U.S. rebounds with 4 points in 2 qualifiers

PANAMA CITY » Omar Gonzalez looked relieved as he spoke in the tunnel underneath Estadio Rommel Fernandez.

Last in the standings with a 0-2 record last week, the United States jumped to fourth with a 6-0 rout of Honduras at home followed by a difficult point earned in a physical 1-1 draw at Panama on Tuesday night.

“Well, we wanted to creep up the table, and I think we did that these past 10 days,” the 6-foot-5 center back said. “We showed a lot more camaraderie. We showed a team spirit that maybe we haven’t seen in a long time, and so I think we can build off this.”

Mexico leads the final round of North and Central America and the Caribbean with 10 points, followed by Costa Rica with seven, Panama with five, the U.S. and Honduras with four each, and Trinidad and Tobago with three. The top three nations in the hexagonal qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia, and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff against Asia’s fifth-place nation.

“We’ve got three home games left. We win our home games and don’t take another point, we’re on 13. In past years that should get you to the World Cup,” goalkeeper Tim Howard said. “We obviously plan on taking some points.”

Play resumes June 8 when the U.S. hosts Trinidad, most likely at Commerce City, Colorado, and the Americans start the second half of their schedule three days later at Mexico. The U.S. is home against Costa Rica and at Honduras in September, then closes the next month with a home game against Panama and a road match at Trinidad.

The third-place team had 15 points four years ago, 16 in 2009 and 2005, 17 in 2001 and 14 in 1997.

“We’re not going to qualify in seven games,” U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said. “So we’re back on good footing. We gained ground on everybody other than Mexico, and Mexico right now is an outlier.”