By PAUL KENNEDY There’s a 15 percent chance that the United States will qualify for the World Cup Sunday. At least that’s based on the 27 possible combination of results of the three Hexagonal games. Honduras’ chance of clinching is even higher: 19 percent. Mexico can’t clinch Sunday. Nor can any of these three teams be eliminated. Here’s a look at potential outcomes: HOW THEY CAN CLINCH OCT. 7: The United States qualifies Oct. 7 IF: ò It beats Jamaica AND … Honduras doesn’t beat Trinidad & Tobago AND Mexico doesn’t beat Costa Rica. Honduras qualifies Oct. 7 IF: ò It beats Trinidad & Tobago AND … The United States loses to Jamaica OR Mexico loses to Costa Rica. Mexico can’t clinch Oct. 7. WHAT THEY WILL NEED TO DO NOV. 11: If the United States beats Jamaica, here’s how it qualifies Nov. 11, based on the possible results of the Honduras-Trinidad & Tobago and Costa Rica-Mexico games: ò Honduras Win, Mexico Win … U.S. beats T&T OR ties T&T and Mexico loses to Honduras. Honduras Win, Mexico Tie … U.S. beats T&T OR Mexico doesn’t beat Honduras. Honduras Win, Mexico Loss … U.S. beats T&T OR ties T&T OR Mexico doesn’t beat Honduras. ò Honduras Tie, Mexico Win … U.S. beats T&T OR ties T&T OR Mexico beats Honduras. Honduras Tie, Mexico Tie … U.S. clinches Oct. 7. Honduras Tie, Mexico Loss … U.S. clinches Oct. 7. ò Honduras Loss, Mexico Win … U.S. beats T&T OR ties T&T OR Mexico beats or ties Honduras. Honduras Loss, Mexico Tie … U.S. clinches Oct. 7. Honduras Loss, Mexico Loss … U.S. clinches Oct. 7. ò Other scenarios exist, but they depend on goal difference, which currently favors Honduras (17-13, plus-4) and Mexico (13-9, plus-4) over the United States (9-7, plus-2). WHAT THEY NEED TO AVOID OCT. 7: The United States (or Honduras or Mexico) can’t be eliminated Oct. 7, but most scenarios involving a tie with Jamaica or a loss at Foxboro aren’t good for the U.S. The U.S. must avoid at (almost) all costs doing worse than Honduras and Mexico Sunday. Goal difference works against the U.S. in many cases. The worst case scenario is a U.S. loss and Mexico and Honduras wins. That would mean: (1) The U.S. would have to beat Trinidad & Tobago Nov. 11, (2) Honduras, having clinched, would have to beat Mexico in Mexico City, (3) and the sum of the margins of victory in the Nov. 11 games would have to be a minimum of five goals.