VS. ,,

In the modern world of football, Europe is the most powerful confederation in FIFA and its a shame that FIFA's most powerful confederation doesn't lead the way in how it runs its World Cup qualification.

When it comes to World Cup qualifying, Europe can look to other FIFA confederations on how it should be done. Let's be honest the qualification process for Europe is ridiculous and an absolute joke. CONCACAF has 35 FIFA member nations, Asia has 43, and Europe & Africa each have 53 FIFA nations, and yet UEFA lumps all its teams in 8 or 9 groups instead of following the rest of the world's example of multiple rounds to knockout the smaller teams.

Its ridiculous that teams like Italy, England, Spain, and Netherlands get a free 12 points in the final stage of qualifying against sides like Faroe Islands, San Marino, Malta, and Andorra. When a confederation has more than 30+ members there has to be multiple rounds of elimination to weed out the lesser teams and test the depth of the better teams.

The intensity of interest in European qualifying is dulled by the fact that Portugal can remain alive in qualifying with a win against Malta. MALTA! That's just ridiculous, that's the reason why European World Cup qualifying is the least interesting and one of the easiest. France was in serious trouble in qualifying but they pulled themselves into a playoff by beating the Faroe Islands and Lithuania, HA, 2 soccer giants for sure.

CONCACAF constructed its qualification so that its 6 best teams fight for its 3 automatic spots. Asia can shave its 43 members down to 10 in the final stage and Africa's format leading to 5 groups has led to high drama and new faces in The Great Tournament. Its a simple solution. Europe has 13 spots, create a final round with 6 groups of 4 teams each. Top 2 in each group advance to the World Cup along with the best 3rd place team.

UEFA needs to learn from Asia, Africa, and CONMEBOL and institute multiple qualifying rounds to eliminate the smaller nations. Narrowing the teams down to 6 groups of 4 teams each would generate more interesting matchups and thus more excitement in European qualifying. Because right now its a joke.

Europe Needs To Follow The World

VS.

The drama of World Cup qualifying reaches its apex in the next 7 days as the final spots for South Africa 2010 will be set. Nations will be paralyzed as their teams fight for footballing glory. The CONCACAF vs. CONMEBOL playoff features Los Ticos of Costa Rica vs. Charrúas of Uruguay.

Its the first time that the 4th place CONCACAF team faces the 5th place CONMEBOL team. The 1st leg will take place on Saturday, November 14th in San Jose in Costa Rica's Saprissa Stadium, the 2nd leg takes place on Wednesday, November 18th in Montevideo at the Estadio Centenario.

HOME FIELDS
The artificial turf of Saprissa Stadium has been a massive advantage for Costa Rica in qualifying. In 9 home matches, Costa Rica has 8 wins & 1 loss. They've allowed only 4 goals in those matches. Saprissa has become the best home field advantage in CONCACAF. However, Uruguay will not be intimidated by Saprissa considering that they played 9 road games in the toughest WC qualifying region. The Estadio Centenario in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo hasn't been the fortress for Las Charrúas. In qualifying, their opposition were able to take points in 5 of the 9 matches. A fact that Costa Rica can use if they need a road goal.

MATCHUPS
The Uruguayan central defensive tandem of Diego Lugano & Diego Godin will have to stop Costa Rica's attacking duo of Bryan Ruiz and Álvaro Saborío. The Ruiz-Saborio combo each have 6 goals in qualifying and will be energized at home but the fulcrum of the Costa Rican attack is Celso Borges. The 21-year old midfielder who plays pro ball in Norway for Fredrikstad FK is the man that must breakdown the Uruguayan defense and open up opportunities for Ruiz and Saborio.

Costa Rica's defense will have two world class goal scorers to worry about. Atlético Madrid's Diego Forlán is the reigning Pichichi in La Liga and Uruguay's leading scorer in World Cup qualifying. Ajax's captain, Luis Suárez has been an absolute nightmare for defenses in the Dutch Eredivisie. Suárez is the hottest striker coming into these WC playoff matches. Suárez has 16 goals in 13 Eredivisie matches at 22-years old, he is the present and future of Uruguay's attack. The anchor of the Costa Rican defense is Júnior Díaz, the Wisla Kraków defender will have to play well and help organize the Ticos' defense in order to keep Suárez and Forlán off the score sheet.

