Author: Nancy Armour, USA TODAY

Rather than make substantive changes focused on greater equity for this year’s women’s tournament, the NCAA has worked on window dressing.

Despite losing 2-0 in Costa Rica on Wednesday night, the USMNT officially qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

So long as the USMNT doesn’t lose to Costa Rica by six or more goals on Wednesday night, it will qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The USMNT will get one of Concacaf’s three guaranteed World Cup spots so long as Costa Rica doesn’t win Wednesday’s game by six or more goals.

Four years after missing the World Cup for the first time since 1986, the USMNT effectively clinched a spot in this year’s edition with Sunday’s win.

The USMNT has hit its final – and most difficult – stretch of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, beginning Thursday night in Mexico.

The US men likely need to win at least one of their last three qualifiers to secure one an automatic spot in this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Six double-digits seeds advanced from the second round, one shy of the NCAA women’s tournament record set in 1998.