Mexico striker Javier Hernandez. (Photo : Getty Images)
FIFA World no. 24 the United States will square off with 17th-ranked rivals Mexico in a fifth round CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying encounter scheduled on Friday, Nov. 11 at the Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:00 p.m. UTC-5. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
It took the United States the last game of the fourth round to claim the top spot of the Group C table and clinch a berth in the Hexagonal. Team USA routed Trinidad and Tobago, 4-0, at the EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Sep. 6 to capture first place in group competitions, as per ESPN.
New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan opened the scoring one minute before the halftime break as the Soca Warriors made it a hard fight in the first half.
Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann's men then found the groove in the second half and scored three goals on the way to the rout.
Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore netted a brace in the 59th and 63rd minutes before Tijuana winger Paul Arriola sealed the game in the 71st.
With the US' win, Trinidad and Tobago settled for second place while Guatemala fell to third place, only one point behind the Soca Warriors.
Meanwhile, Mexico settled to a goalless draw with Group A second-place team Honduras in their final group stage match also on Sep. 6 at their home field of Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Goal reported.
El Tri is way ahead on top of the Group A standings and has already qualified to the Hex with 15 points even before the match started after sweeping all of their first five games in the eliminations.
Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio's team was secured of the top spot even if they lose to Honduras at home. However, Los Catrachos need at least a draw to overtake Canada to second place, which they did.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a tough 2-1 win for Mexico.
United States starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Guzan; Yedlin, Johnson, Besler, Gonzalez; Bradley, Jones, Bedoya; Wood, Altidore, Pulisic
Mexico starting lineup (5-3-2 formation): Ochoa; Moreno, Layun, Marquez, Ayala, Reyes; dos Santos, Guardado, dos Santos; Hernandez, Peralta
