United States Men's National Team supporters can nearly exhale.
The objective this entire cycle has been clear: qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On Sunday in a packed Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Gregg Berhalter’s squad took a giant leap in that direction with a 5-1 rout of Panama.
The Americans didn’t officially clinch a spot in Qatar due to Costa Rica’s 2-1 victory in El Salvador, but at this point it’ll take a catastrophe even bigger than 2017 for them to not to qualify, thanks to a massive goal difference. The USMNT clinched a top-four spot in the CONCACAF standings, which guarantees at least a berth in the inter-confederation playoffs in June, when it would face the top team from the weak Oceania region.