2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying on ESPN: USA vs. Costa Rica on Friday
- Outside The Lines with Bob Ley Live from Red Bull Arena on Thursday
- Match Coverage Includes Tactical and ISO Camera Feeds on ESPN3
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match vs. Costa Rica will be live on ESPN from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Friday, Sept. 1, at 6:30 p.m. ET (kickoff at 6:55 p.m.). In all, ESPN will carry 32 matches across its platforms during the latest FIFA International Match Week (Aug. 31 – Sept. 5).
Ian Darke, analyst Taylor Twellman will provide match commentary with sideline reporters Julie Stewart-Binks (covering USA) and Sebastian Salazar (Costa Rica). Host Bob Ley and analysts Kasey Keller and Herculez Gomez will be on site for pre-game, halftime and post-game shows. They will also contribute segments on SportsCenter and ESPN FC throughout the day. All ESPN World Cup qualifying programming will be streamed live on the ESPN App.
Outside The Lines:
ESPN’s award-winning Outside the Lines with host Bob Ley will look back at the most recent FIFA World Cup qualifier between USA and Costa Rica in the United States, live from Red Bull Arena on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. That 2013 match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium in Commerce City, Colo., was played in a snowstorm that dropped a foot of snow in the Denver metropolitan area. Gomez – who played for the U.S. side in that match, Keller, Twellman and Darke will join Ley on set.
Highlights:
- ESPN3 will dedicate two channels to stream two separate camera angles of the match: Tactical Cam – aerial wide angle view of the teams formations and positioning; and ISO Cam – an isolation camera focused solely on key players such as 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund star midfielder Christian Pulisic and Seattle Sounders’ Clint Dempsey, who is on the verge of breaking the team’s scoring record.
- ESPN FC, the daily soccer news and information program, will originate significant portions of the show live from Red Bull Arena on Friday.
| Date | Time (ET) | Program | Network(s) |
| Thu, Aug 31 | 1 p.m. | Outside the Lines
Bob Ley, Kasey Keller, Herculez Gomez and Taylor Twellman |
ESPN |
| 5:30 p.m. | ESPN FC
Sebastian Salazar, Keller, Gomez and Twellman |
ESPNEWS | |
| Fri, Sep 1 | 6 p.m. | ESPN FC
Sebastian Salazar, Keller, Gomez and Twellman |
ESPNEWS |
| 6:30 p.m. | USA-Costa Rica Pregame Show
Ley, Keller and Gomez |
ESPN | |
| 6:55 p.m. | USA vs. Costa Rica
Ian Darke, Twellman, reporters Julie Stewart-Binks and Salazar |
ESPN | |
| 6:55 p.m. | USA-Costa Rica (Tactical Cam) | ESPN3 | |
| 6:55 p.m. | USA-Costa Rica (ISO Cam) | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN FC – Boot Room Extra | ESPN3 |
Additionally, ESPN networks will carry these World Cup qualifying matches from Europe and Asia featuring top-tier international teams England, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and more.
Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network(s) |
| Thu, Aug 31 | 6:30 a.m. | Japan vs. Australia (Asia WCQ) | ESPN3 |
| 7:25 a.m. | South Korea vs. Iran (Asia WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | France vs. Netherlands (European WCQ) | ESPNEWS/ESPN Deportes | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Greece vs. Estonia (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Switzerland vs. Andorra (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Cyprus vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| Fri, Sep 1 | 11:50 a.m. | Kazakhstan vs. Montenegro (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes |
| 2:35 p.m. | Malta vs. England (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Slovakia vs. Slovenia (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Norway vs. Azerbaijan (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Romania vs. Armenia (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 7 p.m. | USA vs. Costa Rica (CONCACAF WCQ) | ESPN | |
| Sat, Sep 2 | 11:50 a.m. | Finland vs. Iceland (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes |
| 2:35 p.m. | Wales vs. Austria (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Ukraine vs. Turkey (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Albania vs. Liechtenstein (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| Sun, Sep 3 | 11:50 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Bulgaria (European WCQ) | ESPN2/ESPN Deportes |
| 11:50 a.m. | Belarus vs. Sweden (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Faroe Island vs. Andorra (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Greece vs. Belgium (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Latvia vs. Switzerland (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| Mon, Sep 4 | 11:50 p.m. | Armenia vs. Denmark (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes |
| 2:35 p.m. | Germany vs. Norway (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Scotland vs. Malta (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Montenegro vs. Romania (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| Tue, Sep 5 | 5:55 a.m. | Australia vs. Thailand (Asia WCQ) | ESPN3 |
| 10:55 a.m. | Uzbekistan vs. Korea Republic (Asia WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 1:25 p.m. | Saudi Arabia vs. Japan (Asia WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Liechtenstein vs. Spain (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Turkey vs. Croatia (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | FYR Macedonia vs. Albania (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ | |
| 2:35 p.m. | Austria vs. Georgia (European WCQ) | ESPN3/ESPN Deportes+ |
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