The CONCACAF Cup--How To Watch, TV Information and More

Rivalry Games.  There is NOTHING better in Sport.  When you think historical rivalries in football you think Manchester United vs Manchester City.  Or Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal.  Or Burnley vs Blackburn.  And of course there is our Colorado Rapids vs Real Salt Lake.

None of it compares when it comes to your National Team.  Whether you supporter the Stars and Stripes or El Tri, you know about tonight and you know what it means.  No hype, no more talk.  This is the match we have been waiting for

What to Watch For

1)  The Center Back Pairing: The big question for the United States is who starts in the middle along the back four.  I have to think that DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson are on the outside for the USA, but in the middle--things are less clear there.  My personal choice would be Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron, but Jurgen Klinsmann has his own ideas and I tend to think that Ventura Alvarado will be one in the middle.  This is not a game for experimentation and JK does not care what people think.  He will go with what works for him and screw the results.

2)  Injury Replacements: Some injury replacements to talk about for the United States and Mexico.  For El Tri, Giovani Dos Santos and Jose Juan Vazquez were replaced by Javier Guemez and Elias Hernandez respectively.  The Stars and Stripes had their own replacement as Bobby Wood replaced Alejandro Bedoya.

3)  For the loser, what does it mean? For Mexico, this match is huge as the USA has dominated them over the six going 3-0-3.  But they are in a transition phase for sure with Tuca Ferretti in position on an interim basis as he will be replaced by Juan Carlos Osorio so there is not much pressure on him.  But leave no doubt, Mexico wants this game and wants the berth to the Confederations Cup in 2017.

But for the United States?  Well, that is a bit more difficult.  They had a disastrous 2015 Gold Cup where they crashed out against Jamaica.  There seems to be no set Starting XI or even a formation that the US regularly plays.  Right now, I am not sure the USA even has an identity as the teams is in a constant state of flux.  I will not call for JK's head if they lose, but make no mistake: lose this one and people will want their pound of flesh.

How to Watch

Match Date/Time: Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM MDT

Venue: The Rose Bowl--Pasadena, California

TV Information/OnLine Streaming: Fox Sports 1, Univision, Univision Deportes Network, Fox Sports 2 GO

Viewing Options: The Colorado Rapids are hosting a viewing party at the Rapids vs Impact match.  They will have it up on the big screen

Weather at Kickoff: 87 degrees and sunny

Predicted Starting XI:

Ah hell, I have no idea.  But here is what I want to see:

Tim Howard, DaMarcus Beasley, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Fabian Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Gyasi Zardes, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey.

So there you have it!  Check back later today for our Burgundy Wave recap on the CONCACAF Cup!