The U.S. men's national team has been in this position in past World Cup qualifying cycles, but that doesn't make Tuesday night's match against Guatemala (7 p.m., ESPN2, UniMas), any less pressure-packed.
The U.S. goes into the match at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus knowing it needs a win to avoid a disaster of massive proportions. A loss, and even a draw, would put the U.S. in serious peril of not qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. It enters the match in third place in CONCACAF's Group C, with the top two teams advancing to the final round hexagonal.