Mexico vs USA, Canada vs Costa Rica, Panama vs Honduras as the last game in the first half.
I could see the first half of qualifying ending as Mexico 17, Canada 13, Panama 11, USA 11.
Would be very nice if US can get a point of Mexico game, but that loss to Panama may come back to haunt us.
I think that might have been our best full 90 minutes (well 89 minutes) of qualification so far
McKinnie and Adams are light years better than Lleget and Acosta. Anyone want to argue that our 1st choice midfield shouldn’t be Musah, McKinnie, and Adams?
I might be able to beat Bryan Ruiz in a sprint.
It would have been nice to get a 3rd. Weah probably should have had another before he came off.
I read somewhere that we were playing our under 23 team while CRC was playing their over 33 team.
Hopefully Pulisic and Reyna are back in form for the next set of games in November.
Yup. If we just get a draw from that game we are 6 points clear of 4th place and qualifying feels way more comfortable.
The next 2 sets of games gives us lots of room to open up breathing room.
November: Mexico, at Jamaica. A draw in the first match would be awesome. We damn well better win the second. The nightmare scenario for us is going LD while Panama and Costa Rica pick up a pair of wins and Canada beats Mexico. Then we’re at 12 points, hanging onto 4th on goal differential.
January: El Salvador, at Canada, Honduras. There is zero excuse for not getting at least 6 points here. Ideally, we get 7 or 9. Nightmare scenario: 4 points or less.
If we take care of business like we should, we’d be at 20-23 points headed into March. 20 puts us near qualifying, 23 probably has us clinched already.
Am I crazy to be thinking we should be getting 6 points in November? 4 is a minimum, but 6 should be the goal.
Mexico will be missing Araujo off the back line, since he got 
in the El Salvador match. That will make it a little easier.
Should we get 6? Arguably yes. Would I settle for 4? Absolutely. Don’t get greedy, play conservative on expectations and be excited if they go better than planned.
We’ve already beaten Mexico twice this year in competitive matches, let’s do it again (yes i know they were in extra time)
Sounds like Gio will be out for November due to a very slow recovery of his hammy injury.
Just a reminder, but Adams, McKinnie, Pulisic, and Reyna have never been on the field at the same time.
Tuchel update on Pulisic not sounding promising either.
Read that. Just more pain, which might be a symptom of worse things to come, or just healing slower than anyone wants.
Roster for November qualifying matches is out.
G - Sean Johnson, Zack Steffen, Matt Turner
D - Reggie Cannon, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Sam Vines, DeAndre Yedlin, Walker Zimmerman
M - Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Gianluca Busio, Sebastian Lletget, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan
F - Brenden Aaronson, Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferriera, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah
Not on the list: Dest (back), Reyna (ankle). Also no John Brooks, Josh Sargent or Gyasi Zardes.
Bah I didn’t realize Dest got hurt…Who plays right back? Yedlin starts? Cannon is usually left back is that correct?
Weah had a great match vs Costa Rica, I think he will start again for us vs Mexico. Maybe a lineup like this:
-----------------------------Steffen---------------------------
--------Zimmerman-----Richards-----MRobinson-------
Yedlin-------------------------------------------------Adams
----Weah-----------------Musah--------------McKennie—
------------Aaronson----------------Pulisic---------------
Or maybe go 4 backline, move Adams up a little and more central. If Pulisic not ready to start then Pepi should play. Or maybe Pepi starts anyway ahead of Weah, Pulisic moves wide and Pepi up top as lone striker. Just spitballing. Also Turner could start, I don’t have a preference there.
4 in the back wouldn’t surprise me. I think Pepi over Weah is likely.
Actually if the lineup I posted is used, Adams should be at right wingback and ARobinson at left wingback with Yedlin on bench
Just about to start a two-game International break.
Fri v Mex at Cincinnati, on ESPN2
Then at Jamaica a week from Tuesday, on, what, paramount+?? Any Spanish stations carrying this? “Universo”?
Tuchel doesn’t want Pulisic overused. Shit, it’s two games over five days. I guess he could play one, not go to Jamaica, get am early plane ride back to London. Is Jamaica on the COVID bad-country list?
Tuchel should worry more about Mexico and Jamaica and the shoddy CONCACAF refereeing.
Steffen starts, Pulisic on the bench. We’ll know the rest about 60min before kickoff.
I will be watching the US-Mexico score tonight with interest while watching Canada-Costa Rica match. Hope that the US tires Mexico out as Mexico plays Canada Tuesday night. Crowds of about 50000 expected for each Canadian match in Edmonton: similar interest in Cincinnati?
When the US plays Mexico in qualifying we purposefully play the game in a small stadium in an area with a low Mexican American population and release tickets in a way that gives Americans in fan clubs and things like that first dibs. In Cincinnati tonight it will only be 26,000. It’s sold out and will be rocking though. Probably 75% American fans vs 25% Mexican fans if I would guess.
Interesting, should be a good game.
I think Mexico is beatable on this road trip by both Canada and the US. I have never had that level of optimism before. Sub-zero game time temperature in Edmonton certainly won’t help the Mexican team.