Posted at 6:50 a.m., Sunday, November 25, 2007
Soccer: U.S. men face Barbados or Dominica in qualifier
Advertiser Staff
DURBAN, South Africa — The United States will play its first World Cup qualifier next June against the winner of an opening-round series between Barbados and Dominica and could face Cuba in its regional semifinals group.The Americans have an automatic bye into the CONCACAF Group One second round for the 2010 World Cup, which will be played in South Africa.
Also receiving byes to the second round in the Americans' semifinal group are Cuba, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Cuba will play the winner of the Aruba-Antigua and Barbuda opening series; Guatemala gets the winner of the Turks and Caicos Islands-St. Lucia series; and Trinidad and Tobago will face the winner of Bermuda-Cayman Islands opening round.
Mexico heads Group Two and will play the winner of Belize vs. St. Kitts and Nevis in the second round. Also with byes in that group are Jamaica, Honduras, Canada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Canada will face St. Vincent/Grenadines in the second round, where Jamaica will get either the Bahamas or the British Virgin Islands, while Honduras takes on the winner of Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico.
Group Three byes went to Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama and Guyana.
Costa Rica gets the U.S. Virgin Islands-Grenada opening-round winner. Haiti faces the Nicaragua-Netherlands Antilles winner; Panama gets the winner of El Salvador-Anguilla; and Guyana takes on the winner of Suriname-Montserrat.
