The calendar has turned, it’s a World Cup year and Concacaf’s qualifying competition is entering crunch time. With six Octagonal games remaining across two international windows, the U.S. men (4-1-3) are a point out of first. That’s a good place to be—the double round robin’s top three finishers are assured a World Cup spot.
But coach Gregg Berhalter’s side also is just a point above fourth, which would mean a do-or-die, one-game playoff in June in Qatar against a team from Oceania. And that’s not the flight to Qatar the Americans want to take. So with treacherous road trips to Mexico and Costa Rica awaiting in March, the upcoming three-game qualifying window—which includes two home dates—is critical. Now is the best time to start staking a World Cup claim.
El Salvador (Jan. 27), Canada (Jan. 30) and Honduras (Feb. 2) aren’t the only hurdles separating the U.S. from firmer footing. The coronavirus already has impacted the program, Berhalter confirmed last week, and the three-games-in-seven days gantlet is a challenging one. It’s almost impossible to negotiate it injury-free. Weather likely will be a factor as well. The qualifiers in Columbus, Ohio, then Hamilton, Ontario, and then St. Paul all could be contested in freezing conditions. In addition, midfielder Tyler Adams, defender DeAndre Yedlin and goalkeeper Zack Steffen are one yellow card from suspension.
