International Break

It's the last international break of the season, with many storylines still to be written... Let's take a look around the grounds and see where we stand at the international level as we make the final push towards summer. Continue to share Straight Red and get those personalized referrals in below––someone will be walking away with some gear in the very near future.

Let's get straight into it.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

🇲🇰 This was the goal that sent little North Macedonia through in the shock of World Cup qualifying thus far. For the second time on the bounce, Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup. In the middle of that spell they just so happened to go on and win the Euros; it's strange to say the least. Italy pounded North Macedonia the entire game, but the Southern Balkaners––who boast a population less than Rome's––hung in the fight and pulled off an incredible smash and grab. They now face the small task of playing Portugal, in Porto, for a ninety minutes that will decide if the country sees its first ever World Cup appearance.

🇺🇸 USMNT: The US earned a key point in a pretty drab 0-0 draw in a CONCACAF WC qualifier against Mexico on Thursday night. What it means is that the US stays ahead of Mexico on goal difference in 2nd place, while Mexico holds third. More importantly, it means that the lead over chasing Costa Rica is three points, instead of two, going into the final two games of qualifying.

Berhalter's Boys

USA vs Panama –– Sunday March 27th 7PM ET

Gregg is missing some big players like Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest, but the States will have to push on through this crucial last week of WC qualifying. With two games left to play and a three point lead on Costa Rica, the US can essentially book a ticket to Qatar in this game based on goal difference alone.

It's been a bit of a rocky road for Gregg Berhalter so far as US manager, but all will be forgiven (at least for now) if he can get this team and this country back into the big dance where it belongs. We are looking at the golden generation of American soccer, and missing out for another four years is simply not an option. 

On the Tip of Qatar...

Things are coming down to the wire all across the world. In South America (CONMEBOL), Peru holds serve to advance to the inter-federation playoffs (for the last few spots to the WC) going into the final match of qualifying. However, Colombia and Chile are there to pounce if they cannot see out three points against Paraguay at home. Colombia have a more favorable matchup playing Venezuela than Chile have playing Uruguay. Only one of these three will advance to the IFP for one last shot at Qatar. 

Elsewhere, European qualification is coming to a close, and isn't short on drama. Italy of course fell to North Macedonia on Thursday, while Portugal, Wales and Sweden all progressed as well. Because of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Russia has been expelled from the competition, while Ukraine has had its games postponed, so we will see how they shake out. One more round of games determines which 3 teams will be the last to advance to the World Cup out of Europe.

In Africa, the road to Qatar is quite clear: 5 two-legged ties are to be played between the remaining 10 teams. The five winners will advance to the World Cup. The first legs of these ties start tomorrow and the reverses will culminate on Tuesday. A rematch of the AFCON final between Egypt and Senegal is the one I'd watch. 

Dan & Billy's Betting Picks

Billy's Picks: Unfortunately my copilot is unable to get his picks out this week, but as always I will steer you towards the green. 2/3 last week is where we want to be and where we want to stay.  

Now I'm not going to lie to you, international breaks are not easy... I like Sweden (+240) to beat Poland (90') just on value alone. I think they are the superior side, and the only edge Poland has is being at home for such a big game on Tuesday night. Peru (-160) feels pretty safe as well, as they know all they need to do is put away Paraguay and they make it through. Let's crack on with these two and see how we do this week. 

Goal Of The Week 

Who else? An absolute stunner from Gareth Bale to help his country get one step closer to the World Cup. It really is Wales, Golf, Madrid...

Red Card Of The Week 

Dušan Tadić literally throws his own player, Antony, to the ground in a pretty transparent time-wasting maneuver here... The ref sent off Antony. 

Have a great weekend and continue to spread the Straight Red love.