As you may have heard, Tuesday night features a doubleheader of great significance for U.S. Soccer and its supporters.
Both the U.S. Men's National Team and the U.S. U-23 squad are primed for critical second-leg matches in their quests to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, respectively.
The action begins at 6 p.m. CT in Columbus, Ohio, where the USMNT looks to bounce back from a 2-0 road defeat to Guatemala Friday night. A home result in tonight's return match at MAPFRE Stadium would go a long way in ensuring Jurgen Klinsmann's side's chances for advancing to the hexagonal round-robin stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The match airs live on ESPN2.
After the final whistle in Columbus, all eyes will turn to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the site of the U.S. U-23 squad's return match with Colombia. Andi Herzog's boys left Barranquilla Friday with a 1-1 draw and an all-important road goal, but are prepared for another battle as both teams vie for a coveted final spot in the 2016 Rio Games.
The Chicago Fire's Matt Polster -- who played 90 minutes in Friday's first leg -- and Brandon Vincent each are available for selection tonight in Frisco, where kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT with ESPN2 again carrying the broadcast. Barring any unforeseen events, the duo is expected to be included in the team Saturday when the Men In Red return to MLS action against the Philadelphia Union at Toyota Park.
"We do expect them to be available but we have to check their status after Tuesday's game and see how they will recover, how many minutes they get, if there is not any unexpected issues with their status," said Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic, "so if everything is fine and they recover well we expect they will be eligible for the game Saturday."
The gritty 90-minute shift put in by Polster at Colombia did not come as any surprise to his club head coach.
"The United States played in the diamond and he played in a little bit different position [than for us]," Paunovic said. "Matt is a fantastic kid first and he's also a fantastic player, he knows how to play that role. I think he did very well for the team. I can't tell you what the goals were and what he was asked to do in the game but what I can see is that his attitude and his performance were very good for the team."
Will Polster find himself in a similar role with the U.S. aiming to protect its home turf Tuesday? Will Brandon Vincent be called upon for fresh legs in the back and add to his USMNT experience with a debut at the U-23 level? Tune in at 8:30 p.m. CT tonight to watch the drama unfold.
