The United States took the field at Busch Stadium in St. Louis back in November 2015 aiming to qualify for Russia 2018. 698 days later, in Trinidad and Tobago, they’ll still have the same goal. A nearly two-year World Cup qualifying process should come to an end tonight with the USMNT punching their ticket, but this cycle has been particularly turbulent. Good results have been followed by jarring missteps. Few things have been certain.
A defeat opens the door to an intercontinental playoff with Australia or Syria (or even the remote possibility of outright elimination), so let’s hold the celebratory drinks until the job is 100% completed.