Two of Canada's main rivals in 2014 World Cup qualifying are searching for new managers.
Juan Manuel Lillo - ex-coach of Almeria, friend of Pep Guardiola and youngest-ever La Liga manager - visited El Salvador this week for talks with the national federation and is now in Panama watching the national team in the Copa Centroamericana. Meanwhile, the Honduran press has linked several names to the top job in that country recently, including Brazilian Alexandre Guimaraes, who led Costa Rica to the World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
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It's unclear whether El Salvador could even afford someone like Lillo, but I believe that a manager with his experience would make them a tougher hurdle for Canada.
The Honduran situation is a more fluid. The last half of 2010 was not a good one for their national side. After qualifying for the World Cup for the the first time since 1982 - and then appointing a new manager after Reinaldo Rueda left for Ecuador - they have stuttered to a record of three wins, three losses and one draw. (Over the course of the same period Canada has played three friendlies.) The low-light was a 4-0 beating from the non-Fifa sanctioned Catalonia national team at the end of December.
Current manager, Mexican Juan de Dios Castillo, has been criticized heavily by the press - and even by some players - for his squad selection. Last week, ex-manager Rueda told Honduran media that the Honduran federation had solicited advice from him about who they should hire next. The speculation (in the press at least) is that the new coach will be named after the Copa Centroamericana.
The last time the Honduran sports tabloids started throwing around names for a new skipper some of them were far-fetched, including current U.S. manager Bob Bradley and ex-Brazil coach Dunga. The list making the rounds this time seems more realistic: Colombians Luis Fernando Suarez and Juan Carlos Osorio (who said today that he has been contacted about the job by the Honduran federation); Mexican Jesus Ramirez; and Brazilians Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti and Alexandre Guimaraes.
Juan Carlos Osorio had a rough ride in MLS. He lead the New York Red Bulls to the 2008 MLS Cup final, but also oversaw their catastrophic 2009 season. Ramirez has coached Mexico's biggest club, Club America and Ferretti has extensive experience with Mexican club sides. To me, Guimaraes has the most important accomplishment on his CV: successful experience within Concacaf qualifying, leading Costa Rica to the World Cup twice.
So what do you think? Would any of these managers at the helm of El Salvador or Honduras make things more difficult for Canada in World Cup qualifying? Or is Canada already far enough up the creek that it doesn't really matter who the opposing managers are?