As USMNT fans panic over injuries, veterans Walker Zimmerman and Paul Arriola keep calm

Frst it was Weston McKennie suffering a broken left foot. Then it was Sergiño Dest’s left hamstring. Now it’s a knee issue sidelining Medford’s Brenden Aaronson. Oh, and Matt Turner was already out with an ankle problem.

That’s a starting central midfielder, the starting right back, the first winger off the bench (and a frequent starter, too), and the No. 2 goalkeeper, in order.

For a U.S. men’s soccer team fan base that was already on the edge of implosion, having all those injures happen before the last set of World Cup qualifiers nearly pushed the masses over.

Never mind that a win in Sunday’s home finale against Panama (6:30 p.m., FS1, UniMás, TUDN) is likely to be enough to clinch a ticket to Qatar. Precede that with a tie at rival Mexico on Thursday (10 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Univision 65, TUDN, Paramount+) and it will be certain.

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Of course, getting a result at the fabled Estadio Azteca is easier said than done. The U.S. has never won there in World Cup qualifying. Its lone victory there was a 2012 friendly. And while the crowd will only be at around half of the colossal venue’s 87,000-seat capacity, the 7,200-foot altitude will be there in full measure.

So will a Mexican team in a fiery mood after three straight big losses to their northern rivals on U.S. soil last year: the Nations League final, the Gold Cup final, and a World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati.

But the Americans’ last two World Cup qualifiers at the Azteca have been ties, and a few players on the current squad were part of the most recent one in 2017.

A look at the standings shows that the U.S. isn’t just in second place in the standings (6-3-2, 21 points) but is above Mexico on the goal difference tiebreaker, with the second-best goals scored total (16) and the joint second-best goals allowed (7) with Costa Rica.

So, what if a little calming down is in order?

“A big part of the potential [for] success that we have is our ability to mentally stay calm, stay disciplined, stay organized,” said Nashville SC centerback Walker Zimmerman, who at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds is just the kind of presence to bring some calm to a soccer field.

“There’s so many guys on this roster that have played in just as big games, bigger games, than going down to the Azteca,” said FC Dallas winger Paul Arriola, who was part of the 2017 game. “I think we have a ton of experience — more than enough experience to go down there and to play. I mean, you look at the guys that are on the roster and the level that all these guys are playing at, it’s incredible.”

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Even without the big four absentees, there’s still plenty of talent in the squad: Antonee Robinson, Zimmerman and Miles Robinson headline the defense; Tyler Adams, Gianluca Busio and Yunus Musah the midfield; and Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna the front line, with Reyna recently back from a long injury absence.

Striker Jordan Pefok will also bring some punch to the attack after earning a long-awaited recall.

And there is no doubt, as Arriola put it eloquently, that coach Gregg Berhalter has restored the chemistry and mental fortitude that was a U.S. team strength for decades, even when its talent wasn’t.

“The brotherhood that we have is something that, I’ve always said, it’s even hard to find in a club setting,” Arriola said. “What we have is special, and I know that we’re not going to let that slip away from us — and understand how special this moment and this journey have been together. … I can say confidently that this group has learned from past experiences of not just our own but others as well.”

Now it’s time to put it into practice.