The US are looking like almost a sure thing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The Americans currently occupy the third and final automatic World Cup berth in the CONCACAF Hexagonal standings heading into Friday’s match against Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena (6:30 pm ET | ESPN, Univision, UDN) and Tuesday’s contest at Honduras. Bruce Arena and Co. could move into a second-place tie with the Ticos with a win on Friday.
Even as things stand, the US are in good shape, as ESPN’s Paul Carr detailed in a tweet on Tuesday:
If the US win both of their upcoming matches, they’d virtually lock up a place in Russia. Four points would be a solid haul for the Americans’ hopes, as well, while three points would leave them with about the same chances of qualifying as they entered this round of qualifying with. Anything less than three points, however, and their hopes would take a hit.
Here’s Carr with the SPI details:
