The USMNT needs a win to stay in control of its own destiny in World Cup qualifying.

8’ — GOAL! USA 1-0 Panama. It’s Christian Pulisic!

America’s Wonder Boy did it all by himself. Pulisic picked the ball up 25 yards from goal, burst past the entire Panamanian backline, rounded goalkeeper Jaime Penedo and finished from a tight angle. It was set up with a simple goal kick, a header by Bobby Wood and a flick from Jozy Altidore.

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5’ — Big miss for Bobby Wood. After an initial set piece is cleared, Darlington Nagbe finds Wood, who turns and shoots wide from 12 yards out.

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3’ — The USMNT gets the first chance of the game through Christian Pulisic, as you’d expect. He dances past a defender and slides the ball to Jozy Altidore, but he hits a shot right into a Panamanian defender.

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1’ — Kickoff!

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Pulling out all the pregame theatrics, for America.

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Altidore update:

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Uh oh, Jozy Altidore is limping in warm-ups. No word yet on whether or not that affects his place in the starting lineup.

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Most initial reactions to the USMNT lineup were guesses that it would function as a flat 4-4-2, but the broadcaster ESPN thinks it’s a diamond. This would be a new role for Paul Arriola, and this shape would put a lot of demands on the American fullbacks, DeAndre Yedlin and Jorge Villafaña.

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Friday night’s game will be the first World Cup qualifier in the new Orlando City Stadium, which is probably the gold standard for soccer venues in America. Expect it to be loud as the American Outlaws replace the Ruckus in the standing room only section.

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Thanks to some poor early results in CONCACAF qualifying, the United States men’s national team finds itself in serious danger of not qualifying for the World Cup. But it can put itself back in an excellent position on Friday with a win at home over Panama.

Coming into Friday night’s game, Panama is third in the Hex with 10 points. The USMNT has nine. Third place is the final automatic qualifying spot, and both of these teams would like to avoid the intercontinental playoff that the fourth place team has to play in.

While the USMNT has made every World Cup since 1990, the Panamanians have never qualified for the competition. This is the last chance for legendary Los Caneleros veterans like Felipe Baloy, Gabriel Gomez, Gabriel Torres, and Blas Perez to make it to a World Cup.

This is a live blog, and will update constantly throughout the match, with the most recent updates appearing on top of the page.

USMNT vs. Panama lineups

United States lineup: Tim Howard; Jorge Villafaña, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, DeAndre Yedlin; Christian Pulisic, Darlington Nagbe, Michael Bradley, Paul Arriola; Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood

Panama lineup: Jaime Penedo; Michael Murillo, Roman Torres, Felipe Baloy, Luis Ovalle; Édgar Barcenas, Gabriel Gomez, Anibal Godoy, Alberto Quintero; Gabriel Torres, Blas Perez

How to watch USMNT vs. Panama online

In the United States, you have two options. For most viewers, the easiest way to catch the game is on WatchESPN. The game can be streamed there for free if you have ESPN2 in your TV package. If you don’t, or you just prefer to watch in Spanish, the game is also on Univision Deportes en vivo. You can also find the game on over the top services like Fubo and Sling.

USA vs. Panama time, TV and match info

Match date/time: Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET

Venue: Orlando City Stadium, Orlando, Florida

TV: ESPN2 (U.S. — English), Univision, Univision Deportes (U.S. — Spanish)

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