Looking ahead to U.S. World Cup qualifying

The U.S. men's national team is no doubt still buzzing over last week's 1-0 win over Mexico, and with good reason. The win was the first-ever such triumph on Mexican soil, ending a streak of futility that had reached 24 games, and it will certainly give the U.S. a massive jolt of self-belief going forward.

The reality of course is that the victory will only carry the U.S. so far. The Americans will not receive any bonus points in the World Cup qualifying standings for ending its Azteca hoodoo, and in the grand scheme of things, the upcoming qualifiers against Jamaica – the away leg will be held in Kingston on Sept. 7, with the return encounter taking place four days later in Columbus, Ohio - dwarf the Mexico match in importance. With that in mind, here are five thoughts as these two crunch matches approach.