Certainly. I just think CONCACAF gets less respect than it deserves. Now, it’s not great! But the top 3-4 teams aren’t guaranteed wins like I feel the reputation is (with the probable exception of Mexico).
The top 2 teams have always been though (used to be USA and Mexico, now it’s USA and Canada), but the quality falls precipitously afterward, not surprisingly considering that only 3 countries have the population to maintain some some sort of football quality over time.
Costa Rica has built an identity around that 5-4-1 that allows them to grind out smash-and-grab results against good teams, and even if they’re not as good on paper their players know how to make the system work. (Heck, maybe the success of the system has inhibited their players’ development in more expansive systems?) But the improvement of MLS has done a lot to make the Central American and Caribbean teams better by providing another place that’s scouting those countries and developing their talent, but there’s not much general recognition of that. Yet another reason why Copa Americas are so important for CONCACAF…
Current speculation in Twitter Argentina blames Brazil poor result on The Curse of The Cat, they haven’t had good results since they mistreated that cat in Qatar:
A slog of a match between Canada and Peru. So hot and humid that the assistant referee on the sunny side passed out from the heat, and the players were clearly struggling with it too. Even the VAR crew was obviously suffering from some kind of heatstroke or something 
But Canada got the win, so they’ll have a chance to get something against Chile on Saturday and make it out of the group.
Argentina dominating (Chile is no Canada, so far) but unable to translate that into goals.
I’m in my world cup position so I’m doing all I can, it’s up to Messi & Company.
Yeah, lots of action around the box, but no finish.
Whoa what a second half!, why is Chile alway so difficult? they have no right, no right I tell you. (I think they hate us for calling them trasandines when they say WE are the transandines and they the cisandines…).
What a devilish invention VAR…
But in the end the better team won, even if we had several heart-stopping moments (but we have a Dibu).
US looks to be in trouble. Stupid red card by Weah.
Incredibly dumb. Panama is really chippy/handsy, but nothing a team shouldn’t know how to deal with. (if it was some kind of ‘revenge’ for that semi-strike on Turner, it’s even dumber than I thought)
ETA I have the sound off, but looks like Horvath is going in for Turner.
I just saw the red card: whyyyy?
“Con jugadores pelotudos no hay táctica que valga” is an old saying, ever true.
“With stupid players there’s no winning tactic”
Couldn’t quite hold on. If Uruguay beat Bolivia tonight as expected, the US is going to have a tough time making it out of the group.
Panama would have 3 points, Uruguay 6, Bolivia 0 and USA 3.
You’ll have to try to tie Uruguay and pray that Panama ties or loses with Bolivia, which is possible I guess, or try to beat Uruguay which would be very unlikely.
Bolivia is in very bad shape and you can’t expect it to even tie with Panama… 
Uruguay predictably demolishing Bolivia.
Bolivia looked horrible against the US. What is the population of Uruguay? It always surprised me they are consistently so good, and even comparable to other nations near the Rio Plata. Must be the steak.
Honestly they have the greatest national team per capita in the world, 3 million people.
Fortunately for us we have more capitas, specially in Fiorito and Rosario, or they would be absolutely unbearable…
Uruguay is the best example of, “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.”
I think the US play for a win. Uruguay is through, might have an easier time of it vs playing them the first game.
Emphasis on fight, it used to be considered a win if you came back after an away game against them without severe injuries…
somehow I didn’t see this the first time around.
No, that was a fuck-up of monumental proportions, but since after losing the first game we ended up winning the whole thing the temptation is to lose again to guarantee the same result, that would be the cabala.