Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Zusi and the U.S. Men’s National Team return to action Saturday when they host Venezuela in a World Cup qualifying tune-up against Venezuela at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT on FS1, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network.
Saturday’s friendly comes ahead of pivotal World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago on June 8 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado and archrival Mexico on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Led by head coach Bruce Arena, the U.S. MNT will take the field for the first time since earning four points from a pair of World Cup qualifiers in March to climb from sixth place to fourth in CONCACAF’s Hexagonal. Zusi came off the bench in a 6-0 thrashing of Honduras on March 24 before starting and playing all 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw at Panama four days later.
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler was named to the U.S. MNT roster alongside Zusi on Sunday but has returned to his club for Saturday’s MLS match against Minnesota United FC at Children’s Mercy Park. Following the game, he will rejoin the U.S. ahead of both World Cup qualifiers.
The U.S. MNT is 3-0-1 all-time against Venezuela, including a perfect 3-0-0 mark on American soil. Coincidentally, Saturday’s match will kick off just four hours before the same two countries square off in the quarterfinals of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.
Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown has captained the U.S. U-20s to their second straight appearance in the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals, having fallen at this juncture of the tournament in 2015 with a penalty shootout defeat to eventual champion Serbia. That match will kick off at 1 a.m. CT Sunday on FS1 and Telemundo en Vivo.
Each team in the Hexagonal will play six more qualifying matches between now and October. The top three finishers will automatically advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-place team will face an Asian country in a two-legged, intercontinental playoff in November with a World Cup berth on the line.
Hexagonal Standings
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico |
10 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
+4 |
Costa Rica |
7 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
+4 |
Panama |
5 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
<strong>USA</strong> |
<strong>4</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>2</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>8</strong> |
<strong>7</strong> |
<strong>+1</strong> |
Honduras |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
-5 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
3 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
-4 |
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 53/0), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 1/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 113/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 22/0)
DEFENDERS (10): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 124/17), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 39/1), John Brooks (VfL Wolfsburg/GER; 30/3), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 50/4), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 37/1), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas; 1/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 23/1), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 4/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 43/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 46/5)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 5/0), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana/MEX; 4/2), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 59/2), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 130/16), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 54/2), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 6/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 14/1), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 13/4)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 102/37), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 132/56), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 14/2), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 29/8)
