COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 29: Kyle Beckerman #15 of the United States Men's National Team controls the ball against Guatemala during the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier on March 29, 2016 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The United States defeated Guatemala 4-0. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
The U.S. Men’s National Team is playing a crucial World Cup Qualifier against Panama in Orlando on Friday night, and here is everything you need to know to watch the game.
The game begins at 7:35pm EST at Orlando City Stadium, and will air on ESPN2. It can also be live-streamed on WatchESPN.
Bruce Arena’s 23-man roster includes forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore; midfielders such as 30-year-old Michael Bradley and 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic; English Premier League defenders Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin; and goalkeeper Tim Howard, among others.
“The World Cup is in our hands. We control our own destiny,” said U.S. midfielder Dax McCarty.
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The Americans must win this match and their final qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday (Oct. 10) in order to make next summer’s tournament in Russia. The U.S. is fourth in the six-nation North, Central American and Caribbean group with nine points, behind third-place Panama (ten points), and table leaders Costa Rica (15 points) and Mexico (18 points).
Fifth-place Honduras is tied with the U.S. with nine points. The top three teams in each qualifying group earn an automatic bid.
“This is what high-level athletes and coaches are supposed to be about,” said Arena. “We’re playing in a big game, which means there’s going to be big moments and we need to have big performances. And I believe we’re prepared to do that.
“When I took the job at the end of November, we were 0-2, dead last in sixth place. To think that it wasn’t coming down to games nine and 10, you’d have to be pretty stupid. If you told me we had to win our last home game to position us to get into the World Cup, I’d say that’s OK.”
The U.S. famously scored two late goals against Panama in a 2013 qualifier to dash the Latin American country’s hopes of reaching the 2014 tournament.
Here is the full U.S. roster:
| Position | USA players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando |
| Defenders | DaMarcus Beasley, Graham Zusi, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Besler, Michael Orozco, Tim Ream, Jorge Villafana |
| Midfielders | Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya, Benny Feilhaber, Darlington Nagbe, Christian Pulisic, Kellyn Acosta, Paul Arriola, Dax McCarty |
| Forwards | Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Chris Wondolowski, Bobby Wood, Juan Agudelo |
COLUMBUS, OH – MARCH 29: Kyle Beckerman #15 of the United States Men’s National Team controls the ball against Guatemala during the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier on March 29, 2016 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The United States defeated Guatemala 4-0. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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