PREDICTION
Uruguay's attack will be too strong for an average at best Costa Rican defense. Saprissa's artificial turf and raucous atmosphere will not intimidate the South Americans. The explosive attack of Las Charrúas especially at Estadio Centenario will get CONMEBOL a 5th entrant into The Great Tournament.
Uruguay defeats Costa Rica, 3-1 aggregate.

Costa Rica vs. Uruguay - WCQ Playoff Preview

We got another edition of Mad About Futbol's Top 5. This time we're going to breakdown the 5 best national team coaches right now. These 5 men have led their charges to surprise heights in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup or in some cases right on the door step of reserving their place in South Africa. So let's get down to the MAF Top 5.

5: REINALDO RUEDA - HONDURAS COACH

The native of Cali, Colombia is the leader of possibly Honduras' golden age of international football. Los Catrachos are on the verge of qualifying for their 1st World Cup since Spain 1982. Rueda has had great success with Colombia's youth teams, leading Los Cafeteros to a 3rd place finish in the '03 FIFA World Youth Championship and 4th place in the '03 U-17 World Cup. Its time to give Rueda his due a skillful tactician and excellent personnel manager.

4: MARCELO BIELSA - CHILE COACH

The Argentine coach eats, breathes, and sleeps football. A quirky coach known to take his own pitch measurements before putting out his starting formation. He has turned Chile into the 2nd biggest surprise in South American qualifying and has Chile on the verge of qualifying for South Africa. Considering what has happened to Argentina since Bielsa left, his coaching acumen cannot be underestimated.

3: FABIO CAPELLO - ENGLAND COACH

Fabio Capello has won trophies at some of the biggest club teams in the world: Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus. His first foray as a national team coach has started off well. He hasn't won any trophies yet with England but he's turned England into a serious contender. Before his arrival, England was struggling, looked sloppy, and were in disarray. Capello has organized the team and brought confidence to The Three Lions while leading them to a place in South Africa with a perfect qualifying record.

2: DUNGA - BRAZIL COACH

His birth name is Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri but he's better known as Dunga. The Brazil coach was much criticized early in his Seleção tenure for the team's style of play but he's turned that sentiment around with a Copa America & Confederations Cup trophy. He's managed to check massive egos of star players for the cause of Brazil team glory and the result: Only one loss in the toughest WC qualifying region on the planet. Its one thing to have talent, its another to manage it and put it a position to win and Dunga has done that in arguably the most pressure packed national team job in the world.

1: GUUS HIDDINK - RUSSIA COACH

The Dutchman's accomplishments are impressive at the club level but his magic as a national team coach is irresistible. The last 3 World Cups he's taken his team into at least the 2nd round with 4th place finishes twice with Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Russia will qualify for 2010 and Hiddink has them looking primed for a deep run in South Africa. If a nation needs a man to lead the national team to the World Cup and make a deep & historic run than Guus Hiddink is that man.

There you have it, the best national team managers/coaches in the world. What do you think, did we leave anyone off? These men will be front & center in less than a year when The Great Tournament will capture the world's attention. One of these men could be national heroes if their sides lift The World Cup.

MAF Top 5: #11 - National Team Coaches

The home continent of the 2010 World Cup is close to having its 5 qualifying sides defined for The Great Tournament. The 1st team to officially qualify is Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Sudan 2-0 at home to secure top spot in Group D. Goals by Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sealed the victory. Ghana have yet to give up a goal in the final group stage of WC qualifying.

Côte d'Ivoire moved closer to securing qualification for 2010 with their 5-0 home destruction of Burkina Faso at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba scored twice as Les Éléphants maintained their perfect record in Group E. Côte d'Ivoire only need a draw in their next match against Malawi to officially qualify for The Great Tournament.

Cameroon moved to the top of Group A with back to back wins against surprise side Gabon. On Saturday, Cameroon defeated Gabon 2-0 on the road in Libreville and then 4 days later toppled Gabon 2-1 at home in Yaounde. Inter Milan goal assassin Samuel Eto'o scored in both matches to see the Indomitable Lions better position themselves for the World Cup.

Continental powers Egypt & Nigeria are facing an uphill drive for qualification in their respective groups. African champions Egypt beat Rwanda 1-0 on the road, a late 2nd half goal by Al-Ahly midfielder Ahmed Hassan secured the 3 points. The Pharaohs still trail Group C leaders Algeria by 3 points with 2 matches remaining.

