Explaining the viewing options for USMNT's final World Cup qualifier

The United States men’s national team are set for their most important World Cup qualifier in nearly 28 years. A positive result in Trinidad & Tobago and the USA will clinch the third and final automatic qualification spot in CONCACAF. Lose and everything is up in the air and down to the other results in the Hex on the night. For a full breakdown of scenarios, read here.

You might think that the biggest USMNT match in quite some time would be widely available to watch across the nation. It is 2017, for crying out load. However, you would be sadly mistaken. Thanks to CONCACAF’s crazy TV rights rules, federations are only allowed to control the rights for their own home games. This means that U.S. Soccer has no say in where their away matches are distributed. In the stone age of 2009 and before, matches used to be shown on closed circuit pay-per-view to maximize profits. Thankfully, those days are over. But, the away games still aren’t as easy to find as the home.

Here’s a thorough breakdown of every possible way you can watch tonight’s all-important qualifier:

On television is quite simple. beIN Sports controls the English rights for the game. You can watch it there or you have the Spanish option of NBC Universo. If you have neither of those channels, internet streams are you best bet. There are several free options. go90 is free, but their reliability is skeptical at best. Just ask NWSL viewers.

Another free option is signing up for a free trial of fuboTV. It’s a little more reliable and even has a DVR function. Sling TV also provides beIN in their Sports Extra package. However, with all streaming options, the amount of stress on the servers for a big match such as this can be worrisome. If you have a cable subscription and only have access to the internet, you can watch on beIN Sports Connect or Telemundo Deportes En Vivo with authentication.

Hopefully this helped you find a suitable way to watch the match. Maybe next qualifying cycle the away matches will be a little more accessible.

UPDATE: The U.S. trail T&T 2-1 in the 60th minute.

Lineups

United States Lineup:

Trinidad & Tobago Lineup: TBA

How to Watch

Kickoff Time: 8:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. PT

Available TV: beIN Sports, NBC Universo

Available Streams: fuboTV (free trial), beIN Sports Connect, go90, Sling TV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

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