Let’s all embrace our new Canadian overlords, which have somehow won five straight matches in World Cup qualifying. Canada’s 2-0 win against the U.S. men’s national team on Sunday was a humbling result for the Americans. It also has Canada four points clear at the top of the table with four matches left.
Canada can’t clinch on Wednesday, when the final matches of this international window will take place. However, Canada can clinch a top four spot by getting a better result than Costa Rica, which plays at El Salvador.
Pressure is a bit higher on the USMNT and Mexico which look to bounce back from disappointing results. Both are still in a good spot, but another slip up would make things very interesting in the final window in March.
Let’s see if our pickers have finally embraced Canada as a dominant force in CONCACAF or if they still are skeptics.
Jamaica (+160) vs. Costa Rica (+175); Draw +210
Jamaica 1-5-4, 7 points; Costa Rica 3-3-4, 13 points
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Matt Pentz
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Costa Rica
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Jeff Rueter
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Dan Santaromita
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Costa Rica
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Andrew DeWitt
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Costa Rica
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Costa Rica’s resurgence in qualifying is the only thing keeping the top four from feeling secure about their places. Getting a home win against Panama and a point at Mexico in this window has kept the Ticos in the race. Costa Rica was outplayed by Mexico, allowing 25 shots, but just one on target in a scoreless draw at Estadio Azteca. With Panama going to Azteca on Wednesday, it’s reasonable to think Costa Rica could get within a point of fourth place.
Jamaica led in Panama on Sunday, but an own goal a few minutes before halftime broke the dam and Panama added two more goals in the second half of a 3-2 win. The Reggae Boyz are on life support. A loss eliminates Jamaica from World Cup contention.
USA (-550) vs. Honduras (+1600); Draw +550
USA 5-2-3, 18 points; Honduras 0-7-3, 3 points
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Matt Pentz
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Jeff Rueter
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Dan Santaromita
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Andrew DeWitt
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The American fanbase is probably not in a good mood after being on the other end of a 2-0 scoreline on Sunday. The comparisons to the famous dos a cero scores against Mexico are unavoidable in so many ways. In many of those American triumphs, Mexico was the more talented and, even in some cases, the more dominant team in possession and territory. Yet, the Americans found a way to win by being better in front of both goals.
On Sunday, the Americans were the team with more possession and the ball around Canada’s box more often. However, Canada took advantage of a series of mistakes to score the first goal and avoided major trouble for the most part in its own box despite the Americans sniffing around the area for much of the match.
The good news for the USMNT is it is still in second place in the table and gets to host Honduras in St. Paul, Minn. Honduras is dead last, freshly eliminated, winless in qualifying and has lost five straight qualifiers. The Americans are the biggest favorite of Wednesday’s matches, and deservedly so.
Midfielder Tyler Adams and defender Chris Richards are both out with injuries for this match.
El Salvador (+320) vs. Canada (-115); Draw +230
El Salvador 2-5-3, 9 points; Canada 6-0-4, 22 points
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Matt Pentz
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Jeff Rueter
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Dan Santaromita
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Andrew DeWitt
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People who followed CONCACAF closely enough expected Canada to make the 2022 World Cup, but few would have expected Canada to be the top team in qualifying. Not only is Canada the last remaining undefeated team, but everyone else in the region has at least two losses. Canada got eight points against Mexico and the US in qualifiers, something that has never been done before. The remaining road for Canada isn’t that easy with just one home match left, but a win here would put Canada on the verge of clinching a spot.
El Salvador picked up a 2-0 win at Honduras on Sunday, but is still on the brink of elimination. La Selecta can’t quite get eliminated, but there is no room for error left.
Mexico (-300) vs. Panama (+1050); Draw +375
Mexico 5-2-3, 18 points; Panama 5-3-2, 17 points
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Matt Pentz
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Jeff Rueter
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Dan Santaromita
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Andrew DeWitt
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This is the biggest game of the day. Panama’s win against Jamaica pulled Los Canaleros to within a point of the USMNT and El Tri. After Mexico failed to beat Costa Rica despite producing 25 shots, El Tri is under a lot of pressure for this match. The odds say a Panama win is very unlikely, but it would cause a full-on panic among El Tri supporters.
Raul Jimenez is at training for Mexico after missing the previous two qualifiers due to an injury. His return would be huge after the finishing display against Costa Rica.
We started Monday’s training session at our HQ. ????????????
⚽ @Raul_Jimenez9 #HechoDeLosMexicanos | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/k7yI4iymjD
— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) January 31, 2022
Picks records
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Matt Pentz
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Jeff Rueter
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Dan Santaromita
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Andrew DeWitt
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(Photo of Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images; The Athletic may receive an affiliate commission if you open an account with BetMGM through links contained in the above article.)
