Here I go, on a bit of a ramble...
The United States has clinched qualification for next year's World Cup in South Africa. By beating Honduras in San Pedro Sula, a result that many (including myself) were pleasantly surprised by, the Americans head into their final qualifier against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium with less to play for than was expected. A win isn't necessary anymore, at least not for anything other than pride.
It's pride and pride alone that the Americas have at their back on Wednesday because the FIFA system for seeding teams in the World Cup does not favor them. Confusion over the system, one that FIFA hesitates to fully explain, runs rampant; many "experts", men and women intimately familiar with soccer and conversant in all things footy, are at a loss when it comes to determining if the United States can even be seeded next year, no matter how they finish the Hexagonal. Most simply believe that because the math is partially based on past World Cup performance, and because the US isn't exactly stellar in that regard outside of 2002, that they have zero chance of being seeded.
I'm inclined to agree, even if I am admittedly unsure what information is good, and which is coming from individuals just as confused as the rest of us but are sure they've got it right. Essentially, I'm taking the approach that the less expectations I have, the less disappointment I'll feel when the Yanks are on the outside of the top eight World Cup participants.
The seeding question isn't even a question if the US doesn't win on Wednesday, of course, though it shouldn't matter in terms of motivation. As Bob Bradley stated in his post-game comments on Saturday night, the US goal is to be the best team in the region; winning the final group of qualifying would go a long way toward cementing that title in the court of public opinion. Even if it's all about pride, pride is a powerful thing and should push the Americans to win at home (something they have not failed to do in the Hex) as much as anything else. Besides, Mexico sits in second, only one point back, and could leapfrog their bitter rivals if they win at Trinidad & Tobago (no tough feat these days) on Wednesday.
I'm positive that, to a man, the US squad wants to end the qualification campaign on a high note at home in front of American fans. Those fans wants reason to party, and although they already have one, there's nothing that says a few goals and a win won't ratchet up the enthusiasm another level.
Seeding be damned, whether it's on the table or not. It's all about pride, beating out the Mexicans (something we can all get behind), and ending the 2010 World Cup qualification journey with a avenging victory over Costa Rica.
