The United States men's national team has already earned its place at next summer's World Cup and even though the remaining two matches don't have anything on the line concerning tournament qualification, coach Jurgen Klinsmann and company will certainly use the next slate of games as a tool for improvement with the biggest event in the game less than a year away. The US leader knows these matches mean nothing with regard to the United States' quest for the World Cup but he still believes his club will play full throttle soccer in their upcoming match against Jamaica, just the way they have since the beginning of the current hexagonal.
"Once you achieve the goal of qualifying, you understand that the next higher level is already waiting for us," Klinsmann said recently. "The World Cup is a couple of levels higher up than World Cup Qualifying, even if it's not an easy thing to go through. The benchmark in the World Cup is far higher, so whatever we do now already prepares us for that. Everything we do now sets the tone for summer of 2014, and therefore it's important the players understand this is serious business. We want to see an improvement of the entire squad, and we want to see competition in every spot. You only have to say one word: Brazil. Then you automatically get fired up."
While there may not be much at stake for the United States, Jamaica still has an opportunity to earn a fourth place finish in CONCACAF. Needing wins against the USA and Honduras to close out their hex, the Reggae Boyz will also need Mexico and Panama - the two teams ahead of them in the standings - to fall in their final matches in order to secure the coveted fourth slot.
The fourth place finisher in the group will enter a two-legged playoff against New Zealand with the winner of those outings earning an automatic bid to the World Cup in Brazil.
USA vs. Jamaica: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Friday, October 11
TIME: 6:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: ESPN
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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