The first leg of each Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal match is now complete with the United States beating Jamaica and Mexico. losing the first leg 2-0 against Honduras. Goals were hard to come by as only Honduras scored multiple goals in their clash, but that means the second legs of each match will be tense as anyone has a chance to advance, but how do you determine who will play who in the semi-finals?
While the schedule is set up as a bracket, the teams will actually be reseeded in the next phase of the tournament, which is scheduled for March 2025. Here’s how those matchups are decided. The four winners will advance and then be seeded based on this criteria, which would see the highest-ranked team face the fourth-place team and the second-place team face the third-place team.
Classification criteria
- Number of points with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
- Goal difference in all quarterfinal matches. After this, move on to the tiebreakers below.
- Goals scored in all away games.
- The lowest number of disciplinary points in all matches is as follows: one point for a first yellow card, three points for a second yellow card, four points for a direct red card, five points for a yellow card and a direct red card.
- Concacaf classifications
Based on this, Honduras secured a great result, but with every visiting team scoring a goal except Mexico in the first legs of their matches, this could come down to disciplinary points or Concacaf rankings to figure things out. Here’s how the remaining eight teams are currently ranked:
- Mexico
- Canada
- USA
- Panama
- Costa Rica
- Jamaica
- Honduras
- Surinam
The situation and scenarios of the USMNT
The United States will advance with a win or a draw. A 1-0 loss would mean overtime, while a multiple-goal loss would result in elimination, and a one-goal loss in which Jamaica scores multiple goals will see the United States exit on away goals. A one-goal loss in which Jamaica scores multiple goals will see the United States plummet on away goals.
As for who they could play, if Mexico is eliminated and Canada advances (Mexico is behind and Canada is on top), the USMNT would face either Panama, Costa Rica or Honduras. If Mexico returns, the United States will likely face Canada, Panama or Costa Rica, but there is much to decide.
First leg results
- Jamaica 0, United States 1
- Costa Rica 0, Panama 1
- Suriname 0, Canada 1
- Honduras 2, Mexico 0
Second leg schedule
Monday, November 18
United States vs. Jamaica, 8 pm ET (TNT and Fubo)
Panama vs. Costa Rica, 9 pm ET (Paramount+)
Tuesday, November 19
Canada vs. Suriname, 7:30 pm ET (Paramount+)
Mexico vs. Honduras, 9:30 pm ET (Paramount+)
