USMNT finalizes slate for CONCACAF World Cup final qualifying originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
A little over a week after the U.S. Men’s National Team stunned Mexico with a 3-2 victory in the Nations League final, the club has learned what lies ahead on the rest of its path toward qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Canada’s 3-0 trouncing of Haiti on Tuesday night secured itself a spot alongside El Salvador and Honduras to fill out the field for the CONCACAF World Cup final qualifying octagonal. The USMNT’s first game will pit the club against those very same Canadians on Sept. 5 to open its slate before matches against both El Salvador and Honduras.
The top three teams from the final qualifying will punch their tickets to the World Cup in Qatar next year. In addition to the U.S, four other countries already had their spot in the octagonal secured: Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica and Mexico.
Mexico’s recent dominance against the U.S. has left the once world-renowned rivalry between the two countries a bit one-sided. Prior to the USMNT’s win in the Nations League final, Mexico had won every official match between the two countries since 2013. But a recent trend of improved play from the U.S. has shifted momentum in the Americans’ favor.
Next time those two countries see each other, it could be with a spot in the World Cup on the line.