SOCCER WORLD CUP ARTICLES

The United States Men's National Team knows that it has a big week ahead. Thursday night's match against Trinidad & Tobago might end up being the one that helps determine if its road to Russia for the 2018 World Cup could be easy one, or one that might end with the club falling off the path to greatness.... 

The United States Men's National team is about set to engage in a couple crucial World Cup qualifiers in the Hex. But before playing against Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico in the duels that count, Bruce Arena's team will take on Venezuela in a quick tune-up match in Salt Lake City.... 

Trinidad & Tobago probably saved its World Cup Qualifying campaign by taking a crucial three points at home against Panama on Friday night. Three nights later though, the task gets a heck of a lot harder. This Mexico team wants to make sure that it locks up its place in the World Cup as quickly as possible to take the pressure off of Juan Carlos Osorio, and three points here in Port of Spain would make that task a lot easier.... 

The United States is officially back on track in World Cup Qualifying. The Stars and Stripes took three big points at home against Honduras on Friday night to get erase the memories of a horrid 0-0-2 start to the Hex, but if they don't parlay that 6-0 win into three more points at Panama, this duo of March games will largely be looked upon as a disappointment.... 

Bruce Arena will have been on the job with the U.S. Men's National Team for about three months when he meets his first incredibly stern test. The Stars and Stripes are arguably in must-win range if they want to reach the World Cup. They've got a home date with Honduras in their third match of the Hex, and anything less than three points in that match is going to make it incredibly hard to reach the World Cup in Russia in 2018.... 

Both Mexico and Costa Rica got off to pretty good starts to their World Cup qualifying campaigns, and they're probably both en route to Russia in 2018. Their match against each other though, should be a good litmus test for both in terms of what they're going to see down the line when the competition becomes a lot more intense.... 

England is going to win Group F in World Cup qualifying. We know this. What we don't know is who's going to finish second amongst the other five teams and whether that team that does finish second is going to have a shot to play in the playoff against other second place teams on the eve of the World Cup. Slovenia is in that coveted second place spot right now, but it has its work cut out for it in a match against Scotland that might be the biggest for the Tartan Army in this qualifying effort.... 

Thanks to the fact that Denmark has had a tremendously dull run in World Cup qualifying, the door is open for both Poland and Montenegro to claim spots in Russia in 2018. Sunday's match in Podgorica is a huge opportunity for the Poles to effectively punch a ticket to the World Cup at the halfway point of qualifying, and that would be a huge accomplishment for one of the budding soccer programs in Europe.... 

Lithuania was always going to have a chance to finish second in Group F in World Cup qualifying in UEFA. However, this team has struggled out of the blocks as it hits the halfway point of its qualifying campaign, and it's starting to become more and more realistic that the best this team can do is finish third in the group. A match here against England could very well see Lithuania down in fifth place with five matches left to play on the road to Russia.... 

Hungary has a team is definitely good enough to reach the World Cup in 2018. But the problem the Magyars have is that they are playing in a group with a really good Portugal team that is only second best at the moment to Switzerland. If Hungary is going to put together a serious run, it's going to have to figure out how to get at least a couple results here against the top teams in Group B. One of those opportunities comes on Saturday at Portugal.... 

The US Men's National Team didn't exactly get off to a flying start in the Bruce Arena era. The team drew against Serbia in Arena's first match of his second stint as the head coach of the national team, but better is clearly on the horizon. Even though the Yanks are going to be favored once again, it must be remembered that they're playing with a shell of a side with all of the players coming from the MLS. We'll see if they have more in them against Jamaica on Friday in Chattanooga.... 

The United States Men's National Team has never won a soccer match in Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying. In fact, they've never gotten a point from the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica either. If that doesn't change, Jurgen Klinsmann is going to have a lot of explaining to do for a team that will have no points through two of the 10 matches of the Hex, the last stage before the World Cup in Russia in 2018.... 

There often aren't many surprises in terms of World Cup qualifying in Europe, and this year isn't much of an exception. England has already comfortably set the tone atop Group F, and most believe there's no way that they don't qualify. Three more points theoretically should be on the horizon against old rival, Scotland on Friday night at Wembley.... 

