The USA and Canada are heavily favored in the Men’s NACRA 7s and World Cup Qualifier this weekend in Ottawa.
These are, after all, the two teams that finished 1 and 2 in the last 7s World Cup Qualifier (won by the USA on the final play of the game). But there are a few teams who could throw a monkey wrench into the plans.
The first team to worry about is Jamaica.
“We know nothing about them,” said USA Head Coach Alex Magleby. “They could have had someone like Usain Bolt training with them. We don’t know.”
Bolt probably makes a bit more money running track, but everyone knows the enormous sprinting depth of Jamaica, so a speed 7s game should fit them well.
If Jamaica surprises the USA in pool play, that could cause all sorts of problems, because it would mean Canada and the USA would meet in the semifinals, not the final, meaning one of them would not make the World Cup.
Same goes for Canada’s main upset threat, Mexico. The Serpientes have been getting progressively better over the years, recruiting faster, more skilled young athletes and taking apart regional competition with solid teamwork.
Mexico is led by captain Juan Pablo Andrade, who is a smart player and leader, and player-coach Simon Pierre. In 2011 Mexico beat Jamaica 7-0 to finish 3rd in NACRA (USA and Canada did not participate).
Mexico will be up against it when playing Canada. The Canadians have a bunch of big bodies – they don’t have blazing pace so they win with power, and they are far bigger and stronger than most NACRA opponents.
Also in Pool B is the Bahamas. They, like Jamaica, have a deep reservoir or fast athletes to draw from, and if teams make mistakes, they have the pace to punish those mistakes.
They are serious about their chances, so should be Bermuda, which won the NACRA 15s championship this year.
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