Canada the team of destiny after win over U.S. in World Cup qualifying

The Canadian men’s national team can’t be beaten.

The latest triumph, a 2-0 win over the United States in World Cup qualifying at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday, might be the crowning moment.

Les Rouges had already taken four of six points from Mexico, exorcised the demons in Honduras and Haiti, reached the Gold Cup semifinals for the first time since 2007 and proved they can overcome and manage adversity.

All that remained was to end a 42-year drought and defeat the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier. You can punch another hole in that rewards card.

It’s worth remembering that no one is supposed to maintain this level of consistency in Concacaf. It exists to trip up teams and test their mental resolve. Even Mexico and the U.S. experience the odd slip-up.

Not Canada, though. At least, not yet.

Having earned their first win over the U.S. in World Cup qualifying in 42 years, the Canadian men's national team is officially the team of destiny. Here are @GalindoPW's three takeaways from another historic day for Canadian soccer.https://t.co/uqh1hKkDYR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 31, 2022

Canada controls own destiny heading into final World Cup qualifiers

Despite the result and Canada staying unbeaten in the octagon, they are yet to qualify for the 2022 World Cup due to Panama’s 3-2 win over Jamaica keeping them from clinching.

With four games remaining, here is how the table currently stands:

Top of the table, FOUR points clear ????#CANMNT #WCQ #ForCanada pic.twitter.com/PJKPg51ZPf

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) January 31, 2022

Now, with a game against El Salvador on Wednesday to finish this window and three more games in March, here’s are some ways Canada can secure a spot in Qatar:

• Canada, first in the table, has 22 points. Panama (fourth) has 17 points and Costa Rica (fifth) has 13 points.

• The maximum number of points Costa Rica can finish with is 25, while the most Panama can finish with is 29.

• So, Canada needs a combination of four points to steer clear of Costa Rica — whether it’s by earning points themselves or from Costa Rica dropping points.

• The same goes for Panama, except Canada will need a combination of eight points.

With only four games remaining, Canada controls its own destiny in World Cup qualifying. @GoldieOnSports looks at some ways Canada can secure a trip to Qatar.https://t.co/GSSi7yVUQT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 31, 2022

In many ways, Canada controls its own destiny as it faces both Panama and Costa Rica in the final match window. If Canada can keep those two teams from getting full points in those games, it would go a long way towards clinching a berth in the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Each Concacaf team has one game left in the current window, with the final three games of qualifying in March. Canada faces El Salvador on the road on Wednesday, visits Costa Rica on March 24, hosts Jamaica on March 27 and closes the tournament at Panama on March 30.

The top three teams in Concacaf earn direct berths to the Qatar World Cup (Nov. 21-Dec. 17) while the fourth-place team will face the winner of the Oceania region in a playoff for another chance at a World Cup spot.