The US national team did not get off to a good start in the Hex over the last week, losing at home to Mexico and getting demolished on the road at Costa Rica.
There will be eight more games in the Hex to be played over the next 11 months, with the countries finishing in the top three earning automatic qualification to the World Cup and the fourth-placed team facing the fifth-placed team out of Asia in a playoff for another place in quadrennial tournament.
Four years ago, the US traveled down to Honduras for the first game of the Hex and promptly lost 2-1. They were able to rebound a month and a half later, beating Costa Rica 1-0 in the infamous 'Snow Game.' They would finish the Hex with 22 points, the most of any team during the 2014 cycle.
So just how much trouble are the US in? Take a look at the table to see point totals from the first two games of the Hex since 1998, and the final standings of those teams.
Points thru 2 games |
# of teams |
# to finish 3rd or higher |
# to finish 4th |
|---|---|---|---|
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
8 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
These numbers are fairly inconclusive but it is pretty clearly that getting zero points from their first two games was not the start that the US wanted. Only one team (2006 Trinidad & Tobago) managed to qualify for the World Cup after losing their first two games in the Hex.
