The U.S. will play the away leg of their preliminary round series in consecutive weekends.

The U.S. also learned their three potential opponents in one of the three Semifinal Round groups, where they could face Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba should each country advance out of their early-round mini-groups. Guatemala awaits the winner of Turks and Caicos Islands-St. Lucia in Group 1B, Trinidad & Tobago faces the winner of Bermuda-Cayman Islands in Group 1C, while Cuba meets the winner of the Aruba-Antigua and Barbuda in Group 1D.

As the top three qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica cannot face one another until the third and final stage of the qualifying competition.

The U.S. has never faced Dominca and only played Barbados twice in the Men’s National Team’s 91-year history.

The only meetings between the U.S. and Barbados took place in the Semifinal Round of the 2002 World Cup qualifying in a group that also included Guatemala and Costa Rica. The U.S. dominated both matches, winning 7-0 on Aug. 16, 2000, in Foxboro, Mass., before cruising to a 4-0 victory in the final group match on Nov. 15, a win that booked the USA’s passage to the final phase.

During the latest World Cup qualifying, Barbados was not as successful as they were eliminated by St. Kitts & Nevis in the second round. Despite the setback, Barbados rebounded in 2007 as they were one of the eight teams that qualified for the finals of the Caribbean Cup.

In qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, Dominica slipped past the Bahamas before running into Mexico. The islanders were outmatched in the two-leg series, falling 10-0 in the opening leg and 8-0 in the following match. Overall, Dominica has only two qualifying victories, both 3-1 away wins in 1996 against Antigua and Barbuda, and in 2004 against the Bahamas.

The U.S. has a more storied history against the three teams it might face in its Semifinal Round group. The U.S. owns a 10-4-5 all-time record (26 goals for, 15 goals against) versus Guatemala, including a 15-game unbeaten streak, and a 4-0-4 record in qualifying. The U.S. squared off against Guatemala in the Final Round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, winning, 2-0, on March 30, 2005, in Birmingham, Ala., behind goals from Eddie Johnson and Steve Ralston. In the away match in Guatemala City, which came on the heels of the World Cup berth-clinching victory over Mexico, the U.S. and Guatemala battled to a scoreless draw.

The U.S. also has an undefeated record in qualifying against Trinidad & Tobago, holding an 8-0-2 record. The two countries last met during qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with the U.S. winning both matches. The first meeting was the opening match of the Final Round and the U.S. got goals from Eddie Johnson and Eddie Lewis for a 2-1 victory in Port of Spain, Trinidad. In the second match, Brian McBride tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 victory in East Hartford, Conn.

The U.S. has only face Cuba once before in World Cup qualifying, dating back to a two-game series in 1949 that was played in Mexico City, Mexico. The U.S. tied Cuba, 1-1, in their first meeting and then won, 5-2, during a three-team group that also included Mexico. Overall, the U.S. holds a 5-1-1 record against Cuba with 21 goals for and nine goals against.

               courtesy of ussoccer.com