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E F G H
U.S. team arrives in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The U.S. soccer team arrived in Mexico for Sunday's World Cup qualifier, knowing how difficult it will be to get a win in a city where it is 0-17."We have our work cut out for us, but we're still confident," defender Alexi Lalas said. "It's a difficult situation to play in."
Mexico (4-0-3) leads the final round of qualifying from soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean region with 15 points, followed by Jamaica (3-2-3) with 12 points and the United States (2-1-4) with 10. El Salvador (2-3-3) is next in the six-team group wit nine points, trailed by Costa Rica (2-4-2) with eight and Canada (1-4-3) with six.
The top three nations in the group will qualify for next year's 32-team field in France.
"We understand that it will be difficult to win here," U.S. coach Steve Sampson said. "We respect that the Mexican team is a strong team, but you will see this Sunday that this American team will play a good game."
For Mexico, a win or a tie on Sunday would clinch a berth. The United States probably needs a win and a tie from its final three games.
"I think the team is fairly confident we can come down to Mexico City and get a result -- a result being a tie," U.S. forward Joe-Max Moore said.
The Mexicans, who have been training this week in Mexico City, were more cocky.
"The United States has gotten better, but we're ready," Mexico midfielder Alberto Coyote said. "I think the Americans should be worried."
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan