CONCACAF QUALIFIERS MATCHDAY 10 – PREVIEW

Activities in the road to Qatar 2022 resume for Concacaf, and after Thursday’s matches, the dreams of some hopeful nations are taking a more solid shape, but are slipping away for others.

CANADA VS U.S.A

The day begins with Canada hosting arch-rivals US in Hamilton, Canada at a fifty-percent capacity stadium. The maple leaf squad arrives stronger than ever, after getting their first victory on the road against Honduras.

This victory was their first ever in Honduran soil, and even though goalkeeper Milan Borgan had two impressive saves, Canada’s lightning speed proved once again the team’s best weapon. Despite the absence of their star Alphonso Davies due to COVID-related heart issues, with the second goal on the scoreboard, Jonathan David proved once more that he is one of CONCACAF’s top strikers.

Meanwhile, the US are the only team who are unaffected by Canada’s weather, as they just played in chilly Columbus and were able to get the victory. The Americans dominated the game with almost 65 percent possession and 17 shots, but only netted once.

After a wide victory of 1-4 against Honduras back in September, the US only scored once in their two away matches since. Coupled with their thin victory last Thursday, the star and stripes will have to up their striking power if they want to remain second in the table.

MEXICO VS COSTA RICA

Mexico faces Costa Rica after a suffered victory in Kingston. Tata’s team had a slump of the two defeats in the qualifiers and the heavy weight of two lost finals against the US, but after Thursday’s victory, a renewed hope in the team to remain in the top spots is getting stronger. Especially after players such as Alexis Vega have proven to be starting eleven material in case the big names of Lozano and Jimenez are not available.

Costa Rica also had a tough night away in Panama, getting dominated through most of the game, but finding a lone goal from their star Bryan Ruiz proved enough for them. Especially after Panama failed to convert clear chances.

In case of a victory, Costa Rica could be clinching to that fourth spot that still keeps Qatar dreams alive. On the other hand, in case of winning, Mexico could jump up to the top of the table, if no winner between the US and Canada emerges and the goal difference is of five or more goals. Realistically though, the victory would cement El Tri’s spot at the top of the table, taking loads of pressure that were on the rise after Jamaica’s goal in Kingston.

The game will be played with minimum capacity. Only 2000 people are expected to attend, and no tickets have been sold.

PANAMA VS JAMAICA

Panama and Jamaica come to this match after failing to win points earlier in the week. Despite showing good football throughout the Octagonal, Panama could lose that fourth place as Costa Rica slowly creeps behind them. The Panamanians lost their chance of getting an eight point difference over Costa Rica last Thursday, and in case the Ticos beat Mexico, even with a tie, they could fall to fifth place, being out of the World Cup qualifying for the first time since matchday 2.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s situation is getting trickier. When they were beating Mexico, they were getting deep into the middle of the pack fight for fourth place, and even dragging Mexico down to the fight for that same spot, but after losing the advantage in three minutes, they are now seven points away from that fourth spot.

HONDURAS VS EL SALVADOR

Honduras will try to get their first victory of these qualifiers while El Salvador will try to get their first on the road. SO far, it’s been a disappointing couple of performances from two teams that showed much more potential in the 2020 Gold Cup. For Honduras, regardless of the result, the hopes of going to Qatar seem very faint now, however for El Salvador, a victory could put them on top of Jamaica and into the struggle for the half ticket to Qatar.