Quote:
Originally Posted by browna
Sure, but I assume the other teams we are chasing to the Hex have to play the US as well?
They can't lose to the minnows, they can't lose to the teams around them (some of who are minnows) and a bonus would be getting a result vs the US or Mexico. Slide in another game to make up for the far too frequent stretches they've been off since Herdman took over.
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The format is much different this time around, so no, not really. Instead of the 3 group semifinal round followed by the hex, this time the hex will be determined by rankings as of June 2020. So whoever the top 6 teams are by the rankings at that point will be the hex.
The current nations league tournament, where we are in a 3 team group with the USA and Cuba is not technically a world cup qualifier, but the results have a huge impact on where teams will be ranked leading up to June. Since our only remaining games are against the USA, we need to get results now or we risk not making it into the top 6 before qualifying even starts.
If we fail to do that, then all we can hope for is winning the second chance tournament against everyone else in Concacaf, which would earn a playoff against the fourth place hex team. The winner of that playoff would then get into the interconfederation playoff against a team from South America, Asia, or Oceania.
TL;DR, the format is way different this time around and results against the US are our best and possibly only chance at making the hex.
Edit: no, the teams we are chasing in the rankings (El Salvador, Curacao, Panama) do not have to play the us or Mexico. Curacao do have to play Costa Rica though.