By Sunday night’s end, the U.S. men’s national team will either be in the 2022 World Cup, sit on the cusp of it or confront the possibility of a second straight qualifying failure.
Those are the very clear and tangible stakes in the penultimate match of Concacaf’s qualifying campaign, as the U.S. hosts Panama in Orlando, Fla. Before the U.S. kicks off, it will know whether full qualification is within reach. If El Salvador can either beat or draw Costa Rica in an earlier match on Sunday, then the U.S. will know that it can get it in with a win.