If it has become redundant to label every U.S. soccer World Cup qualifier an important match, well, sorry, that’s their fault.
Ever since their disastrous hexagonal qualifying start — in which the U.S. secured zero points in two horrible games against Mexico and Costa Rica in November — every game since has become a must-win, or at least must-not-lose, which they’ve done with relative ease under head coach Bruce Arena.
It isn’t an easy stretch by any means, as travels to the Caribbean nations usually make for a crapshoot with hostile environments and shoddy field conditions in which anything goes.