Count me in as another person to talk about this bit of news today. According to a Honduran paper (via USSoccerPlayers.com), CONCACAF is considering changing up how teams qualify for the next World Cup. In their eyes they want to give some of the smaller sides a bit of a chance against some of the big boys earlier in qualifying.

The biggest change according to this article is the final round of qualifying or what is now known as the Hexagonal.

The way this new form of qualifying is drawn up goes like this:

- 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four, top two of those group advance.

- Those 16 are drawn into four groups of four, and the top to move on from that.

- The final eight teams are put into two groups of four with the top two advancing to the World Cup. Should CONCACAF get 4 bids in the next World Cup then the top two advance with the group winners, if CONCACAF only gets three then the group runner-ups compete in a playoff. I’d assume the loser of that series would likely go to another playoff with another region’s team should CONCACAF get that lovely 1/2 bid that they’ve received the last couple World Cups.

Now the number of games doesn’t change in qualifying, it remains at 18 games for the entire show. But the interesting thing will be to see if and how CONCACAF uses seeding for this. You’d think if they base the groups off of seeding that Mexico and the US would end up in separate groups throughout the entire thing and could end up not having to face one another in qualifying. How weird would that be though?

I’m not sure if I am a fan of this sort of qualifying. In honesty I’d love to see the final group just be eight teams, and you play everyone twice like you normally would with the top three moving on. I guess CONCACAF is trying to get something fresh into qualifying to spice things up a bit which is okay. But the possibility of not having to face a Mexico or a Costa Rica in qualifying seems odd.

The US is going to another World Cup. (Getty Images)

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears at WVHooligan each week. Today he is back to recap the recent World Cup clinching match for the US against Honduras. Feel free to leave Geoff your thoughts below.

It’s been a few days since the US national team secured qualification for South Africa next summer so now would be a good time to recap the latest events that took place in San Pedro Sulsa on Saturday night.

Before kick off, Honduras won eight matches out of eight in this world cup qualifying cycle. Nobody has managed to get a point against them on their own pitch in front of their own crowd. It looked like that might continue against the Americans after Oguchi Onyewu gave away a stupid foul on Carlos Pavon that led to the free kick which was brilliantly taken by Julio Cesar de Leon and Tim Howard had no chance. Give credit to the team and to Bob Bradley when it’s due because this team could have folded and lost all confidence and composure after going behind on the road in a place where nobody has gotten any points.

With a little bit of luck and terrible goalkeeping, Conor Casey was able to get his head on Charlie Davies’ tall flick on and bounced the right way into the goal. While luck certainly played a part in leveling the score, Casey’s second goal didn’t involve any, just pure class. Great through ball from Landon Donovan, a well timed run by Casey and ball watching from the Honduran defense followed by a beautifully calm finish gave the Americans the 2-1 advantage. Before we knew it, Casey won a free kick on the edge of the box in a similar position to where Clint Mathis struck the winner back in 2001. This time it was Donovan who stuck a brilliant dead ball and again, with the help of a goalkeeping error the US made it 3-1. Of course luck played it’s role again, the a goal being disallowed for offside for the Hondurans, and then later on after the second goal for the hosts, Pavon pulled a Roberto Baggio and skied his penalty into row Z.

What did we learn?

The Positives:

Firstly, we learned that this team has the will and character to dig deep and pull together to come from the brink. After coming so close to getting a result at the Azteca in August, the players and staff now know mentally and physically what it takes to win in a hostile environment against a good team. Regardless if Honduras make it to the big dance or not, they’re still a good team with quality players so this was a massive result.

Conor Casey. I’m not going to lie, I was just as surprised to see Casey’s name in the starting 11 just as much as the next person and to be ahead of not only Jozy Altidiore, but also Brian Ching who has been a favorite of Bob Bradley’s. While Casey did not cement his place in the 23 man squad that’ll head to South Africa, he did his chances no harm whatsoever and the person he needs to thank is Gary Smith because ever since Gary Smith took over at the Rapids from Fernando Clavijo he has been much more consistent in his goals to game ratio. The team as a whole have gotten much better and it’s a wonder why Clavijo didn’t get the pink slip earlier quite honestly.

Stuart Holden. Now the starting position on the right wing is Clint Dempsey’s to lose, lets be quite clear on that. However, Holden showed being only in one game keep in mind, that he is an excellent replacement should Dempsey pick up a serious injury or lose form drastically. This season has seen him blossom into a better all round player who produces on a consistent basis after the Dynamo let Duane DeRosario leave. It’ll be interesting where he will be come the end of the MLS season and the European transfer window opens up.

