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The United States Men’s National Team faces one of its biggest World Cup qualifying matches in squad history on Friday night, as they take on Panama in desperate need of three points.
Clint Dempsey and Gabriel Enrique Gomez each found the back of the net when these teams met in March, playing to a 1-1 draw in Panama City. The Red, White and Blue figure to have the edge with this match happening in Orlando, but Bruce Arena’s squad has been anything but predictable during qualifying.
The crucial match is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and Univision. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream via a free trial of one of the following cable-free, live-TV services:
DirecTV Now: Any of the four channel packages include ESPN and ESPN2. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Fubo TV: The “Fubo Premier” package includes Univision. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
Sling TV: “Sling Orange” includes ESPN and ESPN 2. You can click here to sign up and start your free trial. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Each of these options includes a free trial, so you can watch the match at no cost.
CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Table
| Pos | Team | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 5-3-0 | +8 | 18 |
| 2 | Costa Rica | 4-3-1 | +7 | 15 |
| 3 | Panama | 2-4-2 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | United States | 2-3-3 | +1 | 9 |
| 5 | Honduras | 2-3-3 | -7 | 9 |
| 6 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1-0-7 | -11 | 3 |
The top three spots will advance to the World Cup, while the fourth-place team will play the winner of Australia and Syria in a home-and-away two-match series for a spot in Russia.
Mexico has already qualified, while Costa Rica, which is already assured at least a spot in the playoff against Australia/Syria, needs just one point in the final two matches to qualify.
For the United States, a loss on Thursday would mean the best they can finish is fourth. A win, and they are likely into the World Cup assuming they can take care of business against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday. A draw, and it will likely come down to what Panama does against Costa Rica next week.