Nigeria drew 2-2 at home against Group B leaders Tunisia. The share of points was a big blow to the Super Eagles who trail Tunisia by 2 points in Group B, Nigeria have only 1 win in the final group stage of qualifying. Tunisia's #10 Oussama Darragi scored in the 89th minute to keep The Eagles of Carthage in 1st place and hand Nigeria its 3rd draw of final stage qualification.

Here are the results and standings from African WCQ:

GROUP A STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Gabon 0 - 2 Cameroon
CAM: Achille Emana (66') & Samuel Eto'o (68')

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Togo 1 - 1 Morocco
TOG: Moustapha Salifou (4')
MOR: Adel Taarabt (90'+2')

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

Cameroon 2 - 1 Gabon
CAM: Jean Makoun (25') & Samuel Eto'o (64')
GAB: Daniel Cousin (90')

GROUP B STANDINGS


SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Mozambique 1 - 0 Kenya
MOZ: Tico-Tico (67')

Nigeria 2 - 2 Tunisia
NIG: Peter Odemwingie (23') & Michael Eneramo (80')
TUN: Sliti Nabil (24') & Oussama Darragi (89')


GROUP C STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Rwanda 0 - 1 Egypt
EGY: Ahmed Hassan (68')

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Algeria 1 - 0 Zambia
ALG: Rafik Saifi (59')

GROUP D STANDINGS


SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Benin 1 - 1 Mali
BEN: Mohamed Aoudou (87')
MAL: Mahamadou Samassa (72')

Ghana 2 - 0 Sudan
GHA: Sulley Muntari (14') & Michael Essien (52')

GROUP E STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Malawi 2 - 1 Guinea
MAL: Chiukepo Msowoya (46', 59')
GUI: Oumar Kalabane (37')

Côte d'Ivoire 5 - 0 Burkina Faso
CIV: Saidou Panandetiguiri (og 9'), Drogba (48', 64'), Yaya Toure (54'), Keita (68')

African WCQ Wrap - Sept. 2009

Rounds 7 and 8 of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers were the rounds that re-established the known order of CONCACAF national teams. The US & Mexico came into these rounds in need of 6 points to overtake Honduras & Costa Rica in the standings. The Stars & Stripes defeated El Salvador 2-1 at home in Utah with Jozy Altidore scoring the game winner in 1st half injury time. The US then traveled to Port of Spain and defeated Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 on a Ricardo Clark long distance GOLAZO. The victories moved the US to the top of the hexagonal.

Mexico was in the same position as the US, needing 6 points to affirm their position as a CONCACAF power. Beginning with an impressive 3-0 road win against Costa Rica at Saprissa Stadium. Giovani Dos Santos was the man of the match scoring a GOLAZO to open the scoring and set up the other two goals to give El Tri a massive 3 points. Mexico's next match was at home against a hot Honduras team that had won 4 of their last 5 matches. It was a hard fought match that was decided in the 74th minute when Dos Santos was fouled in the box and Cuauhtemoc Blanco buried the PK to give Mexico its 4th consecutive WCQ win and 2nd place in the standings.

Here are the results & standings from these rounds:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH

United States 2 - 1 El Salvador
USA: Clint Dempsey (41') & Jozy Altidore (45'+2')
SLV: Cristian Castillo (31')

Honduras 4 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago
HON: Carlos Pavon (20', 28'), Amado Guevara (62'), David Suazo (83')
TNT: Kerry Baptiste (86')

Costa Rica 0 - 3 Mexico
MEX: Giovani Dos Santos (45'+1'), Guillermo Franco (62'), Andres Guardado (71')

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH

El Salvador 1 - 0 Costa Rica
SLV: Rudis Corrales (90'+1')

Trinidad & Tobago 0 - 1 United States
USA: Ricardo Clark (62')

Mexico 1 - 0 Honduras
MEX: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (pen 75')

STANDINGS

CONCACAF WCQ Wrap - Sept. 2009

Ghana became the first African team to qualify out of the groups after beating Sudan in Accra 2-0.

Ghana Qualify For South Africa

Cameroon came into Libreville with their backs to the wall, yet they were able to come out with a very important three points as they beat Gabon 2-0.

