Sixteen weeks after reaching the World Cup’s round of 16 and facing the mighty Netherlands, a three-time finalist ranked eighth by FIFA, the U.S. men’s national team will take the field in tiny Grenada (population: 125,000) for a match against the 173rd-ranked Spice Boyz.
That’s what it means to be one of Concacaf’s heavy hitters. Sometimes you share the stage with giants, and sometimes you’ve got to mix it up with minnows.
Two low-key January friendlies aside, a unique World Cup cycle kicks off for real on Friday in the West Indies. The first FIFA international window since the U.S. fell to the Dutch in Qatar will feature games against Grenada and El Salvador (Monday in Orlando). Those matches will decide Group D of the Concacaf Nations League, a secondary tournament of minimal value or prestige that the Americans are still taking somewhat seriously.