Landon Donovan. Flat out, easily the best US player currently, arguably of all time. I’ve been a frequent criticizer of Donovan as much as anyone has, but the maturity he has shown in the last several years is quite impressive. I honestly think him getting married did help him a lot and even though that appears to be over, it’s helping him grow more as a player and as a person. We always knew he had the talent to succeed technically, it was mentally did he have the will to want to do it. I think we’re seeing now he does, and wants to erase the memory of 2006 for good and prove to the world that he can play on the biggest stage and be a success. For his sake, I hope somebody snaps him up in Europe, but not in Germany.

Bob Bradley. As a lot of folks who’ve read my stuff before and know me, I’ve always been defending Bob at the worst of times and there’s nobody I’m more happy for then him currently. That being said, and Bob knows this better then anyone, the hard work is just beginning. Has he gotten some decisions wrong? Of course, all coaches do. Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink aren’t always right. Heck even Sir Alex Ferguson makes mistakes from time to time and he’s the best out of the lot. But more often then not, the good managers get it right more often then not and so far, Bob has done that. The Confederations Cup didn’t get off to a good start, but once again, the character of this team shone through and eventually became only a heartbeat away from winning the tournament, and beating one of the best African teams (Egypt) and the top ranked nation in the world (Spain) before falling to Brazil. Sure, the US lost in Saprissa and the Azteca, but we’re sitting pretty at the top of the region again, with a very good chance of winning it again. Keep in mind, Tim Howard was absolutely right in that a lot of the team’s in CONCACAF are catching up and improving so this time around as we’ve seen, it’s been a lot more difficult to qualify.

The negatives:

The back four are still very suspect. Now if Jay DeMerit didn’t have trouble with one of his eyes, he would have started next to Onyewu with captain Carlos Bocanegra at left back. While I don’t think Bocanegra should be the top left back because he is vulnerable, he is the leader of this group and therefore he has to fit in somewhere, possibly in a 3-5-2 formation going into the center next to DeMerit and Onyewu?

Left back situation. This falls under the same category as the previous one but I thought it should get a mention separately. How many have tried the left back position in the last three years? Heath Pearce, DaMarkus Beasley, Jonathan Bornstein and Carlos Bocanegra, am I missing anyone else? While Bocanegra is the best out of who’s been tried there, it’s time to give Edgar Castillo a serious look. I’m not saying he’s the answer because we just don’t know. But he deserves a shot as much as anyone.

The play of Altidiore. I know the kid didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do and was told to chase loose balls and everything else, but am I the only one who thought there was no need to give away needless free kicks when he came on? It’s obvious that he needs to get regular football under his belt and he’ll get more of a chance this season with Hull City, but he has to work hard and earn his spot, just like Dempsey did when Roy Hodgson took over at Fulham. He has all the talent and the tools to succeed at the highest level and we all must remember he’s just 19 years old! He’s also got a good head on his shoulders so he should be fine in the long run

So overall we can be very pleased with what the team has accomplished so far. But there is still question marks over a number of things such as the midfield situation. How much of a look will Jermaine Jones get? What will happen when Maurice Edu is healthy? Will Bob Bradley accommodate Jose Francisco Torres in somehow? All these questions will be very interesting to see over the next eight months or so.

Now the US has a chance to win their group on Wednesday night in DC against Costa Rica.

Still stunned by this second half finish by the US? How about Conor Casey’s two-goal effort?

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux)

Off the top of my head, the only shockers to me were Conrad and Rogers. I’m also starting to wonder if Casey is the new Eddie Johnson for Bob Bradley. You know a decent forward that is a bit over hyped and never really does that great with the National team? I dunno, just a thought.

No radio, no English TV, no Spanish TV, and who knows maybe even no internet feed.

Goff says this isn’t the USSF’s fault either. The media company (whoever it is) that owns the rights to this game wasn’t able to sell it to any outlet. To watch the game, which begins at 9pm CT next Saturday, you’ll have to find local watering whole or eating establishment that has purchased the closed-circuit rights. The distributor has set up a Web site and has promised a list of locations by tonight.

I won’t lie to ya, this sucks a big one that we won’t be able to see this here on any normal TV channel, even the good ol’ mun2!

Guess we will have to rely on the trusty ol’ internet to provide a decent feed.

No real word from the network about this game yet but it is looking that this big game in Honduras will not be shown here on one of their many channels. This could be the result of the game falling on a big college football day for ESPN. Typically through the college football season ESPN puts loads of games on all of their networks.