Cameroon Stay Alive In Gabon

This round of World Cup qualifiers are a must 6 points for Diego Maradona's Argentine squad. Los Albicelestes face Brazil at home in Rosario on the Sept. 5th and then travel to Asuncion to take on Paraguay on the 9th.

19 players were called up with 3 domestic players to be named before the team gets together for practice on August 30th. Among the players being considered are Juan Sebastián Veron of Libertadores' champion Estudiantes, Emiliano Papa & Nicolás Otamendi of current Argentine champions, Vélez Sarsfield, Sebastián Battaglia of Boca Juniors & Mario Bolati of Huracán.

Once again, Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain was left off the team in favor of Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi. Injuries were key to some of Maradona's callups. Bayern's Martín Demichelis injury opened a spot Newcastle's Fabricio Coloccini while it looks like Nicolás Otamendi could be called to replace Daniel "El Cata" Diaz.

Here is the list of players called for the upcoming qualifiers:

Goalkeepers:
Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Juan Pablo Carrizo (Real Zaragoza), Mariano Andujar (Catania)

Defenders:
Nicolas Burdisso, Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United), Nicolas Pareja (Espanyol)

Midfielders:
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United), Jesus Datolo (Napoli)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Lisandro Lopez (Olympique Lyon)

Argentina Roster Set For Sept. WC Qualifiers

Brazil is close to sealing qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, if they can beat Argentina on the road on the 5th and Chile at home on the 9th then Brazil will be on their way to South Africa.

The big news was the call up of Adriano of Flamengo to the national team. The big forward seems to have regained his scoring touch with Flamengo. He is tied atop the Campeonato Brasileiro goal scoring charts with 10 goals and is a known Argentine killer.

A new face to the Brazil squad is young defender Filipe of Deportivo La Coruna. The 24-year old adds depth to the left side of Brazil's defense. Lucas of Liverpool also got a callup as his youth balances out a veteran midfield.

Here is the complete list of Brazil's squad:

Goalkeepers:
Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio)

Defenders:
Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter Milan), Filipe (Deportivo La Coruna), Lucio (Inter Milan), Luisao (Benfica), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Juan (AS Roma)

Midfielders:
Elano (Galatasaray), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Ramires (Benfica), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (Real Madrid), Lucas (Liverpool)

Forwards:
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Robinho (Manchester City), Adriano (Flamengo)

Brazil Names Squad For Sept. WC Qualifiers

The US claimed that they had dominance in their rivalry against Mexico. El Tri had another opinion as they proved to the northern borders why they never had won at the Coloso de Santa Ursula.

Mexico Dominate US On Their Turf

Bob Bradley announces his 23-man roster for the big game against Mexico at the Azteca.

USA Callups Up Big Guns Against Mexico

Javier Aguirre goes with his European players as well as Cuauhtémoc Blanco for the vital clash at the Estadio Azteca against the US on August 12th. In addition to the legionnaires, "El Vasco" also will count on some of his heroes from the Gold Cup like Miguel Sabah, Gerardo Torrado, Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, and Guillermo Franco.

GOALKEEPERS
Guillermo Ochoa | América
José de Jesús Corona | Cruz Azul

DEFENDERS
Efraín Juárez | Pumas
José Antonio Castro | Tigres
Rafael Márquez | Barcelona (ESP)
Jonny Magallón | Guadalajara
Ricardo Osorio | Stuttgart (GER)
Aarón Galindo | Guadalajara
Carlos Salcido | PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Oscar Rojas | América

MIDFIELDERS
Gerardo Torrado | Cruz Azul
Israel Castro | Pumas
Andrés Guardado|Deportivo (ESP)
Cuauhtémoc Blanco | Chicago Fire (USA)

FORWARDS
Alberto Medina | Guadalajara
Giovani Dos Santos | Tottenham (ENG)
Nery Castillo | Shakhtar (UKR)
Carlos Vela | Arsenal (ENG)
Miguel Sabah | Monarcas Morelia
Guillermo Franco

Aguirre Calls Up Europeans For Azteca Clash

African World Cup qualifying is halfway to its conclusion as the Motherland continues to give the footballing world more to talk about as this round of matches ranged from the hardly interesting 0-0 draws like Morocco v Togo to 5 goal thrilers like Burkina Faso v Côte d'Ivoire. Interestingly, the visiting team took at least 1 point in all but 3 matches this weekend.

