The United States’ road to the World Cup is clearer after Friday night when a heroic performance by 19-year-old sensation Christian Pulisic put the Americans…
The United States’ road to the World Cup is clearer after Friday night when a heroic performance by 19-year-old sensation Christian Pulisic put the Americans on the doorstep of securing a berth in the tournament when he scored on a dazzling, field-long run in the 11th minute.
That opening goal electrified the Orlando crowd and fueled the U. S. to one of its most inspired performances yet in a 4-0 dominating win over Panama. It left the Americans with a number of paths to Russia next summer.
With what many considered a must-win behind them, a win against Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain on Tuesday (8 p.m.; beIN Sports) is the clearest and easiest route for the Americans to punch their ticket to the World Cup next summer.
As it stands, the U. S. is third with 12 points in the CONCACAF Hexagonal table with Panama and Honduras behind them tied with 10 points each. While a win automatically qualifies the U. S., there are a number of possible outcomes that could push them forward even if they don’t beat Trinidad & Tobago.
The U. S. advances with a tie against Trinidad & Tobago unless Honduras defeats Mexico by at least 12 goals or if Panama somehow musters at least seven or eight goals away at Costa Rica.
A U. S. loss could still secure automatic qualification in third place if both Honduras and Panama lose. The U. S. could also lose and advance to a two-game playoff against Australia or Syria, if either Honduras or Panama wins, but not both.
Both play-in games would take place between Nov. 6-14, which could be problematic with the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals scheduled for Nov. 5. Those matchups could include U. S. starters Michael Bradley and Altidore as well as numerous others.
The only way the U. S. gets completely eliminated is if both Honduras and Panama win and the U. S. loses. Honduras and Panama would be tied with 13 points in qualifying, one more than the U. S. It would mark the first time the Americans failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1990.
The U. S. hopes it will not come to that after an eye-opening turnaround under coach Bruce Arena, at least in the goal-differential category. The U. S. currently has a plus-five goal differential, a 10-goal swing from its dismal minus-five goal difference after its two opening qualifying defeats under then-head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in November.
But with heavy rains placing parts of Ato Boldon Stadium’s field underwater Monday, the game could turn into a crapshoot against Trinidad & Tobago, which has lost six straight qualifiers and been eliminated from contention.
