PANAMA CITY — At the end of 10 critical days together, culminating with a 1-1 draw against Panama late Tuesday, the U.S. national soccer team is much closer to restoring normalcy and a little closer to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
The Americans began their time together with a new coach and without any points in the CONCACAF standings. They proceeded to take four of a possible six from two matches to escape last place and make gains on each of the other five teams, except Mexico, which is well on its way to punching an early ticket to Russia.