The United States is set for a challenging path in the final phase of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in the Concacaf zone. The draw has them playing away three times in their first four matches. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann acknowledges the difficulty but emphasizes the need to achieve good results on the road to start the tournament well.
Mexico, considered the favorite in the “hexagonal” tournament, will kick off with a home match against Jamaica. The return match in Jamaica has been rescheduled from June 18 to June 4 due to Mexico’s participation in the Confederations Cup in Brazil. Mexico is aiming for its sixth consecutive World Cup qualification and fifteenth overall.
The top three teams from the Concacaf zone will directly qualify for the 2014 World Cup, while the fourth-placed team will enter a playoff against the winner of the Oceania zone.
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the three Concacaf teams that qualified were Mexico, the United States, and Honduras.
The schedule for the qualifications is as follows:
- February 6: Mexico – Jamaica, Honduras – United States, Panama – Costa Rica
- March 22: Jamaica – Panama, Honduras – Mexico, United States – Costa Rica
- March 26: Mexico – United States, Panama – Honduras, Costa Rica – Jamaica
- June 4: Jamaica – Mexico
- June 7: Jamaica – United States, Panama – Mexico, Costa Rica – Honduras
- June 11: Mexico – Costa Rica, Honduras – Jamaica, United States – Panama
- June 18: United States – Honduras, Costa Rica – Panama
- September 6: Mexico – Honduras, Panama – Jamaica, Costa Rica – United States
- September 10: Jamaica – Costa Rica, Honduras – Panama, United States – Mexico
- October 11: Mexico – Panama, Honduras – Costa Rica, United States – Jamaica
- October 15: Jamaica – Honduras, Panama – United States, Costa Rica – Mexico
