The US national team took a major step toward securing their passage to the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia with Friday night's 4-0 victory over Panama at Orlando City Stadium. But just how major?
Well, according to ESPN's Soccer Power Index, or SPI, the Americans now have a 93 percent chance of qualifying for their eighth consecutive World Cup Finals heading into Tuesday's CONCACAF finale against Trinidad and Tobago.
That's a jump of nearly 20 percent from the 74 percent threshold, which is where the Yanks began this final international break before romping past Los Canaleros.
It's worth noting that the Americans' prospects will change again before Tuesday, with Tropical Storm Nate forcing Honduras' penultimate qualifier at Costa Rica to be delayed until Saturday night.
A draw or loss for Los Catrachos would keep Honduras behind the US in the CONCACAF Hexagonal table and boost the Americans' chances further, while an unexpected away victory over Los Ticos would complicate things a bit for coach Bruce Arena's group.
