USMNT midweek viewing guide: Staring promotion right in the face

Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio have to hold their nerve as they begin a 2-leg playoff with a trip to Serie A on the line.

By Justin Moran@kickswish May 27, 2024, 8:00am PDT

Midweek USMNT action is here. All MLS games are on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as any other channels listed below. Let’s get into it!

Monday

Stabæk vs Egersund, 1p: Bob Bradley's Stabæk are mid-table (8th of 16) 8 games into Norway's second division season.

NAC Breda vs Excelsior, 2p: Dutch-American CB Kik Pierie hasn’t played for Dutch second division side Excelsior since picking up an injury in mid-February. Excelsior are in the playoff final, seeking promotion to the Eredivisie. The second leg will be played on Sunday.

Tokyo Verdy vs Real Sociedad, 6a: True USMNT sickos can get a stamp in their sicko passport by tuning in at 6am to see if Jonathan Gómez pops up with Sociedad's first team for this friendly in Japan. JoGó spent the season on loan with Mirándes in La Liga 2 (he scored this goal for them on Sunday).
FC Cincinnati vs Nashville SC, 7:30p: It’s unclear whether Miles Robinson or Shaq Moore will feature in this game, since players “will begin reporting” to USMNT camp on Tuesday, May 28. That leaves Lucho Acosta, Roman Celentano, Matt Miazga, DeAndre Yedlin, and Walker Zimmerman to duke it out as Cincy hosts Nashville in MLS.
Inter Miami vs Atlanta United, 7:30p: Caleb Wiley and the Five Stripes pay a visit to Benja Cremaschi and Miami in MLS action.
Chicago Fire vs Orlando City, 8:30p: Brian Gutiérrez, Chris Brady, and the Fire welcome Duncan McGuire and the Lions into Soldier Field for this MLS game.
Seattle Sounders vs Real Salt Lake, 10:30p: Diego Luna, Fidel Barajas, and RSL take a trip to Seattle, facing Josh Atencio, Obed Vargas, Reed Baker-Whiting, and the Sounders.

Also in action:

CF Montréal vs DC United, 7:30p: Ted Ku-DiPietro, Kristian Fletcher, and DC go on the road to Quebec for this MLS game.
New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte FC, 7:30p: John Tolkin and the Red Bulls host Charlotte in MLS.
Philadelphia Union vs Toronto FC, 7:30p: Jack McGlynn and the Union host Toronto FC, who may be without Sean Johnson for this MLS match (Johnson may already be traveling to USMNT camp).
Austin FC vs Portland Timbers, 8:30p on FS1, FOX Deportes, FuboTV, Sling TV: Eryk Williamson and the Timbers visit Owen Wolff and Austin in MLS play.
Houston Dynamo vs Colorado Rapids, 8:30p: Djordje Mihailovic, Zack Steffen, Cole Bassett, Sam Vines, and the Rapids make the trip south to face Houston in MLS action.
LA Galaxy vs FC Dallas, 10:30p: Jesús Ferreira, Bernard Kamungo, Nkosi Tafari, and Dallas visit Jalen Neal and the Galaxy in MLS.
LAFC vs Minnesota United, 10:45p on FS1, FOX Deportes, FuboTV, Sling TV: Timothy Tillman may not be in action for LAFC, depending on how early he reports for USMNT duty.

Cremonese vs Venezia, 2:30p on FOX Deportes, FOX Soccer Plus, FuboTV (free trial): Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and Venezia are one step away from Serie A. All they have to do is defeat Cremonese in this two-leg tie to be promoted. The second leg will be played on Sunday. Venezia were third in Serie B in the regular-season table; Cremonese were fourth (3 points behind them).

Roma vs AC Milan, 12p on ESPN+ (free trial): Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah probably won't be with Milan for this friendly against Roma, they'll probably already be in USMNT camp.
NYCFC vs San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30p on FOX Deportes, TUDN USA, FuboTV: Niko Tsakiris and the Quakes fly across the country to visit James Sands and the Pigeons in MLS.
Mexico vs Bolivia, 8p: Our southern rivals are hosting a friendly against Bolivia. The USMNT will face Bolivia in Arlington in our first match of Copa América.
Costa Rica vs Uruguay, 10p: The Ticos also have a friendly against a CONMEBOL side who figure to have a significant role in Copa América.

That’s it! Did I miss anything that matters? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s see who impresses this week!