The United States men's football team will resume their FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday as they take on Guatemala in the first of home-and-away matchup in the next five days.
Event Details:
Tournament: CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Fourth Round at Estadeo Mateo Flores
TV Schedule/ Starting Time: 10:06 p.m US ET live on beIn Sports USA and NBC Universo
Live Streaming: beIN Sports Connect, fuboTV, NBC Deportes En VIVO Extra / check more TV providers @ Live Soccer TV
Starting Line-up / Play-by-Play Commentary: Starting Line-up will be posted 30 minutes before the match on ESPN FC Gamecast. It will also provide play-by-play commentary and analysis of the match.
USA vs Guatemala tonight at 9pm in World Cup qualifier! Come cheer with us! $5 double wells & $3 Fireball shots pic.twitter.com/YzJySkehuB
— Dempsey's Burger Pub (@dempseyskc) March 25, 2016
What's on the line?
The United States are currently on top of the Group C standings with a 1-1-0 slate for four points, although nothing is determined nor secured this early in the qualifier. If there's one thing on the line for the Yankees in the game, then it would be their 21-game unbeaten streak against Guatemala - which is by far USA's longest unbeaten streak against any country.
For Guatemala, a win over USA on their home soil would be a big boost for their morale moving forward. After two matches, Guatemala has a 4-0 win over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 1-2 loss to Trinidad and Tobago.
Team News:
United States: Tim Howard will be once again the man defending between the posts for the United States. Although there's no doubt that he's arguably the finest goalkeeper in USA football history, there are concerns that he might not be in tip-top shape heading into this match since he didn't get much playing time behind Joel Robles in Everton. For all we know, Howard will be returning to MLS next season with the Colorado Rapids.
Guatemala: USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is bracing for a boisterous crowd in Guatemala City, which he believes could swing the tide of the match. Moreover, the USA team must find ways to contain Colorado Rapids star Marco Papa, who is fresh from scoring a beautiful game-winner against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Experts Pick: Bleacher Report and CBS Sports all picked USA to take a hard-fought win over Guatemala.