The calendar has turned, it’s a World Cup year and Concacaf’s qualifying competition is entering crunch time. With six Octagonal games remaining across two international windows, the U.S. men (4-1-3) are a point out of first. That’s a good place to be—the double round robin’s top three finishers are assured a World Cup spot.
But coach Gregg Berhalter’s side also is just a point above fourth, which would mean a do-or-die, one-game playoff in June in Qatar against a team from Oceania. And that’s not the flight to Qatar the Americans want to take. So with treacherous road trips to Mexico and Costa Rica awaiting in March, the upcoming three-game qualifying window—which includes two home dates—is critical.