Vincy Heat end misery in Guatemala tonight

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Vincy Heat will end their misery tonight in Guatemala when they face the host in an encounter that is simply for the records, in Group C of the CONCACAF Zone of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

The match is set for the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City.

The lone consolation for the Vincentians is to register a goal against the Central Americans, who have blanked them in their three previous meetings.{{more}}

When the two countries met in 2011 in the same World Cup qualifiers, Guatemala won 4-0 in the first leg and 3-0 here.

The two outfits met last November again in this phase of the qualifiers, as Guatemala ran out 4-0 winners, in the fixture played at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

The Vincentians lost the sixth straight match in the current qualifiers, thumped 6-0 by the USA last Friday here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field. Bobby Wood made it 1-0 in the 28th minute, just after Vincentian forward Oalex Anderson had mistimed a header at the other end of the pitch. Matt Besler doubled the tally in the 32nd minute, making full use of an error of defender Roy

Richards.

Another infraction by Richards gave the USA their third goal in the 43rd minute, when Jozy Altidore converted a penalty.

Second half substitute

Christian Pulisic added the fourth and sixth items in the 71st and in injury time, while Sacha Kljestan scored the fifth in the 78th minute.

During the match, the hosts enjoyed brief passages of play in both halves, with the second period being the better.

The Vincentians found the back of the net twice, only to have their strikes ruled off side.

With last Friday’s loss, Vincy Heat have a record of one win, two draws and six defeats in their 2018 World Cup campaign.

In this the group stage of the qualifiers, the Vincentians, from their five encounters, have scored three goals, while conceding 25, a goal differential of – 22.

But, while Vincy Heat are out of it, the host Guatemala have a very remote chance of advancing to the hexagonal phase, but have to defeat SVG handsomely, and wish that Trinidad and Tobago, who are already through to the hexagonal stage, overcome the USA.

Guatemala sit on 8 points, while the USA have 10 and Trinidad and Tobago – 11.

However, the Americans have a superior goal differential of + 13, while Guatemala has +1.

At the same time that Guatemala engage SVG, USA host Trinidad and Tobago in Jacksonville, Florida.

Elsewhere in the CONCACAF Zone of the qualifiers tonight, Mexico host Honduras and El Salvador are at home to Canada in Group A.

And, in Group B, Costa Rica and Panama, who both have advanced, meet in Costa Rica, while Jamaica and Haiti battle it out in Kingston, simply for academic interest.

The two top teams from the three groups play in a round robin format, with the three top finishers gaining tickets straight to Russia in 2018.

The fourth place engages in a play-off versus the third place winner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for another possible place in the final for the CONCACAF confederation.