Looking down the US Hex Schedule

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win at home 4 times + tie mex 1 at home + win 1 away game + tie 2 away games + lose mex away = 18 Points

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Also, applying Ryne Sandberg's formula from another thread (w/ sum fixed), here is what it would look like:

Feb 6, @Honduras - L 2-1, 0 Pts
Mar 22, Costa Rica - W, 3 Pts
Mar 26, @Mexico - L, 3 Pts
Jun 7, @Jamaica - D, 4 Pts
Jun 11, Panama - W, 7 Pts
Jun 18, Honduras - W, 10 Pts
Sep 6, @Costa Rica - D, 11 Pts
Sep 10, Mexico - D, 12 Pts
Oct 11, Jamaica - W, 15 Pts
Oct 15, @Panama - W, 18 Pts

I'm predicting a win in Jamaica. I know they just drew Mexico in Azteca last night and beat us in Jamaica not too long ago but I think but I'm hoping by the time that game comes around we're playing better as a team and were more focused on the game.

Costa Rica is far from an auto three points, considering our recent results against them. We could only draw against them at home last qualifying cycle, and recently lost to them at home in a friendly.

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Losing at home to Costa Rica next month will be the actual sky falling.

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This.

We can pull it together though

17-18 is the magic number to automatic qualification. 16 is *probably* enough to make the playoff.

Getting two wins on the road is a mighty assumption at this point.

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Getting two wins on the road is a mighty assumption at this point.

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So is winning the home games.

If we play as poorly at Jamaica as we did last time (and don't play great otherwise) then we don't deserve to play in the WC. And JK needs to be fired quickly.
That's not letting the players off the hook.
Regardless of the coach, they should quit playing int'l soccer if they can't summon the will to qualify from this hex.

That said, I think we win at CR and Jamaica.

We do have to keep in mind that this was arguably our second toughest game. Outside of the game at the Mexican shithole, going to Honduras is tough to get more than a point.

Even if the US played generally well in the Hex, I would have assumed a loss in Mexico and in one other country.

The good news is that Mexico really fricked up by drawing at home to Jamaica. We have to take three points from that match-up.

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We do have to keep in mind that this was arguably our second toughest game.

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Honduras is a team full of homegrowns, a couple pretty good MLS players and a couple of marginal players abroad. There's still a pretty substantial talent gap between us and them, and they beat us like a fricking drum.

From the US Soccer website:

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USA vs. HONDURAS

- The U.S. holds a 12-3-3 all-time record against Honduras in a series dating back to 1965.
- The last time the two teams met, Clint Dempsey scored the lone goal in the 36th minute as the USA topped Honduras 1-0 on Oct. 8, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made six saves, picked up his 37th career victory to tie Tony Meola for second on the all-time win list for goalkeepers.
- The 2011 win also was Jurgen Klinsmann’s first victory as the U.S. MNT head coach.
- The U.S is 3-1-1 in games played in Honduras and 3-0-0 in San Pedro Sula. The USA’s loss and draw came at Tegucigalpa.
- In the past 10 meetings, the U.S. is 9-0-1 against Honduras since 2002.
- In World Cup Qualifying matches, the U.S. is 4-1-1 all-time against Honduras.
- In 2009, the U.S. went 4-0-0 against Honduras, including a 2-0 victory on July 23 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and a thrilling 3-2 victory on Oct. 10 to clinch a berth to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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Sheep, we get it, you don't like JK, and the loss to Honduras was a bad one... Quit beating a dead horse

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If there was ever a time to use the emoticons, this was it.

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if you had to choose 23 for march vs cr and mex who would you take?

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GK- Howard, Johnson, Guzan
DEF- Chandler, Boca, Cameron, Johnson, Lichaj, Gonzales, Parkhurst
MID- Bradley, Danny Williams, JJ, Stu Holden, Zusi, Gatt, Shea, Sacha
F- Dempsey, Jozy, Herc, GAM, Boyd

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If Dolo is healthy, he goes and starts.

If Stu is healthy, he goes, and possibly starts at right mid. Depends on how much rust he has. I know he played 90 minutes in a closed door match, so we'll see.

I'd like something like this:

-------Dempsey --- Herc--------
GAM-----------------------Stu
--------Bradley---Jones--------
Johnson----Boca----Cam----Dolo
-----------TIMMAY-------------

Jozy hasn't done shite to start under Klinsmann. Sorry not sorry.

We'll have to ride Boca and Dolo as far as they can take us. Bring Gonzales along slowly. Same with Chandler.

If Stu isn't ready, and that's obviously a possibility/probability, , go 4-3-3 with Jones-Bradley-Williams in the midfield and Dempsey-Herc-GAM up top. Back four stays the same.

When Jozy shows me something, I'll consider him a starter. But he's behind Herc, Dempsey, and GAM to me at this point. Makes no dangerous runs, is only decent in build up, and is kind of an entitled bitch sometimes.