It's been awhile since the United States and Mexico played such a meaningful match, combined with an absurd level of subplots clouding up the water like recently disturbed sediment.
USA vs. Mexico, 2014 World Cup qualifying: Preview and TV schedule
Mexico are reeling after a home loss against Honduras and the firing of their head coach. Now in fourth place, El Tri travel to face the United States in desperate need of points.
With both teams coming off losses on Friday -- the US lost at Costa Rica and Mexico lost at home to Honduras -- there's an even greater level of pressure on everyone involved to get a result with time running out in qualifying.
The US are in better shape overall with a slight margin for error in the match. Despite the loss to Costa Rica, the Americans remain in second place in the hexagonal and four points away from qualifying for next summer's World Cup. Traditionally playing Mexico in Columbus during qualifiers ensures a positive result for the USA and even with several players injured or suspended, there's still reason to be cautiously optimistic.
Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron and Jozy Altidore will all miss the match due to yellow card accumulation while Michael Bradley's badly sprained ankle will keep him sidelined. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in four players to fill out the roster with Clarence Goodson, Brad Davis, Jose Torres and Joe Corona joining the team in Columbus.
Mexico are a complete mess in the wake of their loss against Honduras. José Manuel de la Torre was fired in the hours after the match and while Luis Fernando Tena was named the interim coach, the Mexican federation may have a new coach in place before Tena even get’s a shot to even try and earn the job. Whatever ends up happening on the coaching front is secondary at this point for Mexico as they desperately need points against the US to avoid potentially falling farther down the table.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), Univision Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet (Canada).
Online: WatchESPN (U.S. - English), UniMás (U.S. - Spanish)
More in Soccer:
See More:
