SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Inside a luxury hotel roughly 9 miles from the site of the final game of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, United States men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter was at ease Tuesday. Six days earlier, he called the forthcoming week the most important of his coaching career. Although the team has not officially qualified for the 2022 World Cup yet, no rational observer would seriously still allow for the possibility that the U.S. won't be headed to Qatar.
The United States can lose by five goals or fewer against Costa Rica on Wednesday and still qualify on goal differential.