After a successful summer at the Copa America Centenario, the US Men’s National Team gears up for an entirely different animal. World Cup qualifying resumes and the US is looking to book its place in the final round of World Cup qualification. The first of the final two games of the semi-final stage is on the road against St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

The US roster for these qualifiers was announced on Sunday and right off the bat the most obvious omission was that of Clint Dempsey, who was also forced to miss the Seattle Sounders rivalry game against the Portland Timbers with an irregular heartbeat. Also missing is the hero of the Copa America, John Brooks, who is out with an injured back. Across the back line for the US, it’s all familiar faces, most of whom are experienced with Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Michael Orozco all having 27 or more caps for the US. In the midfield, Sacha Kljestan was a surprise call up after spending a number of years off Jurgen Klinsmann’s radar. Michael Bradley, Kyle Beckerman and Alejandro Bedoya are all there along with young guns like Darlington Nagbe, Christian Pulisic and Paul Arriola. Up front, the US is obviously missing Dempsey but Bobby Wood and Dempsey’s Sounders teammate Jordan Morris are present along with Jozy Altidore, Chris Wondolowski and 20 year old Rubio Rubin.

Road qualifiers in CONCACAF are always a tricky business, and the US should remember a similar situation to this game before deciding to take it lightly. In 2012, the US had an away qualifier against Antigua & Barbuda and needed a game winning goal from Eddie Johnson in the 90th minute to secure all three points. Jurgen Klinsmann and company would do well to put everything they have into this game to make sure there isn’t a slip up. The success at this summer’s Copa America seems to have won a number of the fans back and anything but a resounding win here would possibly turn the fans away again.

For St. Vincent & the Grenadines, it was always going to be virtually impossible to advance out of this World Cup qualifying group. They currently sit last in the group with four losses from four games and a -16 goal differential. They have not won a game of any kind since November of 2015 (a friendly against Antigua & Barbuda) and failed to qualify for the 2017 Caribbean Cup. Their losing streak across all competitions currently stands at six in a row. Their roster is made up mostly of domestic players, with two or three exceptions. Oalex Anderson (who scored against the US in the last meeting) plays for the Seattle Sounders while Myron Samuel plays for Seattle Sounders 2. Gavin James plies his trade in England with Maidenhead United FC.

When and Where

Friday, September 2
Arnos Vale Stadium
Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
3:30pm ET
beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, Telemundo En Vivo App and fuboTV (free trial)

If you don’t get beIN SPORTS or beIN SPORTS en Español, you can watch the game for free with a 24-hour trial to fuboTV. No cable or satellite TV subscription is required.

All-Time Series

USA leads 1-0-0

Last Meeting

November 13, 2015
Busch Stadium
St. Louis, Missouri
USA 6-1 St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Current FIFA Ranking

USA: 26
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: 156

Next Game

Tuesday, September 6
USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago
EverBank Field
Jacksonville, Florida