ESPN2 and ESPN+ will present the U.S. men’s national team World Cup qualifying match against archrival the Mexican national team on Friday, Nov. 12 at 9 p.m. ET (kick-off at 9:10 p.m.) fromTQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mexico (14 points) and USA (11 points) rank No. 1 and 2 respectively in the Concacaf Octagonal standings after six matches.

Schedule for USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying match:

Date
Time (ET)
Show/Matchup
Location
Platforms
Fri, Nov 12
6 p.m.
ESPN FC
Bristol, CT
ESPN+
 
8 p.m.
Countdown Live: USA-Mexico Pregame Special

Sebastian Salazar, Jermaine Jones, Kasey Keller and Herculez Gomez

TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
ESPN App, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
 
9 p.m.
USA vs. Mexico Pregame
TQL Stadium
ESPN2, ESPN+
9:10 p.m.
USA vs. Mexico

Jon Champion, Taylor Twellman and Sam Borden

TQL Stadium
ESPN2, ESPN+
11:30 p.m.
Fútbol Americas

Salazar and Gomez

TQL Stadium
ESPN+

*Subject to change

 

Commentators

ESPN’s analysts for Friday’s USA-Mexico match are former U.S. Men’s National Team players who participated in this rivalry throughout their careers.

  • Match commentators: play-by-play announcer Jon Champion, analyst Taylor Twellman and sideline reporter Sam Borden
  • Studio commentators: Host Sebastian Salazar and former U.S. Men’s National Team players Herculez GomezJermaine Jones and Kasey Keller will host pregame, halftime and post-game segments. The trio will present the one-hour Countdown Live: USA-Mexico Pregame Special on ESPN digital platforms
  • Postgame studio: Salazar and Gomez will host a post-game edition of Fútbol Americas on ESPN+, at the conclusion of the match (approx. 11:30 p.m.).

Countdown Live: USA-Mexico Pregame Special (Friday, 8 p.m. ET) 

Countdown Live – the digital live soccer pregame series available on the ESPN App and ESPN Social platforms – will preview USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying match on Friday with SalazarGomez, Jones and Keller, live from TQL Stadium. Countdown Live: USA-Mexico Pregame Special will be available on ESPN’s Twitter, YouTube and Facebook along with the ESPN App. Countdown Live offers up-to-the-minute team news, player interviews, matchup previews, special guests and more.

Previous Countdown Live editions include live shows from the US Men’s National Team home World Cup qualifying matches from Austin, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 7, and Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, Oct. 13; the 2019 FA Cup Final in Wembley Stadium; 2019 MLS Cup in Seattle; several El Tráfico – LAFC vs. LA Galaxy – matches; and other marquee MLS rivalry contests.

Exclusively on ESPN+: ESPN FC and Fútbol Americas

  • Friday at 6 p.m., ESPN FC, the signature ESPN+ soccer news, highlights and information program, will preview the matchup
  • Fútbol Americas with Salazar and Gomez will originate live from TQL Stadium immediately following the conclusion of the USA-Mexico World Cup match (approx. 11:30 p.m.). The special show will cover live post-game press conferences from the team managers and players as well as match reactions. Launched in March and available exclusively on ESPN+, Fútbol Americas focuses on players of the United States and Mexican national teams.

ESPN Deportes: Expansive News and Information Coverage Beginning Thursday 

Beginning Thursday, ESPN Deportes will provide expansive news and information coverage of USA vs. Mexico from different locations in Cincinnati. Headlining the coverage are reporters Pilar Perez (U.S. Men’s National Team), and John Sutcliffe and Mauricio Ymay (Mexican National Team). Additional ESPN Deportes personalities on the USA vs. Mexico assignment are David Faitelson and Jose Del Valle. Highlights:

  • The sports and pop-culture show Ahora o Nunca with cohosts Mauricio Pedroza and Gomez will originate from Cincinnati
  • The networks signature shows – SportsCenterCronometroFuera de JuegoFutbol Picante, Jorge Ramos y su Banda (also on ESPN+), and others – will feature segments from Cincinnati focusing on the USA-Mexico match.

ESPN.com Soccer

Reporters Jeff Carlisle and Danny Guerra will provide on-site coverage of the match from Cincinnati throughout the week. Highlights:

  • Borden on “Cherish USA vs. Mexico; World Cup’s future will change the rivalry forever”
  • Kyle Bonagura and Eric Gomez on USA vs. Mexico “Tale of the Tape” and squad talking points
  • Carlisle and Gomez explore how United States and Mexican national teams recruit dual nationals.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.