Tension rules New World marathon

Big two on top
In hindsight, it was predictable that USA and Mexico - who share nine of the last ten regional titles between them and have become regular fixtures at the FIFA World Cup™ - would end up fronting the race to South Africa. It was no easy journey, however, for either side. Mexico began their campaign under Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and struggled badly, slipping out of the automatic qualifying places for a time and losing on the road to Honduras and the USA.

Costa Rica catastrophe, Honduran joy
The parity that has emerged in the region was best displayed by the down-to-the-wire drama that unfolded between Honduras and Costa Rica. The Hondurans lost their penultimate match to the USA in San Pedro Sula and, as a result, had to win in El Salvador on the final day and hope that Costa Rica failed to win on the road against the US.