Bahamas, Dominica, Nicaragua and Panama make up group C in one of the weaker groups in round two. The winner advances to group C in the third round and will join Mexico, Cuba and the winner of group D.
Bahamas
FIFA rank: 152
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round one on the away goals rule after finishing tied 3-3 on aggregate against the British Virgin Islands
The Bahamas moved up 45 spots in the FIFA rankings thanks to their 10-0 aggregate win over Turks and Caicos in the first round. Shows how much just two wins in FIFA competition mean when talking about teams ranked 150 or higher. The two wins were the third and fourth in history for Bahamas in World Cup qualifying with the other two coming in round one of 2002 qualification over Anguilla.
Like many of its Caribbean counterparts, the Bahamas does not have the infrastructure or the setup in place in order to succeed at football. Their domestic league only has seven teams and was won by Bears Football Club last season. Several of the players called into the national team either play for Bears, but the majority of squad members are unattached or play in colleges in the United States.
The most intriguing player in the side is Cameron Hepple. Hepple, 23, just recently signed with KF Tirana, the most successful club in the Albanian league. He played in college at Bowling Green and scored his first international goal in the first round of qualifying.
Striker Lesly St. Fleur is currently the leader in goals for CONCACAF qualifying after scoring five goals in the second leg in the first round. St. Fleur has also represented the national team in beach soccer in addition to the national team.
Bahamas are probably one of the youngest and one of the three worst teams in this round and any points they pick up in it will be a surprise.
Dominica
FIFA rank: 133
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round one 2-1 on aggregate to Barbados
There is very little known about Dominica, most of their players do not play for club teams. However, the team's ranking and results are better than what one would think. Recently, the side made it two the second qualifying stage for the 2010 Caribbean Cup where they obtained one point from their three group games, a scoreless draw against Antigua and Barbuda.
The domestic league in Dominica features eight teams and has been won the last three years by Centre Bath Estate. Kurlson Benjamin stars for this side and the leading international scorer for Dominica with 12 career goals. Five of these goals came in a 10-0 pasting of the British Virgin Islands in the first qualifying stage for the Caribbean Cup.
The side is perhaps best known for being matched up with Mexico in round two of 2006 qualifying after beating Bahamas 4-2 on aggregate in round one. The Mexicans tore through them in both legs eventually ending with an 18-0 aggregate win.
Not much is expected from Dominica in this round and they will consider second place in this group a success.
Nicaragua
FIFA rank: 177
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round one 3-0 on aggregate to Netherlands Antilles
Generally thought of as the second worst team in Central America after Belize, that is exactly what the Nicaraguans are. Of the seven Central American nations, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama are far more decorated football nations than Nicaragua.
In 2009 Nicaragua qualified for its first ever Gold Cup by defeating Guatemala 2-0 in a playoff. Nicaragua has never won a game by more than two goals in its history, they have won eight games by two goals.
Nicaragua lost all three of its games in the 2009 Gold Cup, falling 2-0 to Mexico, 2-0 to Guadeloupe and 4-0 to Panama. Grenada was the only other side that did not score a goal in the tournament.
Almost every member of the national team plays domestically in Nicaragua. Nine teams make up the Nicaraguan Primera División and it was won by Real Estelí last season.
Nicaragua has almost no hope to advance, but they do have a decent chance at finishing second in this group. However, they are more likely to finish last than second.
Panama
FIFA rank: 65
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round two 3-2 on aggregate to El Salvador
Panama has a case to complain about to FIFA and CONCACAF. When the teams were seeded for qualifying by the March FIFA rankings, Panama was seventh and just missed out on a bye to round three. One could argue that the teams should not have been seeded till after the Gold Cup, where Panama made the semifinals. Panama is now the sixth best ranked team in CONCACAF while Cuba is ninth.
The Gold Cup was a huge success for Panama, they won their group which included a stunning upset of the USA. They fell to the Americans 1-0 in the semifinals, but the tournament will give them belief that this cycle could be the one where Panama qualifies for the World Cup for the first time.
Leading the way for Panama is captain Felipe Baloy. This big, physical defender overpowered many strikers in the Gold Cup and was selected to the all-tournament team. Goalkeeper Jaime Penedo provides capable hands in the net and organized a stingy defense in the Gold Cup. Up front, Blas Perez and leading goalscorer Luis Tejada will be entering their final qualification cycle, and want nothing more than to qualify. Also at forward, young Luis Renteria impressed many with his performances this summer and he will be counted on to be a big player throughout qualifying.
Panama will be confident and ready when play starts and should easily cruise through this stage with maximum points.
Prediction
This group has the biggest drop in quality from the top seeded team downward. Panama far outclasses the other group members and should not drop any points in this round.
1. Panama
2. Dominica
3. Nicaragua
4. Bahamas
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