If ESPN isn’t showing the game, the bigger question comes to who is? Will FSC step up and get the game?

Here is the group:

GOALKEEPERS- Tim Howard, Brad Guzan.

DEFENDERS- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Chad Marshall, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein, and Clarence Goodson.

MIDFIELDERS- Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Kyle Beckerman, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, and Robbie Rogers.

FORWARDS-Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Conor Casey, Robbie Findley.

Shockers to some right away may be Beckerman, Findley and Rogers. Overall I think this is a roster that should get us six points in these two games. Anything less than four points I think could be a disappointment. What do you make of this roster?

Tim Howard did his best but it wasn't enough. (Getty Images)

To say I am not disappointed would be lying. I am a bit disappointed in not pulling out the draw today but one thing I do know is soccer is never a kind sport when you want it to be. Excuses aside though we should be very thankful that the US showed up and play well today down in Mexico, it may have not been solid for 90 minutes but still better than in the past.

This one does hurt though just as all losses to your big rival are. Getting the lead for the first time in Azteca and then to only quickly blow it away really stunk. Not to mention playing for the draw for a good portion of the game always comes back to bite you in the ass. It just comes down to lack of chances and lack of chances taken by the US.

Possession was an issue today as well. I’m sure the altitude had something to do with that over 90 minutes because believe me, that far above sea level and you are gasping for air no matter how good of shape you are in. Along with the posssession was the lack of quality touches on the ball in the midfield.

It turns out yet again that we just aren’t here all the way. We are getting close but results like today and failing to hold on to leads shows this club is still a step away from really becoming what we all want them to be as a team. I know Landon Donovan and others spoke a lot about holding leads after the loss to Brazil in the Confederation’s Cup. We just aren’t there yet.

Lastly we cannot make excuses on the refs. Sure they were terrible today but would you really expect anything better being on the road in CONCACAF qualifying? I sure wouldn’t, in fact if we got too many calls going our way on the road I would be worried that there would be a fix going on somewhere.

In the end we did learn a few things like seeing how Stuart Holden is ready to make the jump to the main A-squad of the USMNT. Charlie Davies is the real deal as a striker for us going forward too. Defensively we aren’t too shabby but we still give up too much space. Bob Bradley was better with his subs today and going forward that’s positive to see.

Let’s just remember we just really need two more wins here and we should be good to qualify for South Africa. With two games at home and a road game against Trinidad and Tobago I think six points should be simple enough to get.

Again it is disappointing but not the end of the world. We know where we want to go and we are getting there.

So what steps do the US need to take to get a least a point out of this trip to the Azteca? I’ve jotted down a few key points that need to take place in order for a good result this afternoon.

Handle The Crowd and Attack Early

Let’s face it, this Mexico bunch is under way more pressure to do well in this game than our bunch. They may also have a false sense of confidence after the Gold Cup too which could come in handy. They know how important this game is to them and their fans so for the US they have to hold Mexico’s attack early. Mexico will come out early and often in this one to keep the crowd going and because they know an early goal would go a long way in getting three points.

Get The Crowd Off Their Back

If the US can handle Mexico for the first 20 or so of the game, they may be able to turn the Mexican crowd on their own bunch. How so? It is simple really, getting a goal on a counter-attack or just holding the Mexican attack to nothing will get this 100,000+ bunch even more angry. Expect things to turn quickly at the Azteca if things don’t go right for the boys in green.

Get Landon The Freakin’ Ball

The US need to play to their strengths today on the road, and part of that means playing through Landon Donovan as much as possible. He’s really put this group on his back this summer and I cannot see him doing anything different in this one. Using his speed in the attack to go at Mexican defenders will also be key.

Holding Possession

The US cannot give up silly mistakes in the midfield and on the wings. Mexico will eat them alive all afternoon if they do. Containing the pressure on the wings will be key. Gio Dos Santos is one fast dude and his counterpart Guarado isn’t too shabby either. Ricardo Clark needs to stay out of foul trouble in this one and contain these boys, along with Michael Bradley.

Staying Focused and Hungry

Going down early will be a tough thing to do in this one but giving up late goals is also never an easy pill to swallow. The US just need to stay focused for 90 minutes+ today and also stay hungry in their offensive third. Chances could be low today so they need to make everyone count.

Quick Thoughts:

This one is big, we get it but as we get closer to it we also need to realize once again that the pressue isn’t on our boys to do well today. The pressure is squarely on Mexico. I think the pressue could get to them which is why I feel the US will get a point out of this trip. A draw is what we need out of this game.

WVH Prediction: Mexico 1, USA 1