Soccer Post: USMNT: At El Tri; Versus Panama; At Costa Rica

[Maroon Eagle]

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Three matches left in CONCACAF Qualifying…

The US & Mexico are level on points with the US in second to Canada because of goal differential and the match is tomorrow. Mexico then travels to El Salvador before hosting Honduras.

In fourth is Panama — four points back — which hosts Honduras. The USMNT plays them in Orlando on Sunday. Panama then hosts Canada to finish off their CONCACAF qualifying campaign.

In the hunt for a berth to the World Cup is Costa Rica. The Ticos host Canada tomorrow before going to El Salvador on Sunday and then hosting the USMNT a week from today.

Let’s qualify.

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[af102]

One of the writers for The Athletic put together a nice flowchart to figure out the qualifying scenarios for today. If either team wins tonight in Mexico, they will lock up at minimum the 4th place playoff spot unless Costa Rica beats Canada.

Best case scenario for the USA tonight- beat Mexico, El Salvador win (want them still mathematically alive for their game against CR on Sunday), Honduras win over Panama, and a Canada win over Costa Rica.
28 points- Canada
24 points- USA
21 points- Mexico
17 points- Panama
16 points- Costa Rica
12 points- El Salvador

World Cup spot clinched.

Worst case scenario for the USA tonight- lose to Mexico, Jamaica win over ES, Panama win over Honduras, Costa Rica win over Canada.
25 points- Canada
24 points- Mexico
21 points- USA
20 points- Panama
19 points- Costa Rica

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[patdog]

I hate to say this, but the Panama game is the key must-win game. With a 3-game window, an injury prone Pulisic, Reyna just coming back from injury, and playing at Azteca where we've never won tonight, we need to rest our key players for Sunday. We're unlikely to get a point there anyway and the surest path to not qualifying is to expend a lot of energy tonight, lose or draw Sunday, and then take an tired and depleted team to Costa Rica for a must win game.

 

[Bill Shankly]

I don't care as long as no Liverpool players get hurt playing stupid international football. We have one trophy in the case and are still in the thick of it for three more. We need everyone healthy for the stretch run.

 

[harrybollocks]

Hoping for a tie but expecting a loss. We don't play well on the road, especially at Azteca, which is why we're not a lock to make the World Cup.

 

[patdog]

Yeah. 5 points from 5 games and a -2 goal differential when we've already played the 3 worst teams in the tournament is pathetic.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I don't care as long as no Liverpool players get hurt playing stupid international football. We have one trophy in the case and are still in the thick of it for three more. We need everyone healthy for the stretch run.

They have really come on strong this season. Fun to watch.

That aside I have a good feeling about our team right now.

 

[harrybollocks]

a "draw" instead of a tie. Watching too much baseball lately. But, this is a "soccer" post. The English, btw, once used the word soccer.

Berhalter doesn't strike me as a competent manager. He has pulled a a couple of unexpecte wins, though. Not feeling it tonight.

 

[patdog]

Berhalter was an average manager in a mediocre MLS. He's in no way qualified to manage a national team. Only reason he got the job was his brother was a high-level executive at US Soccer. He's lucky he's got more depth of talent than any US coach ever, although to be fair it's very young and it's to be seen if these players have the heart and toughness some of the old teams did (early returns suggest they don't).

 

[patdog]

Liverpool has more depth than we've had in a long, long time. Still think Man City is going to be very tough to beat in all 3 remaining competitions though. I think we've got a good chance to get to the Champions League final (couldn't have asked for a better final 8 draw).

 

[Bill Shankly]

Liverpool has more depth than we've had in a long, long time. Still think Man City is going to be very tough to beat in all 3 remaining competitions though. I think we've got a good chance to get to the Champions League final (couldn't have asked for a better final 8 draw).

Agree. If they did manage to pull it off that would be absolutely epic even by Liverpool standards. I'd rather have the league than the two remaining cups.

 

[harrybollocks]

Fellow Liverpool fans on here. The pandemic kept me from going to Anfield. One day, though, one day.

 

[harrybollocks]

Play the B-team, park the bus and save our best players for Panama and hope we don't need a point at Costa Rica to finish 3rd.

 

[harrybollocks]

Italy out. Second World Cup in a row. The ghost of Mussolini isn't happy

 

[Bill Shankly]

Fellow Liverpool fans on here. The pandemic kept me from going to Anfield. One day, though, one day.

I had a choice once. We were in Liverpool on a cruise. I could either go to Chester and see the first Roman ruins I had ever seen plus a complete set of town walls, or go see Anfield in the off season. The historian in me won out. I went to Chester. Had it been a game that would have been different. I did see Anfield, and Goodison Park, from the ship on the Mersey River. I've been to the UK twice during the season. Once only early round League Cup games were being played. We went to Southend United vs Newport County at Roots Hall. The other time we were in Cambridge. Liverpool was at Watford and Chelski but we didn't have enough time to try it. We saw Cambridge United vs Swindon Town at the Abbey Stadium. Those lower league grounds were a true English Football experience. If you ever get the chance pick out a ground from League One or Two and go to a game. Make it an old stadium for the real deal!

 

[Bill Shankly]

Italy out. Second World Cup in a row. The ghost of Mussolini isn't happy

Eliminated by North Macedonia no less. That has to rank up there right at the top of all time humiliations in international football. That might be worse than the US beating England in the 1950 WC.

 

[harrybollocks]

Those types of matches are fun. Pregame at the pub, walk to the match, a little postgame at the pub too. Got some non-soccer fan friends who don't get it. They haven't experienced it live. Even the small clubs have a college-football like atmosphere for their matches. Big clubs are on a whole different level. German football is great too. Haven't been to any matches in Italy, France or Spain. My bucket list is pretty long.

 

[Bill Shankly]

Those types of matches are fun. Pregame at the pub, walk to the match, a little postgame at the pub too. Got some non-soccer fan friends who don't get it. They haven't experienced it live. Even the small clubs have a college-football like atmosphere for their matches. Big clubs are on a whole different level. German football is great too. Haven't been to any matches in Italy, France or Spain. My bucket list is pretty long.

My closest experience for a big club thing was the same day we went to the Cambridge U game. We walked back from the game, to where we were staying and then went to a pub where they had the Liverpool-Chelski game on. This was in the fall of 19. I realized pretty early on I was the only Liverpool fan in the place. I had a red shirt on, but it was just a generic red shirt. Even then I covered it up with my jacket. Liverpool won a big one that helped send them on the way to the title. That was a FUN day of football immersion in England! We have missed two trips to the UK, and possibly a third, since. DAMN COVID.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

This isn’t a B team starting against El Tri…


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[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I had a choice once. We were in Liverpool on a cruise. I could either go to Chester and see the first Roman ruins I had ever seen plus a complete set of town walls, or go see Anfield in the off season. The historian in me won out. I went to Chester. Had it been a game that would have been different. I did see Anfield, and Goodison Park, from the ship on the Mersey River. I've been to the UK twice during the season. Once only early round League Cup games were being played. We went to Southend United vs Newport County at Roots Hall. The other time we were in Cambridge. Liverpool was at Watford but we didn't have enough time to try it. We saw Cambridge United vs Swindon Town at the Abbey Stadium. Those lower league grounds were a true English Football experience. If you ever get the chance pick out a ground from League One or Two and go to a game. Make it an old stadium for the real deal!

I would love to have made at least one of the trips that you have over to the United Kingdom. I would love to see those countries but I don't know that I'll ever get the chance. I did one of those DNA test to see what your background is and I was mostly a mix of English, Scottish, Irish, and Wales so I would love to see that part of the world

 

[patdog]

With that lineup, you'd better win. A point doesn't do us a whole lot of good here. And we'll have a lot of spent players for Costa Rica, if that's a meaningful game.

 

[patdog]

European qualifiers are crazy. Not sure which is more surprising, that North Macedonia beat Italy in a playoff or that they were even in one to begin with.

 

[Irondawg]

Costa Rica takes a 1-0 lead over Canada

 

[harrybollocks]

Canada is down a man. Panama and Honduras draw. US to miss 2 starters on yellows Sunday against Panama. Should be up 1-0 on Mexico

 

[patdog]

This is shaping up for another epic disappointment from the US national team.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

This is shaping up for another epic disappointment from the US national team.

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[Irondawg]

Getting at least a point here would be nice - at this point with the yellows we’ve got to scratch out something given what we have invested in this game

 

[patdog]

Even a point doesn’t help us much. We still need results in the next 2 games. But the way we’re looking right now, I’d be happy with a point.

 

[Irondawg]

Agree Sunday is the big one but I’ll take what I can get here unless we find the net in the last 5 here

 

[Bill Shankly]

Even a point doesn’t help us much. We still need results in the next 2 games. But the way we’re looking right now, I’d be happy with a point.

It's not the points on the road, it's denying the opposition points, when you are ahead in the table. I may be a club ball fan only, but I know that.

 

[Bill Shankly]

No shame in a draw at the Azteca. I really don't care, but I do keep up.

 

[patdog]

Mexico was never our competitor here. Their last 2 games are easy. They will finish 2nd. The goal was to qualify. We put no space on Panama & lost 2 points to Costa Rica. We still need results Sunday & Wednesday and that was the case whether we drew or lost today.

 

[af102]

While it may look like this game didn’t gain us anything against Panama/CR, it really did. A win over Panama essentially locks up our spot because CR would have to make up a difference of 7 in goal difference (+/- whatever is added in a theoretical win over Panama).

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

It would take an epic collapse not to qualify at this point.

 

[harrybollocks]

Win Sunday and we're essentially in, I think. We're way ahead of Costa Rica on goal differential and I think that breaks a tie should we lose at C.R. (we don't win there). But, I'm not certain about the tiebreakers. With the players we have, we really shouldn't be worried about losing to Panama at home. But, team doesn't win easily and Panama can play. Can we recover with two day's rest and from playing in high altitude? We have young guys so we should.

 

[patdog]

It really all comes down to Sunday. Win and we're in, unless Costa Rica somehow makes up a -7 goal differential. Draw, and we likely need a draw at Costa Rica on Wednesday. Lose, and even a win at Costa Rica might leave us in the play-in games vs New Zealand. Turns out, the point at Azteca last night was big because it gives us a very reasonable chance to qualify directly even with a draw on Sunday.