The match between Burkina Faso & Côte d'Ivoire was a battle for top spot in Group E with Les Éléphants being massively tested by a surprising Burkina Faso side. Goals by European stars Yaya Toure & Didier Drogba did not decide the match but an own goal by Burkina defender Mamadou Tall gave Côte d'Ivoire the 3-2 road win as Les Éléphants continued their perfect start in World Cup qualifying.

Algeria moved to the top of Group C with their big 2-0 road win against Zambia. Rangers' defender Madjid Bougherra opened the scoring in the 21st minute as The Desert Foxes kept the clean sheet and remained unbeaten in Group C. Algeria look to be the favorite to win Group C as they are unbeaten in their last 6 WC Qualifiers.

On Sunday, Mali got its 1st win of the final group stage with a 3-1 home win in the capital city of Bamako against Benin. The Eagles' French Connection of Modibo Maïga of Le Mans and Mamadou Diallo of Le Havre led Mali to victory with goals in the 21st and 75th minute respectively after Benin stunned the crowd with a 12th minute goal by Bahrain based midfielder Seidath Tchomogo. Mali's victory moves them into 2nd place behind Ghana in Group D.

Here are the results & standings:

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Morocco 0 - 0 Togo

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Kenya 2 - 1 Mozambique
KEN: Julius Owino (5') & Macdonald Mariaga (pen 76')
MOZ: Domingues (49')

Tunisia 0 - 0 Nigeria

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Zambia 0 - 2 Algeria
ALG: Madjid Bougherra (21') & Rafik Saifi (66')

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Sudan 0 - 2 Ghana
GHA: Matthew Amoah (5', 52')

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Mali 3 - 1 Benin
MLI: Modibo Maiga (21'), Mamadou Diallo (75'), Frédéric Kanouté (83')
BEN: Seidath Tchomogo (12')

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Burkina Faso 2 - 3 Côte d'Ivoire
BFO: Jonathan Pitroipa (27'), Aristide Bance (78')
CIV: Yaya Toure (13'), Mamadou Tall (og 55'), Didier Drogba (70')

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Guinea 2 - 1 Malawi
GUI: Pascal Feindouno (24', 42')
MWI: Chiukepo Msowoya (89')

African WCQ Wrap: June 20 - 21

The Asian Confederation has finalized its automatic places for South Africa 2010 and it took some fantastic last match drama to fill the last automatic spot. The drama centered around the match between Saudi Arabia and Korea DPR. The winner would advance and the loser was in jeopardy of missing out on the playoff with 3rd place of Group 1.

The game in the Saudi capital of Riyadh was controlled by the home side. Saudi forward Naif Hazazi constantly threatened the North Korean defense but keeper Ri Myong-Guk was great in between the sticks including a great save on a spectacular chilena attempt from Hazazi in the 29th minute. The Korea DPR keeper was the unquestioned Man Of The Match making some massive saves to keep The Green Falcons scoreless. For a 0-0 score it was a thrilling match, check out the highlights. The draw was enough to for Korea DPR to finish 2nd in Group 2 and advance to its first World Cup since 1966.

The 0-0 draw in Riyadh was the result Iran needed to leapfrog into South Africa 2010. Team Melli looked primed to make plans for The World Cup when they led Korea Republic 1-0 on the strength of Osasuna midfielder Masoud Shojaei's goal in the 51st minute in Seoul. However, Manchester United midfielder Park Ji Sung scored 9 minutes from the final whistle to end Iran's hopes of qualifying for a 3rd World Cup in the last 4 tournaments.

Here are the results and final standings from Asia:

GROUP 1 FINAL STANDINGS


Bahrain 1 -0 Uzbekistan
BAH: Mahmood Abdul-Rahman (74')

Australia 2 - 1 Japan
AUS: Tim Cahill (59', 77')
JAP: Marcos Tulio Tanaka (40')

GROUP 2 FINAL STANDINGS


Saudi Arabia 0 - 0 Korea DPR

Korea Republic 1 - 1 Iran
KOR: Park Ji Sung (81')
IRN: Masoud Shojaei (51')

Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Korea DPR qualify for South Africa 2010
AFC playoff = Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain
The playoff winner of New Zealand v AFC playoff winner will go to South Africa 2010

Asia Finalizes Spots For 2010 WC

It's been almost 31 years since Argentina saw themselves in a precarious situation and a shift of venue did all the difference in the world for the eventual world champions back then. A loss to Italy forced the Albiceleste to leave Buenos Aires for Rosario and the confines could not have been better.

