You’d think after what happened in the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle that the U.S. men’s national team would be a bit more cautious about jumping the gun.
Yet after a 5–1 win over Panama on Sunday night, U.S. players prematurely unveiled a “qualified” banner for fans despite not yet having qualified for the 2022 World Cup. With one game to go, the U.S. is all but there. The U.S. leads fourth-place Costa Rica by three points and has a +10 edge in goal differential, meaning that even with a loss of five or fewer goals, the U.