Kolek planning to go pro
The USMNT really came through. It would take the biggest blunder in WCQ history to not qualify now.
Lol like what ? A mathematical error?
I'll stick with my opinion on Gold. He'll be in foul trouble within the first eight minutes.
Someone feel free to check my math, but we cannot be eliminated on Wednesday, and they only way we go to the inter-continental playoff rather than getting one of the automatic qualification spots is if we lose by 6 or more.
The biggest difference though is that we can’t be eliminated tomorrow, we would not only have to get destroyed by Costa Rica but then also lose to (likely) New Zealand, currently ranked 111 by FIFA, ten spots lower than where T&T is right now, who didn’t even qualify for the CONCACAF “octagonal”(FIFA rankings can be taken fwiw).
Yeah, I definitely feel better after what we did to Panama this time than I did before the match, but I'm not going to rest easy until they blow that final whistle tomorrow and we're in. 2018 was seriously traumatic for me watching all those results. We went behind, but so did everyone else. Then Pulisic gave us a chance, then Honduras and Panama went ahead...the definition of "we're through" changed rapidly.Though if you really want something to cheer for...If Portugal loses today, and...If Holland fails to win today, and...Mexico loses tomorrow, and...USA wins at Costa Rica, then...USA would move up to 9th in the FIFA rankings and be the final Pot 1 team in the World Cup.It's not likely, but no more unlikely than what went against us in 2018.
The biggest difference between 2018 and 2022, is how much the USMNT controls things.Forget about outside help for a second. Needing a draw on the road compared to a 5-0 loss is huge. There's a reason "getting CONCACAFed" is part of US soccer vernacular. And that's exactly what happened in 2018. In 2022, there is no need to worry about a 1 goal loss, or even a draw. All the USMNT has to do is park the bus, kill 90 minutes, and not concede 6 goals.
Crazy final day in the CAF qualifying. Nigeria fails to qualify, their fans storm and subsequently vandalize the field. Senegal beats Egypt in a shootout only a few months after beating them in a shootout AFCON, might not even be the biggest story of that game considering the dozens? hundreds? of lasers that were being shined in the eyes of the Egyptian penalty takers. Then, to cap it all off, Algeria thinks that they have a 118 minute winner, only to concede a 124th minute goal and go out on away goals. Every continent formats their qualifying differently, but in terms of pure last day value, I don't think you're going to be able to beat that.
The Nigeria/Ghana game hashing was a little something....
The CAF is an absolute joke. I find it hard to put too much blame on individual national teams and fans when the federation just allows garbage to run rampant. From safety to officiating to corruption, its pathetic.
Those Egyptian PKs yesterday were ridiculous. I couldn't believe the ref allowed that to continue.