The latest round of games for U.S. Soccer in the qualifying tournament for this year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar wasn't without its shaky moments and controversies, but the American men are still on track to qualify.
The USMNT finished out the three-match winter window of games Wednesday with a 3-0 victory against Honduras in the bitter cold of St. Paul, Minnesota's Allianz Field.
With temperatures hovering just above 0F throughout the match, Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italian Serie A) opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a headed tally off a Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC, MLS) free-kick.
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Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, MLS) doubled the lead before halftime and Christian Pulisic of the English Premier League's Chelsea FC tallied his second goal of the tournament in the second half to cap off the scoring.
Here's what Thursday's win means for the Americans.
The octagonal standings
In order to reach Qatar, the USMNT need a third place finish or better in the 14-match, eight-team qualifying tournament for Concacaf, which is a FIFA region comprised of national teams from North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
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The fourth-place finisher stays in contention for the World Cup via an intercontinental playoff against a nation from FIFA's Oceania region. That route to Qatar would likely be considered a worst-case scenario for the USMNT, though.
The Americans entered the latest round of games in second place and that's where they finished with three matches remaining. Their path
Concacaf World Cup qualifying standings:
1. Canada (25 points; 7-0-4; plus-14 goal differential)
2. USMNT (21 points; 6-2-3; plus-nine)
3. Mexico (21 points; 6-2-3; plus-six)
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4. Panama (17 points; 5-4-2; plus-one)*
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5. Costa Rica (16 points; 4-3-4; plus-one)
6. El Salvador (nine points; 2-6-3; minus-seven)
7. e - Jamaica (1-6-4, seven points)
8. e - Honduras (0-8-3, three points)e - eliminated.
The results this window
The winter window of qualifiers will be remembered for choppy play and frigid conditions.
Weather was a major story line ahead of the games against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras. The match against Canada was always likely to be staged in cold conditions but the U.S. opted to also stage its games in cold climates despite seemingly having warmer options at its disposal.
The balmiest game ended up being the Jan. 27 victory against El Salvador at Columbus' Lower.com Field. The USMNT won, 1-0, as temperatures dropped below 32F during the match.
Defender Antonee Robinson capitalized on one of the Americans' few chances to provide the game-winning goal in an otherwise uninspiring performance.
As far as Ohioans were concerned, though, the win cemented a 3-0-0 record on Ohio soil during the qualifying cycle. The victories included a 2-1 win against Costa Rica in Columbus and the Nov. 12 "dos a cero" win over Mexico at TQL Stadium.
The USMNT then traveled to undefeated, group-leading Canada on Sunday for a sub-freezing encounter in Hamilton, Ontario's Tim Hortons Stadium, and they departed worse for the wear.
The Canadians battered the U.S. in a 2-0 victory, condemning Gregg Berhalter's Americans to their second loss of the qualifying tournament. A so-called "golden generation" of Canadian players were more clinical in the attack than the young American team, which some also consider a once-in-a-generation assemblage of talent.
The match always figured to be a difficult one, and it was. It will also go down as a famous moment in Canadian soccer lore.
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In the aftermath of Canada's victory, many questions were asked of Berhalter and his side's position in the group. The response on Thursday in St. Paul needed to be good, and it was ultimately good enough to quell further criticism for now.
Against a last-place and winless Honduras team that was already eliminated from World Cup contention, the Americans dispatched the visitors in convincing fashion.
What remains in Concacaf qualifying
The USMNT's final three dates in Concacaf World Cup qualifying offer just one home match, and all three opponents should be alive and well in the hunt for Qatar. That means punching the tickets to the World Cup in pressure-packed games.
The next window opens when USMNT travel to Mexico's Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on March 24. The trip to the vaunted Mexican soccer cathedral is always an ominous qualifying chore for the Americans, and the Mexicans will be desperate to take advantage of a chance to leapfrog USMNT in the standings.
The final home game is scheduled to be staged March 27 against Panama at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. Many observers have this date circled as a possible – even likely, perhaps – date on which the Americans secure their progression.
Win, lose or draw against Panama, the final qualifying match takes place March 30 at Costa Rica.
Regardless of whether the Americans qualify, the World Cup draw is scheduled for April 1. The competition itself is scheduled to begin Nov. 21.
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