CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings through November 16

CONCACAF is over halfway through its World Cup qualifying tournament, and on Tuesday, the eight participating countries wrap up the 2021 schedule. They’ll return to action in January for the final six matchdays.

Matchday 8 is on the 16th and the US Men’s National Team will look to build on its momentum following Friday’s win over Mexico. The USA moved into a tie with El Tri but has the tiebreaker advantage thanks to goal differential. The first two tiebreakers are goal differential and then total goals scored.

The USMNT will travel to Kingston to face Jamaica, while Mexico is in Edmonton for a chilly one against Canada. The Canadian squad is currently in third place, only a point back of the USMNT and Mexico.

Here’s the full schedule of games for Tuesday’s slate. We’ll update with results and standings as the matches wrap.

Jamaica 1, USA 1
The Americans got on the board first with Timothy Weah’s goal in the 14th minute. Unfortunately for the USMNT, Jamaica found an equalizer in the 22nd minute. Both teams only had two shots on target each, so it’s somewhat surprising they even managed to get goals in this one. USA was due for a letdown game after beating Mexico Friday, so this performance is somewhat excusable. The Americans are still at the top of the table.

Costa Rica 2, Honduras 1
Gerrson Torres got a game-winning goal in stoppage time for Costa Rica, who vaults into fifth in the qualification standings. This was a huge missed opportunity for Honduras, which has yet to record a win in this final stage.

Panama 2, El Salvador 1
Panama gets the win with two second-half goals, shutting out El Salvador after the first minute. It did take 27 shots for Panama to get the goals, so there will be questions about how efficient this offensive system is. For now, that doesn’t mean much with Panama sitting at third in the standings prior to Tuesday’s final match.

Canada 2, Mexico 1
This technically was not an upset, as Canada was favored on the moneyline. The home team overcame cold, wintry weather to seal a 2-1 victory and jump to the top of the table. Mexico only managed a late goal in this contest, and now falls to third place as the second half of the final qualification stage begins.

The top three teams receive automatic qualification to the 2022 World Cup. The fourth-place team goes to a playoff round among all the federations, scheduled to take place in June 2022.

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings, through Nov 16

1. Canada, 4-4-0, 16 Points
2. USA, 4-3-1, 15 Points
3. Mexico, 4-2-2, 14 points
4. Panama, 4-2-2, 14 Points
5. Costa Rica, 2-3-3, 9 points
6. Jamaica, 1-4-3, 7 points
7. El Salvador, 1-3-4, 6 Points
8. Honduras, 0-3-5, 3 points