off in Washington.  Cuba will be looking to get that equalizing goal.

1715:  Impressive sight in Kingston.  The National Stadium is a wave of yellow and a cacophany of noise.

1711:  Match kicked off in Jamaica about six minutes ago.

1703:  Jamaica and Mexico are on the field and about to kick off.  Here are the lineups:
Jamaica -- Ricketts (gk), Jermaine Taylor, Goodison, Evan Taylor, Williams, Fuller, Phillips, Marshall, Gardner, Austin, Burton.
Mexico -- Sánchez (gk), Magallón, Salcido, Márquez, Osorio, Torrado, Pérez, Bravo, Vela, Arce, and Dos Santos.

1703:  FULL TIME Haiti 0-0 El Salvador

1700:  We're well into stoppage time in the Haiti-El Salvador match.  I haven't made many updates, my video link went down and the websites offering text commentaries were overloaded.

1659:  HALFTIME USA 2-1 Cuba

1657:  Onyewu was pushed in the box while going up for a header, but the Panamanian referee chooses not to award a penalty.

1655:  Beasley wins the ball very well in midfield and releases Donovan superbly, who rounds Molina.  But he's caught at too tight an angle to goal, and he tries to lob the ball into goal.  Okay, after watching the replay I don't know what he was doing.  Was he trying to make a cross?

1654:  Looking at the replay, it doesn't look like a hard challenge, but at full speed with a guy running down the flanks it's quite a challenge.  I've always seen such challenges punished with a yellow card.

1653:  RED CARD Cuba
Yoel Colome makes a late challenge on Landon Donovan, and he receives his second yellow card.  Cuba are now down to ten men.

1646:  That's the first goal the USA have conceded in this World Cup qualifying campaign.  I'm not sure if it's the first goal they've conceded against Cuba in a competitive match, but I'll check that.

1643:  GOAL USA 2-1 Cuba (32')
What a sensational goal from Jensy Muñoz! He dinks about in a tight space with three US defenders around him and launches a bomb from outside the area that goes in off the underside of the bar.

1642:  GOAL USA 2-0 Cuba (31')
A great ball from Donovan on the left, and an even better run by DaMarcus Beasley, finds him alone with Molina, and he slots his second goal below Molina's body.

1627:  El Salvador have been the more aggressive side in the second half, but they haven't translated that aggression into goals.

1622:  GOAL USA 1-0 Cuba (11')
Klejstan finds DaMarcus Beasley on the left side of the penalty area, and his finish is perfect, past Molina into the opposite corner.

1615: El Salvador came very close to the opening goal.  Quintanilla made two shots that troubled Dominic greatly, especially the second where he had to make a great save.

1614:  Some really sloppy passing in the back by the USA.

1612:  USA and Cuba kick off.

1610:  Second half is underway in Haiti.

1605:  Looking at the shots from inside RFK Stadium...only the sideline areas are occupied.  And here comes the FIFA and national flags with the referees and players behind them.

1555:  Still haven't heard anything about Alcantará and Faife.

1553:  Cuba will start Molina in goal, then Minoso, Márquez, Clavelo, Yoel Colome, Villegas, Cervantes, Muñoz, Jaime Colome, Duarte, and Fernández.

1551:  Ten minutes away from USA vs. Cuba.  USA will lineup with Howard, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Beasley, Donovan, Ching, Bradley, Pearce, and Klejstan.

1548:  HALFTIME Haiti 0-0 El Salvador

1547:  Into stoppage time.

1542:  Final five minutes of the first half in Haiti.  Haiti are the more dangerous side but they lack precision in their shots on goal.

1534:  I thought this was a curious scene but it's not...El Salvador has won the ball back, and a player had kicked the ball over the touchline because a teammate (González) was lying injured on the floor.  The referee ran over and showed a yellow card to Haiti's Jerome for that rough challenge.

1530:  Silvio Cator is about 80% full tonight, as you might expect.

1528:  Haiti is really working the ball effectively down the left and middle sectors of the field. Final shots are going just wide of the posts, but that's a danger for El Salvador.

1522:  It appears that Haiti is taking up the spaces in midfield and frustrating Salvadoran buildups. 

1520:  I finally have a Haitian lineup:  Jean Dominic in goal, then Jordin, Bertin, Bruni, Fellinco, Jerome, Alexandre, Davidson, Norde, Brunel, and Thermeus.

1511:  Haiti's going on the attack - they have no other option but to do so.  Montes has already had to make a flying deflection of a shot on goal to concede a corner.

1505:  If El Salvador wins, they're in the Hexagonal.  A draw would delay the inevitable until Wednesday.

1501:  Underway at Stade Silvio Cator.

1500:  El Salvador will lineup with Montes in goal, González, Anaya, Salazar, Pacheco, Martín, Jiménez, Castillo, Coreas, Quintanilla, and Corrales.  I'll give Haiti's lineup when I have it.

1457:  Back from my break.  Drink in my hand, Haiti and El Salvador teams on the pitch, so let's go!

1426:  Haiti and El Salvador will kick off at the top of the hour. 

1424:  The commentators are saying that this was a easy and straightforward victory by Costa Rica.  Well, Suriname made them sweat for a few minutes in the second half, but Costa Rica reasserted their superiority on the field and continued on to a comfortable victory.  Now two experimental games await, and then the Hexagonal.

1423:  FULL TIME Suriname 1-4 Costa Rica

1420:  Now into stoppage time.  Costa Rica on the verge of victory.

1416:  This is the first time that Costa Rica have scored four goals in an away match since 1989.

1412:  The air has been sucked out of the Suriname team -- and its supporters.  Very quiet scenes in Paramaribo.

1410:  So Costa Rica are certain to advance to the Hexagonal.  I'm still not convinced about this team, but they've made the most of a group that could have tripped them up.

1407: GOAL Suriname 1-4 Costa Rica (78')
Again through the middle Costa Rica make a goal, this time it's Alfonso Solís on a great slaloming effort around four Surinamese defenders and a clinical finish past the 'keeper Aloema.

1403:  Lots of shots being sprayed across the goal area by both teams.  One of those shots in the right location could end the game or make its end thrilling.

1356:  I think I spoke too soon.  Suriname is putting up a brave fight.

1351:  Costa Rica were on their heels for about five minutes but they've started to reclaim their advantage.

1344:  The heat and humidity could become a factor as the match wears on.  It's a quarter to five local time and temperature may still be over 33 degrees Celsius.

1341:  That goal brought Suriname back into the game, and they're attacking strongly now.  Only a fantastic effort by the Costa Rican 'keeper Navas prevented Suriname's second.  Emilio Limon has been influential for the Surinamese in the second half.

1338:  GOAL Suriname 1-3 Costa Rica (49')
Suriname draw one back almost immediately, through Clifton Sandvliet.

1337:  GOAL Suirname 0-3 Costa Rica (48')
Good work in the middle of the field, a lob into the box finds Armando Alonso who finishes clinically.

1336:  The Costa Rican commentators are going on and on about Suriname being in CONCACAF despite being on the South American continent. 

1335:  Second half is underway in Suriname.

1323:  Goodness, what a disaster.  The quick trip to run an errand turned into a 90 minute ordeal.  Sheesh.  So I missed the first half of Suriname-Costa Rica.  Walter Centeno and Celso Borges have scored for the ticos as they seek to lock up a Hexagonal berth.

The match commentary starts at 1230 and will continue throughout the afternoon.  See you then!

Comments

[joe]

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=734663&s=mundial&type=story

Defections confirmed.