COUVA, Trinidad and Tobago — Just win the game. Win the game against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, the United States national team knew, and nothing else would matter.
But the Americans didn’t win. Over 90 excruciating minutes, and then a half-dozen more in extra time, it all went very, very wrong. Even with a tie would be enough for the Americans. Even with a loss, they might still have been all right, depending on other results. But those went wrong too.
And so the United States is not going to the World Cup in Russia next summer, but Panama is, and Honduras might.