CONCACAF 2022 World Cup Qualifiers Are Heating Up!
So here we are. We are heading into the beginning of 2022 and the end of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. Eight games down, and now 6 to go. After the smoke clears on February 2nd, there will be only three games left, and we can begin projecting towards Qatar in November.
We have never seen a qualifying quite like this; the reasons? – Canada. We have never seen a team from the Northernmost tip of the region as competitive and frankly dominant as this one. They’re buoyed by arguably the two best players in CONCACAF right now, Alphonso Davies and Johnathan David. Les Rouges are going to the World Cup for the first time since 1986, and the foundation is set for them not to miss one any time soon.
The other development is the young core from the United States. I have never seen an explosion of talent from the EEUU like this, with players on some of the world’s top clubs and playing regularly. The future looks bright, but so does the present.
That leaves the top dog of the region Mexico, who undoubtedly have issues, and defensively and more so in their youth ranks where they cannot match what is happening north of the border. That said, after ending 2021 with back-to-back road defeats to the U.S. and Canada, 2022 sees El Tri with 4 of 6 games at home. Ojo en Mexico.
Panama has been a real pleasant surprise; underestimate them at your peril. Perennial powers Costa Rica and Honduras are down but capable of spoiling a party or two, and El Salvador and Jamaica are creating solid foundations for 2026.
The goal for CONCACAF ?
A) get four teams into the 2022 World Cup & B) Make some noise when they get there. I think there is a real good shot that can happen. We’re working on making our way to Canada to bring you coverage of the latest CONCACAF World Cup qualifying rounds just like we did in Cincinnati, so be on the lookout!
More about the author. Max Bretos is one of the most renowned soccer journalists in the United States, and he is also known as the Soccer O.G. and a frequent collaborator with El Tri Online. You can follow him here on his Twitter account and be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel.
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El Tri Online was founded in December 2017 to serve English-speaking fans of Mexican Soccer. Our mission is to create compelling Mexican soccer content and share it via our website, streaming apps, social media, and any other medium for English-dominant Mexican-American fans of the Mexican National Team, Liga MX, and their players.
