PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago — So here we are, 23 months after the U.S. World Cup campaign began, bearing witness to a match on an island off the Venezuelan coast that will decide whether the Americans book a ticket to Russia next year, make plans to visit Australia next month or — gasp! — sit out the 2018 tournament.
To recap:
- With a victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night, the United States will join Mexico and Costa Rica as CONCACAF’s automatic qualifiers.
- With a draw, Bruce Arena’s squad will advance, unless Panama or Honduras wins by an obscene number of goals (eight and 12, respectively)
- With a defeat, the Americans better hope that Panama and Honduras fail to beat Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively.