The United States’ dominant performance against Panama did not clinch a World Cup bid, but it did a great deal to ease fans anxiety. The USMNT has 12 points, and moved into third place in the CONCACAF standings. The top three teams automatically go to Russia, while the fourth place team has to win a playoff match.
The USMNT sits in a great position heading into the final slate of qualifying matches on Tuesday, October 10. All the CONCACAF teams kickoff at 8 p.m. Eastern. The United States plays Trinidad & Tobago, who is by far the worse team in the group. They have only managed one win in eight matches.
The United States had a dominant 4-0 victory over Panama. The win was fueled by stellar play from Christian Pulisic, Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood. U.S. fans are hoping for a similar outing in Tuesday’s match.
Despite tonight’s performance, the United States will still need a win in Tuesday’s match to continue to control their own destiny. A draw combined with a Panama win would mean the teams would be tied in points. It would then come down to goal differential if the two teams finished with the same number of points. A loss opens up the door for Panama or potentially Honduras to jump them in the standings.
While USMNT is not officially heading to Russia, the odds are slanted heavily in their favor. Mexico has already won the group, so the highest the United States could finish is second. However, they would need Costa Rica to lose their next two matches, and the USMNT would also need to be ahead in goal differentials to jump them in the standings.
Here’s a look at the latest CONCACAF standings.
CONCACAF Standings
| TEAM | PTS | WIN | DRAW | LOSS |
| 1. Mexico- x | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2. Costa Rica | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 3. United States | 12 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4. Panama | 10 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 5. Honduras | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 6. Trinidad & Tobago | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
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USMNT Qualifying: USA One Step Closer to Clinching World Cup Bid