The U.S. Men’s National Team was drawn into Group A of CONCACAF’s Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifying during the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup that took place Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.S., led by new head coach Juergen Klinsmann, will begin its quest to qualify for a seventh-consecutive FIFA World Cup when Semifinal Round play in CONCACAF begins in June of 2012.
The U.S. was drawn into Group A with Jamaica, and will be joined by the winners of Group E and Group F from the Second Round of qualifying. Group E is composed of Grenada, Guatemala, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize, while Group F features Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curaçao and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The group winners will be determined during Second Round play which will be completed November of 2011.
“The Preliminary Draw is an important starting point as it allows us to begin preparations for our qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “The teams in CONCACAF improve every year and that makes advancing to the World Cup more difficult, but we are look forward to the journey and the opportunity to be part of the world’s biggest event in what will be an incredible atmosphere in Brazil.”
The USA recently met Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where goals from Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey sent the USA to the semifinal and the Reggae Boyz out of the tournament. The U.S. holds a lifetime record of 10-0-8 against Jamaica. The two teams last met in a World Cup qualifier almost seven years ago during qualifying for the 2006 tournament in Germany.
Beginning in June of 2012 and ending in October that same year, the U.S. will play each of its Group A opponents twice, once at home and once away, in round robin play, with the group winner and group runner-up advancing to Final Round of World Cup qualifying.
The Final Round, which will take place in 2013, will feature a group of six teams. Each of the Semifinal Round group winners and runners-up making up the well-known Hexagonal that determines which CONCACAF nations qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The top three teams from round robin play will book their place in Brazil, with the fourth place team playing a home-and-away intercontinental playoff against a team from Oceania. The USA has finished first in the Hexagonal during the past two FIFA World Cup cycles.
The U.S. is next in action against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia. Tickets are still available for the match and can be purchased at ussoccer.com. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision.
2014 FIFA World Cup – CONCACAF Draw
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
First Round (June 15 – July 17, 2011)
– The 10 lowest-ranked teams in the region (based on March 2011 FIFA World Rankings) contested a home-and-away series.
– The five series winners advanced to the Second Round.
Second Round (Sept. 2 – Nov. 15, 2011)
Group A
El Salvador
Suriname
Cayman Islands
Dominican Republic
Group B
Trinidad and Tobago
Guyana
Barbados
Bermuda
Group C
Panama
Dominica
Nicaragua
Bahamas
Group D
Canada
St. Kitts and Nevis
Puerto Rico
St. Lucia
Group E
Grenada
Guatemala
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Belize
Group F
Haiti
Antigua and Barbuda
Curaçao
U.S. Virgin Islands
Semifinal Round (June 8 – Oct. 16, 2012)
Group A
USA
Jamaica
Winner E (Second Round)
Winner F (Second Round)
Group B
Mexico
Costa Rica
Winner A (Second Round)
Winner B (Second Round)
Group C
Honduras
Cuba
Winner D (Second Round)
Winner C (Second Round)
Final Round (Feb. 6 – Oct. 15, 2013)
– Three group winners and runners-up from Semifinal Round comprise a group of six teams.
– The top three teams qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with the fourth placed team advancing to the intercontinental playoff against a team from Oceania.
