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.
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