If you’re a follower of the United States, chances are you pressed the ‘PANIC’ button repeatedly after last month’s round of World Cup qualifiers. The Costa Rica match at home wasn’t pretty, and the away draw against Honduras was only slightly bearable.
Now, in a circumstance not even Ian Darke could have predicted, the USMNT is on the brink of missing their first World Cup since 1986. The team currently sits in 4th place in the Hexagonal standings, one point behind 3rd place Panama, with two games to play. ESPN’s Soccer Power Index only gives the team a 69 percent chance of clinching one of the top three spots.