Following a somewhat underwhelming September, the United States Men’s National Team headed into the October window of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) World Cup Qualifying, looking to shift into first gear. A 4–1 win against Honduras to close the September window put the U.S. in third place with five points (one win and two draws) entering this month’s round of games. In CONCACAF, the top three teams of the eight team “octagonal” qualify for the World Cup, with the fourth place finisher advancing to an intercontinental playoff.

The first of three games in October for the USMNT came against Jamaica in Austin, Texas. Even without usual starters Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and John Brooks due to injury, the U.S. cruised to a 2–0 win against the Reggae Boys behind a second half brace from 18 year old Ricardo Pepi. Sergiño Dest and Brenden Aaronson each provided an assist to Pepi, who upped his goal tally to three in just two starts for the red, white and blue. The Americans controlled play throughout the match, limiting Jamaica to just one shot on goal.

Following the comprehensive victory in Austin, the U.S. hit the road for another trip to Central America, this time for a matchup with Panama. U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter heavily rotated his side for the game, making seven changes to the lineup that started against Jamaica. This amount of squad rotation backfired, as the U.S. looked incoherent and out of sync for most of the match. The game’s only goal came in the 54th minute, with Anibal Godoy heading in a corner kick to give Panama a 1–0 victory. The U.S. failed to muster a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, as they were defeated for the first time in this World Cup Qualifying cycle.

Looking to bounce back from the horrific performance against Panama, the USMNT welcomed an old foe in Costa Rica to Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus has been a haven for the Yanks in World Cup Qualifying, and their seven wins there are the most in any city. Despite having a huge geographical advantage, Costa Rica tallied the opener in just sixty seconds from an unlikely source in defender Keysher Fuller. 

However, the U.S.’s response was quick and powerful, with the midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie driving the game forward. Their efforts culminated in a world-class goal from Dest in the 25th minute. The United States’ momentum continued into the second half. With Costa Rica’s starting keeper Keylor Navas subbed off at halftime, winger Timothy Weah tucked away the winning goal in the 66th minute that deflected off both the post and backup keeper Leonel Moreira. 

With an abysmal result in Panama sandwiched by two solid performances, the USMNT will have to settle for a six point week, putting them in second place in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying standings on eleven points. Sitting three points in front of them on top of the table is their biggest rival, Mexico, who the U.S. will face on Nov. 12 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.