By PAUL KENNEDY All of a sudden, U.S. World Cup prospects don’t look as rosy. The Americans will probably find themselves in fourth place — only the top three teams from the six-team CONCACAF group qualify for the World Cup — if they lose to Costa Rica Wednesday night in San Jose, where the Ticos will clinch with a win. In retrospect, the difference between a tie and a loss against Honduras could be the difference between the United States qualifying with three more points (one win) if it had tied the Catrachos and now having to get six points (two wins) to qualify. The Americans still control their own destiny, but things have become much more complicated. Here are various scenarios that assume Mexico and Honduras beat Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras defeats Jamaica: ò The United States qualifies with six points. That gives it 19 points. Mexico and Honduras both can’t reach 19 points. ò The United States qualifies with five points (one win and two ties). Mexico and Honduras both can’t reach 18 points. ò The United States qualifies with four points (one win and one tie) — only if Mexico doesn’t get more than three points from its last two games at Costa Rica and home against Honduras. (Note: The Ticos will have nothing to play for against Mexico if they beat the United States.) There is, therefore, a very real possibility that the United States will need a win at T&T in its final game — just as it did 12 years ago. The worst-case scenario is that the United States loses to Costa Rica, beats Jamaica and ties Trinidad & Tobago in its final game and goes out on goal difference to Honduras (a winner over Jamaica and T&T and loser to Mexico) and Mexico (a winner over T&T, tie with Costa Rica and winner over Honduras) — all with 17 points.