SOCCER WORLD CUP ARTICLES

Argentina was never supposed to be in this position. With one match left in the round-robin World Cup qualifying in CONMEBOL, Lionel Messi and his squad need all three points to stay alive. The Argentines are far from a lock against an Ecuador team that would love nothing more than to send one of their South American rivals out of the World Cup.... 

When the United States Men's National Team has really had to come up with three points against an inferior team in World Cup qualifying, they've gotten the job done. They don't need all three to reach the World Cup, but a draw against Trinidad & Tobago would be enough to punch their ticket to Russia in 2018.... 

The city of Orlando has gone soccer crazy over the course of the last several years with Orlando City in the City Beautiful. The hope for the United States Men's National Team is that Orlando is going to be the deciding factor in the biggest match of the second Bruce Arena era to date. The Yanks play their last World Cup qualifier at home on Friday night against France.This World Cup Qualifying duel will go down Saturday, October 7, 2017, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Vasil Levski National Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.... 

Argentina is one of these teams that theoretically really shouldn't struggle to get into the World Cup. Yet with the exception of Brazil, there isn't such a thing as a team that isn't sweating its butt off in the final two rounds of qualifying taking place this week. On Thursday, Argentina will face off with Peru in what is sure to be one of the more meaningful matches in the world on the night.Don't miss the World Cup Qualifying action from Estadio Alberto J. Armando at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on beIN Sports.... 

The city of Orlando has gone soccer crazy over the course of the last several years with Orlando City in the City Beautiful. The hope for the United States Men's National Team is that Orlando is going to be the deciding factor in the biggest match of the second Bruce Arena era to date. The Yanks play their last World Cup qualifier at home on Friday night against Panama.... 

England has really never struggled in Group F of UEFA qualifying. That said, the Three Lions haven't done quite enough to get into the World Cup yet. With three points against Slovenia on Thursday night at Wembley Stadium, though, all of the drama will be off, and the Brits will be on their way to Russia.... 

It's going to be hot. It's going to be sticky. And it's going to be as hostile of an environment as the United States Men's National Team has seen in a long time on the road to the World Cup. After a shocking third loss in the Hexagonal to Costa Rica last Friday night, the Yanks are going to have to face Honduras and all of the elements that come with a trip to San Pedro Sula on Tuesday night with the dream of going to Russia in 2018 on the line.Don't miss the World Cup Qualifying action from Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano at 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on beIN Sports.... 

Israel was dealt an absolutely devastating blow to its chances of qualifying for the World Cup last week when it was beaten by Macedonia. Now, the only real hope the Israelis have is pulling off what would be one of the more shocking upsets of the entire World Cup qualifying circuits against Italy in Reggio.This World Cup Qualifier duel will go down Tuesday, September 5, 2017, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Mapei Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.... 

The Costa Ricans will effectively forever be able to say that they put the final nail in the coaching career of Jurgen Klinsmann with the U.S. Men's National Team. They scored a 4-0 win back in November in World Cup qualifying in San Jose, the last match Klinsmann had as the boss of the Stars and Stripes. That said, Los Ticos may have opened up Pandora's Box with Bruce Arena coming back for a second stint coaching the Americans. Arena has yet to lose in 14 matches in his old post, and there's little reason to believe that won't keep up in a match that means so much more to the USA than it does to Costa Rica on Friday night.Don't miss the World Cup Qualifying action from Red Bull Arena at 6:55 p.m. ET on Friday, September 1, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.... 

CONCACAF could have its first official participant in the World Cup as soon as Friday night. A win for Mexico would give it 17 points in its first seven matches in World Cup qualifying, and that would be enough to give it the old 'Y' next to its name to signify qualification to the world's biggest tournament. Panama is currently the bubble team that could be headed to the intercontinental playoff, and anything it could snare from this match would be welcome in the quest to head to Russia next year.This World Cup Qualifying duel will go down Friday, September 1, 2017, at 9:30 p.m. ET at Estadio Azteca. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 2.... 

With five matches left to be played in Group F, England knows that it's basically on its way to the World Cup. The team hasn't blinked yet in a match that mattered aside from a nil-nil draw against Slovenia on the road, and a victory over Scotland should effectively end any chances anyone else had of running down the Three Lions in the group.... 

The United States Men's National Team has had played of heartache in recent years against Mexico. The team was beaten by El Tri in the Confederations Cup playoff at the Rose Bowl in 2015, then was beaten in Columbus in the first match in the Hexagonal, the final round of World Cup qualifying. Now, the Stars and Stripes will have a chance to move a step closer to the 2018 World Cup at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night.... 

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....