It’s not too often that you can say that the United States faces the Mexico with a World Cup spot on the line. You can say that today, though. The U.S. U-20s, by virtue of finishing second in their initial group, were placed in a difficult Classification Stage group.
After a much-discussed 1-0 loss to ten-man Panama to open the initial group, the U.S.’s road became more difficult. Should the U.S. fail to beat Mexico, making the World Cup would require a win over El Salvador — and even then, an El Salvador victory over Mexico in a three-team group could further muddy the waters.