Canada not yet talking about World Cup berth as Qatar beckons

John Herdman said all the right things Sunday after Canada dispatched the United States at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field to move closer to qualifying for 2022 World Cup.

He warned against looking too far ahead, preferring instead to focus on Wednesday's game in El Salvador. He talked about the commitment and skill of his players.

He even playfully put his fingers in his ears when a reporter suggested qualification was essentially a fait accompli.

"Until those points are in the bag … and I'm not even allowing the players to talk about the (CONCACAF qualifying) table," he said. "We've just got to go into this with the same kind of attitude. Start again. El Salvador's a cup final. The second we take our eye off that and we start thinking about the math, I think that's the mentality that's going to hurt us."

But the numbers bode well.

Come March, when the eight teams in the final round of qualifying in the region have completed their 14-game schedule, the top three will qualify for the tournament in Qatar. The fourth-place finisher will face an Oceania country in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.

Canada (6-0-4, 22 points) tops the standings with three games remaining after the visit to El Salvador — at Costa Rica on March 23, at home to Jamaica on March 26 and at Panama on March 29.

Canada could clinch a World Cup berth Wednesday, although it would take a combination of results.

Should Canada beat El Salvador (upping its total to 25 points), and Panama lose to Mexico, the U.S. lose to Honduras and Costa Rica lose or draw against Jamaica, the 40th-ranked Canadians would be through. That would open the door for Canada since Panama plays the U.S. in March — and under that scenario one of them would be unable to