Last round of World Cup Qualification post
Ever since I started following International soccer, after the 1994 World Cup, I\'ve found myself diving years into curious groups. The year following a world cup is usually a rebuilding and coach-hiriing year for squads. Two years after is \"half-way to the next cup\" and a chance to read like tea lieaves the other quadrennial tournaments for signs of teams on the rise, old stars on their way out, and young emerging players. Three years after is one year before, do-or-die time for teams still in the hunt to qualify from their regions for THE Big Dance. Then we come full-circle to another World Cup year.\
The US national team enters the last phase of qualification for its
region on the road in February against [Trinidad and
Tobago](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23226-2004Nov30.html "U.S.'s Path to World Cup Begins on the Road")
and then [in March against
Mexico](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/grant_wahl/11/30/us.qualifying/ "U.S. national team must navigate complicated schedule to reach World Cup").\
Thanks to the prospect of baseball at RFK next year, its unlikely that a
qualifier will be played in Washington. If I want to see any of the
games, I\'ll have to travel.\
Categories: Soccer