This race for Russia is getting seriousā¦
Ronald Matarrita and Tony Taylor will both be in action this weekend as CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualifying enters "The Hexagonal" phase.
Itās the final stretch for teams on the continent as the regionās six qualifiers kick off an 11 month, 10 game odyssey to decide who will be heading to the 21st FIFA World Cup.
Trinidad & Tobago v Costa Rica
When: Friday, 6pm ET
TV: beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, beIN SPORTS USA, beIN SPORTS en EspaƱol, fuboTV, NBC UNIVERSO NOW, NBC UNIVERSO
The Match: Ronald will be heading to the Hasely Crawford Stadium in the Port of Spain for the first game of Costa Ricaās Hex campaign.
One of the competitionās surprise packages two years ago, Los Ticos were CONCACAFās best-performing nation in Brazil, reaching the quarterfinals, advancing through a group containing England, Italy and Uruguay.
Matarritaās men made light work of their Semifinal Round World Cup Qualifying Group to reach the last six this time around, dropping only two points in home and away games against Panama, Haiti and Jamaica.
Trinidad & Tobago wonāt go gently into the good night, however, as the Soca Warriors earned 11 points in their qualifying group, holding the USMNT to a goalless tie in November 2015.
Honduras v Panama
When: Friday, 3.35pm ET
TV: beIN SPORTS en EspaƱol, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, beIN SPORTS USA, fuboTV, NBC UNIVERSO NOW, NBC UNIVERSO, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.
The Match: NYCFCās Tony Taylor will be hoping to make his international debut when Panama travel to Honduras for one of their trickiest matches in The Hex.
Of 40 historical meetings between the nations, Panama have won 10, while Honduras, who have reached the last two FIFA World Cups, have won double that amount.
Panama were left heartbroken three years ago when they were denied an Intercontinental Playoff against New Zealand due to two stoppage-time goals from USA on the final day of CONCACAF qualifying but Los Canaleros are now coached by former Colombia and Ecuador boss Hernan Dario Gomez who has a proven track record of leading nations to major competitions.
Taylor, who is one of six MLS-based players in the squad, will vie for selection with Abdiel Arroyo, Gabriel Torres, Blas Perez, Luis Tejada, Roberto Nurse and Rolando Blackburn.
Elsewhereā¦
USA v Mexico
When: Friday, 7.45pm
TV: Univision NOW, fuboTV, Fox Soccer 2GO USA, Fox Sports GO, Fox Sports 1 USA, Univision USA, Univision Deportes USA
The Match: USMNT will host Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, looking to make it five straight home wins against their biggest rivals on Friday night.
With a trip to Matarritaās Costa Rica coming up fast next Tuesday, Jurgen Klinsmannās men will hope to continue their proud home record against El Tri and get their first three points on the board.
Weāll let you know how Ronald and Tony perform right here on NYCFC.com in Saturdayās international roundup.