Dos a cero. It's the score that lives in infamy in the rivalry between the United States and Mexico, and it's a score that could crop up once again on Friday night. It's the beginning of the last stage of World Cup qualifying, and it's a spot the USA has been dreaming of for a while. Three points against El Tri in Columbus, and there's almost no doubt left that the Americans will be on their way to Russia for the World Cup in 2018.... 

World Cup qualifying is already firmly underway across the globe, and here in Europe, there are a few teams that are struggling out of the gate to get footing in the unforgiving group stage. When pots were drawn for qualifying, both France and the Netherlands really had to think that they were in good shape. One of the two would clearly be the automatic qualifiers as the group winners, while the latter would ultimately end up in a playoff against one of the other second place teams and would likely reach the World Cup that way. As it is though, both teams only have one point through one match, and at some point, nerves are going to set in for two very good programs.This World Cup Qualifying duel will go down Monday, October 10, 2016, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Amsterdam Arena. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.... 

The United States Men's National Team has a couple friendlies ahead of it this week. The team will return from Cuba this weekend and ultimately be at RFK RFK Stadium on Tuesday night for an encounter with a New Zealand team that hopes to be able to ultimately qualify for the World Cup and make some noise if it gets there.Don't miss the soccer action from RFK Stadium at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.... 

American athletes don't end up visiting Cuban soil all that often, but Jurgen Klinsmann knows that he needs to take these next six weeks to get his United States Men's National Team together to get ready for that very first match in World Cup qualifying against Mexico in November. This match against Cuba isn't necessarily about winning and losing (though losing really isn't an option against such a poor team) as much as it is about getting this team on the same page for El Tri.Don't miss the soccer action from Estadio Pedro Marrero at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.... 

Spain's eight-year run as the champions of Europe came to a close at the hands of Italy just a few short months ago in Euro 2016. Now, the two teams are going to be back on the pitch once again versus each other in a World Cup qualifying match, one that could help determine which one of these sides will get through Group G as the winner and which one will have to fight through a home-and-home playoff to get into Russia in 2018.At 2:45 p.m. ET, tune into FOX Sports 1 for live television coverage of this World Cup Qualifying match on Thursday, October 6, 2016, at Juventus Stadium.... 

The U.S. Men's National Team had a bit of a rocky road in the fourth round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, but the job is done, and the team will be off to the final stage, also known as the Hexagonal. Trinidad & Tobago is through as well to the last six with three of those teams locking up the crucial spots in Russia in 2018. The match the USA and T&T doesn't mean a heck of a lot, though if the United States does go on to win this match, it will win Group C as it was always expected to do.... 

Jurgen Klinsmann knows that these next two matches are going to decide his fate as the future manager of the USA Men's National Soccer team. Should the Americans not secure at least enough points to reach the last round of qualifying for the World Cup, Klinsmann will surely be given his walking papers. First up is a date with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday night, a team which has already been eliminated from World Cup contention and will be hoping to play the role of spoiler.... 

The United States Women's National Team will be back in action with a pair of friendly matches this week against Colombia, the first of which will come on Wednesday night in Hartford.... 

Jurgen Klinsmann is in a heck of a lot of trouble, and so is the US Men's National Soccer Team. The Stars and Stripes arguably must win on Tuesday night against Guatemala if they want to keep their dreams of reaching the World Cup in 2018 alive.... 

It's been an incredibly disappointing summer for the United States Men's National Team. They were knocked out of the Gold Cup prematurely by Jamaica, lost the one-match playoff for the Confederations Cup against Mexico and then lost an inexcusable match at home against Costa Rica. All can be forgotten if the path to the World Cup in 2018 is an easy one, a road which starts with a match against St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Friday at Busch Stadium.... 

The US Men's National Team is fully expected to roll to a Gold Cup title this year. The task begins in the Lone Star State, where the Stars and Stripes will take on Honduras on the opening day of the tournament.... 

Mexico's soccer team has been through a heck of a lot of adversity over the course of the last several months since the World Cup. The pressure can be turned up just a little bit on El Tri if they don't do as they are supposed to do in the opening match against Cuba, this tournament could go south in a hurry....