Forward to the Future

When the whistle blows tomorrow to start the match between the MNT and Guatemala, the nation will get a good glimpse at the future of US soccer. With their place in the final round of qualifying secured, the US will field a team of young gunners looking to make an impression on Coach Bradley.

Leading the charge in Denver will be Freddy Adu. At just 19 years of age, Freddy is a veritable veteran on this team of upstarts. And the team will be looking to Adu to set the tone of the match with his speed and audacity. For Freddy himself, this match represents a great chance to get a full 90 and build some attacking momentum that he can take back to France.

While the US has sealed their fate, there are still three spots up for grabs in CONCACAF qualifying. Guatemala needs some good fortune to qualify, and it all starts with beating the US at home – something they have never done in ten tries.

When the dust settles after Wednesday night’s qualifiers, the CONCACAF picture will be a lot clearer. Bringing it into even sharper focus will be the November 22nd draw in South Africa, where FIFA will determine who faces off against whom in the final round of qualifying.

So catch the US v Guatemala game on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN Classic & Galavision) to see what the future of US Soccer looks like, and then tune into the draw on Saturday to see what the immediate future of US qualifiers looks like.