The pursuit of a spot at this yr’s spectacle has been the other, a seven-month dash compressed by a format change and the coronavirus pandemic, culminating with three matches over seven days in three nations.
By the tip of it — after video games in Mexico City on Thursday; Orlando on Sunday; and San Jose, Costa Rica, on Wednesday — the U.S. males’s nationwide soccer workforce may have exorcised the ghosts of the 2018 qualifying disaster, fallen deeper into despair or moved right into a summer season playoff for one of many final of 32 golden tickets to Qatar in November.
“We have to qualify. There’s just no other option,” midfielder Tyler Adams mentioned. “We’re doing it for all the U.S. fans, and we don’t want to let down our nation.”
The Americans (21 factors) sit second in an eight-team group providing three computerized berths, however with 5 groups nonetheless in rivalry, they want at the least three extra factors.
The most necessary match shouldn’t be Thursday towards archrival Mexico (21 factors) at Estadio Azteca however Sunday’s residence matchup with fourth-place Panama (17). A victory towards Los Canaleros would guarantee a top-four end. Coupled with a degree towards third-place Mexico or fifth-place Costa Rica (16 factors), the United States would advance.
There are different pathways to an computerized berth, most notably a victory mixed with Costa Rica failing to beat first-place Canada (25 factors) on Thursday or sixth-place El Salvador (9) on Sunday.
There can also be the security internet of a one-game playoff for the fourth-place finisher towards the Oceania champion (in all probability New Zealand) in June in Qatar.
“Whatever we are predicting is going to happen in this window, throw it out because something else will happen,” U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned. “Trust me. That’s how this whole thing has been going.”
Canada has been the largest shock, going undefeated to transfer to the cusp of its first berth since 1986. Honduras, which certified in 2014 and completed fourth final time, is winless.
The favorites, Mexico and the United States, are proper about the place they anticipated. Both have 6-2-3 data, however the Americans are forward on the primary tiebreaker (objective differential).
Of the 5 contenders, nonetheless, the United States has essentially the most troublesome remaining schedule: All three matches are towards groups nonetheless within the combine, and just one is at residence. Thursday brings Mexico’s final troublesome recreation. Panama and Costa Rica have two residence dates apiece.
“We feel very confident we will qualify, but it’s not just about qualifying,” mentioned winger Paul Arriola, one of many holdovers from the 2018 cycle. “It’s about winning games, changing the way people see the U.S. … Hopefully we have all learned from the past that we need to be better.”
Adams, who was 18 on the time and watched that 2-1 defeat on TV, mentioned the present effort has him excited about “the responsibility that I have and the responsibility I [put] on some of my teammates that we have to qualify.”
He added: “Qualifying is the absolute minimum. We have to do that to continue to move the program forward, to give our players the best opportunity to develop and get that international exposure and grow the game in the U.S.”
For the final three matches, the Americans shall be with out 5 injured regulars: goalkeeper Matt Turner, defenders Chris Richards and Sergiño Dest, midfielder Weston McKennie and ahead Brenden Aaronson. Dest and Aaronson bought damage prior to now week.
They’ll welcome again Gio Reyna, the 19-year-old attacker who had been sidelined for qualifiers since September. They can even lean on star ahead Christian Pulisic, who, amid inconsistent enjoying time with European champion Chelsea, is in effective kind in the intervening time.
Although he logged 90 minutes for Bundesliga membership Borussia Dortmund final weekend, Reyna mentioned he isn’t one hundred pc match. His minutes shall be rigorously managed so he’s ready to play in a number of qualifiers.
Despite the heavy schedule, Berhalter mentioned he expects some gamers to begin all three video games and he’ll rotate others. Suspension can also be a priority: Five gamers, together with Adams and first-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen, are carrying yellow playing cards and, with one other, they might have to sit out a recreation.
The significance of the house date with Panama is heightened by the very fact the Americans have by no means received a qualifier in Mexico or Costa Rica. While they’ve earned three attracts prior to now six qualifiers in Mexico City, they’ve misplaced 9 straight in Costa Rica.
The United States, although, is on a superb run towards Mexico, successful all three conferences in 2021: within the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup finals (in Denver and Las Vegas, respectively) and a World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati.
Despite excessive stakes over the following week, heart again Walker Zimmerman mentioned the group is calm.
“I don’t think it’s nervousness — it’s excitement,” he mentioned. “At this level, you want to have that responsibility and recognize the importance of it and embrace it. We have that kind of DNA with our players. We’re ready to get going.”