re: Hey soccer board have you read this

quote:

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The only groups in which I could see us fail to reach the playoffs are A, B, C

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We probably don't disagree but my point was that your post seemed to suggest that qualifying for the WC period was harder for us than for a similarly ranked/talented European side. It's that point on which I disagree. I think its much easier for us.

I agree that we would make it to the playoff round, let's say 5 of 6 cycles. However, that the playoff round for Europe is brutal is my point.

Here's the teams that were forced to qualify in a playoff field recently:

2002:
Germany
Belgium
Czech Rep
Ukraine
Slovenia
Romania
Turkey
Austria


2006:
Spain
Czech Rep
Poland
Sweden
Swizterland
Turkey
Slovakia
Norway

2010
Russia
Greece
France
Norway
Slovenia
Ukraine
Portugal
Bosnia
Ireland

My point is that I'd only like our chances to finish top 4 in that final playoff group about 1 out of 3 times. Simply making 1 of every 2 World Cups would probably be overachieving. Teams that are close to us as far as rankings like Russia and Belgium etc miss at very least every other WC.



It's not saying that playing away at central American stadiums is easy but when you look at the final few that don't make the cut I like our chances against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago a whole lot more than Russia and Belgium every cycle.