Now the team finds themselves in a similar situation and they look to Rosario once more for comfort. The row that Diego Maradona had with River Plate because of the conditions of the pitch at El Monumental finally had its first possible casualty- the Buenos Aires fans. AFA president and FIFA vice president Julio Grondona made a request to his superiors over in Zurich to consider Rosario a new venue for the national team ASAP. Maradona's comments regarding the state of the pitch after two sold out concerts at the home of the Albiceleste. Maradona came out in his usual explosive style and mentioned that there were pitches that looked better in his native Villa Fiorito.

All signs (as well as reports) indicate like the move to Rosario is going to happen against Brazil when they meet in September. It would be a great way to diffuse the poor moment that the Argentines are going through. It has helped in the past, why not try it again? At least in Rosario they will be guaranteed a well-maintained pitch prior to their final two home games of the CONMEBOL qualifiers. For Rosario native Lionel Messi, it would be the best bit of news...albeit not the pitch he wold prefer within the city (he started out in Newell's Old Boys youth sides)

Grondona Makes Official Request To FIFA To Play Matches In Rosario

This edition of Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 will breakdown the Top 5 Things Observed From The June World Cup Qualifying Matches. Let's begin with CONCACAF's best team.

COSTA RICA IS THE BEST IN CONCACAF

Los Ticos have established themselves as the best team in CONCACAF after their impressive displays against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica has lost only once in this cycle of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. In 13 WCQ matches, Los Ticos have lost once a 2-0 loss to Mexico at Estadio Azteca and drawn once a 2-2 result on the road in Grenada in a 2nd round 1st leg match. Rodrigo Kenton has done a masterful job steering Costa Rica to a highly likely spot in South Africa 2010. Los Ticos are a perfect 7-0-0 at the Estadio Saprissa in San Jose. Saprissa is now the most intimidating home field advantage in CONCACAF.

GABON IS FOR REAL

The West African nation through which the Equator runs through has become the big story in African World Cup Qualifying. The Azingo Nationale is coached by former French international Alain Giresse whose experience as part of "The Magic Square" of France's national teams in the 80s has been essential in Gabon's run to the top of Group A. In 8 matches of African WC Qualifying, Gabon has only lost twice and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. Gabon have been riding the talents of all-time goal scorer Hull City striker Daniel Cousin, leading scorer in qualifying Ankaraspor striker Roguy Méyé and the Aubameyang brothers: Catilina, Pierre-Emerick, and Willy. All 3 were products of AC Milan's scouting system with Pierre-Emerick & Willy still property of Il Rossoneri.

CONMEBOL'S PLAYOFF SPOT DUEL
VS.
After these past two rounds of CONMEBOL WC qualifying, it looks like the last playoff spot will come down to Ecuador versus Uruguay. Ecuador earned the max of 6 points over the past two rounds and it vaulted them into 5th place. Uruguay only got 1 point over the last two matches and fell 2 points behind Ecuador to 6th place. Colombia and Venezuela are tied for 7th place, 1 point behind Uruguay but Colombia does not score enough goals and Venezuela gives up too many goals to hold up. Ecuador seems to be regaining the form that has seen them qualify for the previous two World Cups and Uruguay has an explosive offense that can score goals quickly and in bunches. Ecuador hosts Uruguay in the next to last round of qualifying in a match that could determine who will face the CONCACAF 4th place team in a playoff.

SHOWDOWN IN ASIA
VS.
3 of the 4 automatic spots for South Africa 2010 from Asia have already been finalized. Only 1 spot remains and thankfully the schedule makers have set up massive drama on the final day of matches. In Group 2, 3rd place Saudi Arabia hosts 2nd place Korea DPR with the winner of the match going to South Africa. Korea DPR aka North Korea looks to qualify for its 2nd ever World Cup while Saudi Arabia goes for its 5th straight appearance. The loser could even lose out on the playoff spot if Iran defeats already qualified South Korea in their final WC Qualifying match. WHEW! Asia offering up some MASSIVE drama.

