For two decades, we listened to players describe Concacaf’s Hexagonal as a long road, a grind and a gauntlet.
Ten games—five home, five away—were compressed into a helter-skelter year that ended with three nations earning a ticket to the World Cup. The margins were thin, the referees were capricious and the road trips were inhospitable and daunting. The altitude at Azteca, the heat in Honduras and the problematic pitches in the Caribbean—not to mention the cheers, insults and far worse that often emanated from the stands—taxed the mind, body and point total. It was never easy.
Now, despite the pandemic that has shortened timelines and sports seasons around the world, that treacherous road has gotten longer.