Uruguay will host Jordan in the second leg of the World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday.
While a great deal has been made of Mexico's tremendous 5-1 win at home over New Zealand, few have taken the time to notice Uruguay's achievement against an arguably superior foe. In the opening leg, Uruguay went to Amman and stunned the home fans with a 5-0 win.
Uruguay has been terrific at home in the qualifiers and has proven to be a stingy side in Montevideo. The team conceded nine goals in eight matches at home; in 16 qualifiers, Uruguay conceded a horrific 25 goals. Moreover, Uruguay has not lost at home in the World Cup qualifiers to this point; Uruguay has not conceded more than two goals in any match during the tournament.
In order for New Zealand to qualify, it would have to put up a 5-0 scoreline to force extra time. Only with a 6-0 win would Jordan be able to move on to next summer's tournament.
At this point, that result is unlikely at best. The only real mystery at this point is whether Luis Suarez will score the goal that would make him the scoring leader in all of the qualifiers. He is currently tied with likes of Deon McCaulay and Robin Van Persie for most goals in the tournament with 11; Van Persie achieved the feat in 10 matches, while McCaulay in eight games against such teams as Montserrat, Guatemala, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Suarez has scored 11 in 16 matches thus far and failed to tally in the 5-0 win over Jordan.
Prediction: Uruguay wins 4-0.
Start Time: Kickoff starts at 6 p.m. EST
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