TRADITIONAL POWERS IN TROUBLE

3 traditional powers of their continents have their fans and citizens praying for some intervention to secure a place in South Africa 2010. Mexico sits in 4th place in CONCACAF and their form has been spotty at best. El Tri is not the lock to qualify from CONCACAF like the footballing world is used to. The Mexicans will have to show a lot more heart than in previous qualifying runs in order to get to The Great Tournament.

Maradona's appointment as Argentina's head coach was supposed to minimize the stress in qualifying from CONMEBOL but his tactical shortcomings are being exposed. Los Albicelestes haven't been able to string wins together and have been embarrassed on the road allowing 10 goals in their last 4 road matches notching only 1 point in that stretch. They sit in the last automatic spot just 2 points ahead 5th place Ecuador.

Portugal's troubles in Group 1 of European qualifying were eased a bit when they barely scraped by Albania 2-1 on the road. Bruno Alves' 2nd half injury time goal kept Portugal breathing but the fact that they had to get a late goal to beat Albania shows that Portugal is overrated. They sit in 3rd place a full 4 points behind 2nd place Hungary with each having 4 matches remaining. Of the 3 mentioned continental powers, Portugal is in the greatest jeopardy of missing South Africa 2010.

Alright there it is Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 for the June World Cup qualifiers. Look out for the next installment of Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 as we breakdown the most controversial footballers in history. Post a comment and let us know what you think.

MAF Top 5: #8 - June WC Qualifiers

It is past the halfway point of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying and the region's best teams are locking up their places in South Africa 2010. However, there could be a surprise or two especially after the most recent matches.

Costa Rica moved to the top of the group with a dominant 3-1 home win over the U.S. 2 goals in the 1st 13 minutes in Estadio Saprissa and a clueless U.S. side helped Los Ticos to the win. Costa Rica followed up the big victory with a thrilling 3-2 win on the road versus Trinidad & Tobago. Celso Borges scored the game winner in the 68th minute to spoil Russell Latapy's debut as head man of The Soca Warriors.

Mexico, the long time dominant team in CONCACAF, is in a real fight to qualify after taking 3 points in 2 matches. El Tri lost 2-1 to El Salvador in San Salvador with Eliseo Quintanilla sinking the Mexicans by converting a PK in the 86th minute. However, Javier Aguirre's men bounced back at the Estadio Azteca with a tough 2-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago. Oscar Rojas' long distance Golazo in the 48th minute gave El Tri the win and kept them in contention for an automatic spot.

Here are the results & standings from the CONCACAF matches:


THURSDAY, JUNE 3rd

Costa Rica 3 - 1 USA
CRC: Alvaro Saborio (2'), Celso Borges (13'), Pablo Herrera (68')
USA: Landon Donovan (pen 90')

SATURDAY, JUNE 6th

USA 2 - 1 Honduras
USA: Landon Donovan (pen 43') & Carlos Bocanegra (68')
HON: Carlos Costly (5')

El Salvador 2 - 1 Mexico
SLV: Julio Martinez (11') & Eliseo Quintanilla (pen 86')
MEX: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (pen 71')

Trinidad & Tobago 2 - 3 Costa Rica
TNT: Carlos Edwards (29') & Collin Samuel (63')
CRC: Alvaro Saborio (40') & Celso Borges (52' & 68')

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10th

Honduras 1 - 0 El Salvador
HON: Carlos Pavon (13')

Mexico 2 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago
MEX: Guillermo Franco (1') & Oscar Rojas (48')
TNT: Hayden Tinto (45'+1')

STANDINGS

CONCACAF WCQ Wrap: June 3 - 10

Round 14 of South American qualifying is over and it looked like 4 sides would pull away from the rest of the teams in the race for the automatic CONMEBOL spots. However, Ecuador said "I don't think so" after they thoroughly dominated Argentina in Quito winning 2-0. Walter Ayovi's Golazo in the 72nd minute broke the game open for Ecuador. Argentina squandered a number of opportunities to equalize and take the 3 points including a Carlos Tevez PK that was saved by Ecuador keeper Marcelo Elizaga. Ecuador is unbeaten in their last 4 qualifiers taking 8 of 12 points to leap over Uruguay into 5th place.

Speaking of Uruguay, they couldn't rebound from that devastating 4-0 home loss to Brazil as Las Charrúas drew 2-2 on the road against Venezuela in Puerto Ordaz. Jose Manuel Rey's 74th minute goal equalized for La Vinotinto and ended Uruguay's chance to recoup 3 points. The result sent Oscar Tabarez's men into 6th place as Las Charrúas have only 1 win in its last 7 qualifiers.

Chile continued its impressive climb up the table with its 4-0 win against Bolivia in Santiago. Ex-Colo Colo & River Plate wonder kid Alexis Sánchez scored twice late in the 2nd half to embarrass the Bolivians and pretty much eliminate them from South Africa 2010. La Roja are unbeaten in their last 5 matches taking 13 of 15 points to move into 2nd place just 1 point behind leaders Brazil.

Here are the results and standings from Round 14:

Ecuador 2 - 0 Argentina
ECU: Walter Ayovi (72') & Pablo Palacios (83')

Colombia 1 - 0 Peru
COL: Radamel Falcao García (25')

Venezuela 2 - 2 Uruguay
VEN: Giancarlo Maldonado (9') & José Manuel Rey (74')
URU: Luis Suárez (61') & Diego Forlán (72')

Chile 4 - 0 Bolivia
CHI: Jean Beausejour (43'), Marco Estrada (73'), Alexis Sánchez (78' & 88')

Brazil 2 - 1 Paraguay
BRA: Robinho (40') & Nilmar (49')
PAR: Salvador Cabañas (25')

STANDINGS

CONMEBOL WCQ Round 14 Wrap

The African continent is still in the early stages of World Cup qualifying and its looking like Africa will continue to surprise the footballing world. Gabon continued its perfect start to qualifying with their 3-0 home win over Togo. Turkish based striker Roguy Meye scored his 2nd goal in as many games in the final group stage as the Azingo Nationale lead Group A. In the other Group A match, Thomas N'Kono's 1st match in charge of Cameroon ended in a disappointing 0-0 home draw against Morocco. The legendary goalkeeper's coaching debut wasn't enough keep the Indomitable Lions off the bottom of Group A.

The current African champions, Egypt continue their struggles in qualifying after their 3-1 road loss to Algeria. The Pharoahs were finished by 3 goals in a 17 minute stretch in the 2nd half as Algeria moved to the top of Group C while Egypt sits in last place.

Nigeria bounced back from a disappointing opening game to take down Kenya at home 3-0. Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna scored twice in the 73rd & 77th minutes to seal The Super Eagles win. Nigeria moved into 2nd place in Group B behind Tunisia who remained perfect after their 2-0 home win against Mozambique.

Two other continental powers continued their perfect starts in the final stage of African qualifying. Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 on the road in Bamako with Udinese striker Kwadwo Asamoah scoring the game winner in the 66th minute as The Black Stars have not allowed a goal in taking the lead in Group D. Another African power, Côte d'Ivoire leads Group E after their 2-1 road win against Guinea. In a back & forth affair Sevilla midfielder Romaric scored the 3 point clinching goal in the 72nd minute.

Here are the results & standings after this round:

GROUP A STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Gabon 3 - 0 Togo
GAB: Bruno Ecuele (11'), Roguy Meye (56'), Moise Brou (83')

Sun. June 7th
Cameroon 0 - 0 Morocco

GROUP B STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Tunisia 2 - 0 Mozambique
TUN: Ouissen Ben Yahia (pen 21') & Oussama Darragi (90'+1')

Sun. June 7th
Nigeria 3 - 0 Kenya
NIG: Ikechukwu Uche (2') & Victor Obinna (pen 73'& 77')

GROUP C STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Zambia 1 - 0 Rwanda
ZAM: Rainford Kalaba (79')

Sun. June 7th
Algeria 3 - 1 Egypt
ALG: Karim Matmour (60'), Abdelkader Ghezzal (64'), Rafik Djebbour (77')
EGY: Mohamed Aboutrika (87')

GROUP D STANDINGS

Sun. June 7th
Benin 1 - 0 Sudan
BEN: Razak Omotoyossi (19')

Mali 0 - 2 Ghana
GHA: Kwadwo Asamoah (67') & Matthew Amoah (79')

GROUP E STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Malawi 0 - 1 Burkina Faso
BFA: Moumouni Dagano (70')

Sun. June 7th
Guinea 1 - 2 Côte d'Ivoire
GUI: Sambegou Bangoura (65')
CIV: Bakary Kone (45') & Romaric (72')

African WCQ Wrap: June 6 - 7