After all, Columbus will qualify for the 2022 World Cup. After being denied the chance to host the US-Mexico highlight for the sixth consecutive cycle in favor of nearby Cincinnati, Columbus and the new Crew Stadium, Lower. com Field, were announced Thursday as the venue for the October 13 game against Costa Rica.
The Ohio capital has hosted 10 World Cup qualifiers since 2000. The United States holds a 7-1-2 record in those games, all of which were played in what is now called Historic Crew Stadium. The first was a 2-0 win over Costa Rica. The crew moved to Lower.com Field, a downtown 20,000-seat venue, in early July.
The qualification for Costa Rica will be the sixth game of the Americans of the eight Concacaf teams, double round robin, which will send the top three finishers to the World Cup in Qatar and fourth place in the intercontinental playoffs. It will be the third qualifier for the United States of the octagonal’s second three-game window, which begins in Austin, Texas against Jamaica on October 7. The United States will then head to Panama for a match on 10 October. The November match window opens with the November 12 showdown against Mexico in Cincinnati.
Four years ago, the United States struggled in the 2-0 defeat to Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena outside New York City. The crowd of 26,500 included several thousand Costa Rican fans, and their presence gave the events an almost neutral atmosphere. The setback was key to the Americans’ failure to qualify for the World Cup, and was remembered as US Soccer planned for the octagon.
“We have carefully looked at all venues and I think one important thing was that we will need every venue we play to have an absolutely rock audience,” US manager Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday when asked about The Choice. of Cincinnati and the federation’s approach to qualifying planning.
“We feel like we made mistakes in the last round of qualifying, especially in the Costa Rica match, not having a 100% American crowd and that will be extremely important,” he added.
In a statement on Thursday, Berhalter, who has coached the team for five seasons, said: “One thing you can count on in Columbus is the unwavering support for the US team, and this will be crucial in helping us achieve a win. against Costa Rica.… I know firsthand how incredible the bond between the team and the fans is. We can’t wait to play there. “
US football also appears to prioritize markets in the Midwest and the central part of the country. The four qualifying venues chosen so far – Austin, Cincinnati, Columbus and Nashville – are nowhere near the coast. The new MLS markets and stadiums also received the nod. Austin, Cincinnati and Nashville have all entered the league since the last qualifying round, while Lower.com Field joins Austin’s Q2 Stadium and Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium as new venues.
The sites for the three home qualifiers in January, February and March next year have yet to be announced.
Here is the updated program of the USMNT World Cup qualifiers:
September 2 in El Salvador
September 5 against Canada at Nissan Stadium, Nashville
September 8 in Honduras
October 7 against Jamaica at Q2 Stadium in Austin
October 10 in Panama
October 13 v Costa Rica at Lower.com Field, Columbus
November 12 against Mexico at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium
November 16 in Jamaica
January 27 against El Salvador
January 30 in Canada
February 2 against Honduras
March 24 in Mexico
March 27 against Panama
March 30 in Costa Rica
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