US Soccer Readies for the WC 2006 Hexagonal

Last night, the US Men's National Soccer team finished the World Cup 2006 CONCACAF Semifinal qualifying round with a 1-1 draw vs. Jamaica in Columbus. Dallas Forward Eddie Johnson scored for the US, for his 5th goal in three matches this year.

The US won its group handily with a 3-0-3 record, and along with second-place finisher Panama, advances to next year's qualifying finals, along know as "The Hexagonal." Qualifying from other groups were Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The top three finishers of the 2005's year-long "Hex" will qualify directly for World Cup 2006 in Germany, and the fourth-place finisher will play the 5th place Asian team in a home-and-away series for a World Cup berth. On paper, the US should have little trouble qualifying for Germany.

The team's record vs. Hex opponents since 2000:
vs. Costa Rica: 3-2-1
vs. Guatemala: 1-0-1
vs. Mexico: 6-1-1
vs. Panama: 1-0-1
vs. Trinidad: 1-0-1
TOTAL: 12-3-5

The US, currently ranked 11th in the world by FIFA, finished its 2004 season with a 8-1-6 record, with the lone loss coming vs. Holland in Amsterdam in February. The US finished the season with a 13-match unbeaten streak. Since 2000, the US record is 45-19-19. The US also has a 29-match unbeaten streak against CONCACAF opponents, dating back to a 0-2 loss in Costa Rica on 9/5/2001.

The schedule for the Hex will be determined next month. The first matchday is February 9th.