WINNERS:
LANDON DONOVAN and BRIAN McBRIDE, scorers in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica on Saturday, each struck again as the USA dispatched of Panama, 3-0, on Wednesday in Panama City. , Defender CARLOS BOCANEGRA opened the scoring against Panama. The Americans finish the first half of Hexagonal play with four wins and one loss and in second place. MEXICO, a 2-0 winner over Trinidad & Tobago, remains in first place. Mexico forward Jared Borgetti scored his 12th goal of the qualifying campaign in the win.
COSTA RICA leap-frogged from fifth- to third-place with 3-2 home win over Guatemala. PAUL WANCHOPE scored the stoppage-time winner after Guatemala had erased a two-goal deficit.
ARGENTINA clinched its spot in next year's World Cup with a 3-1 win over archrival Brazil on two goals by forward Hernan Crespo and one by playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme. The home team's win evened the nations' all-time series at 33-33-24.
In Asia, JAPAN, IRAN, SOUTH KOREA and SAUDI ARABIA qualified for the World Cup on Wednesday. Bahrain, Kuwait and Uzbekistan are now vying for a chance to meet the CONCACAF's fourth-place team in a play-in.
LOSERS:
2004 European Champion GREECE's chances of reaching the World Cup took a hit with a 1-0 loss to Ukriane, which needs two points from its final three games to qualify. Greece slipped into third place in Europe's Group 2, one point behind Turkey and three ahead of Denmark. The second-place finisher earns a playoff spot.
SPAIN's streak of 16-straight qualifying wins at home ended with a 1-1 tie against Bosnia. The Spaniards remain in first-place of Group 7, but just one point ahead of Serbia & Montenegro, which has a game in hand. Spain has scored just 10 goals in seven qualifiers, five of which came against San Marino.