As the qualifier against Honduras nears, many fans are continually wondering where they'll be able watch the game on TV. With just nine days left until the vital qualifier, it looks like this is going to be one hard game to see.
The rights to the broadcast are owned by a Central American media company that is selling the close circuit feed to certain bars and restaurants only. A list has recently been started on this website with locations that will showing the game in English (as of now, only five locations). For a much longer list of locations in the United States that will be showing the match in Spanish, you can go here.
U.S. national team fans in the New York City area will have at least two options, with former Cosmos star Shep Messing hosting a viewing party at Madison Square Garden (at $20 per person), while popular Manhattan soccer bar Nevada Smiths will also be showing the match in English.
With so few English-language options, it looks as though many U.S. national team fans will have to watch the match in Spanish in order to see it.
What do you think of this development? Think that a bar near you will carry the game? Will you watch it in Spanish, or will you follow along on SBI?
Share your thoughts below.
This is complete BS. Blaming this on ESPN or any American company or the popularity of soccer in the USA is misplaced blame IMO. The blame should go squarely on Honduras. This is extortion pure and simple.
Soccer is now one of the most popular sports in the USA for people under 16. MANY families would watch this game if given the chance. If the yahoo’s in Honduras can seem to find a way to make a profit then their business acumin is sub par and befits their 3rd world status.
Woud’ve wanted see it with my son, but he’s not old enough for the bars, not that there even any showing the game anywhere near where we live. Makes me wonder how the beautiful game will ever flourish (but it will survive) here, in the US! Once again, it’s all about gameman’s ship and we (the US) should feel like the third world country…
how come no new places have been added to the spanish speaking channel list? Is there another place to go to look at the updated list? I want to watch in Memphis.
Ivan you are an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!
To those crying about not being able to watch the game, I am Honduran-American and I always have to watch Honduras games at a bar after paying $20 to get in. I seriuosly doubt it is the central american company that doesn’t want to profit by giving espn the air time, I think it’s espn that won’t pay for it. I saw this same problem almost happened before last U.S. game. I agree that it should be televised and it is extortion. but not by whoever that “central american company” is but it’s just that espn would rather air college football since soccer is not at all popular here but like Zac from Indy thinks, it’s easier to blame it on the third world countries rather than local parties.
P.S the U.S. is going to lose anyway! haha
CONFIRMED | USA vs. Honduras – LIVE – 7:00PM Pacific – Cock ‘n Bull – 2947 Lincoln Blvd. – Santa Monica, CA – 310-399-9696 – $15
The game will be streamed online here: http://rslfm.com/
It’s looking like a password will not be needed, but if one is, it should be available 1/2 hour before the game.
try rojadirecta.org
try this :http://futbolxpc.com/senal.html
try justin.tv
ustream.com
Yes, where can I watch this online? Some place like wwiTV.com?
Please someone post a link to watch this game online. It seems that pirating this game is the way to go since this idiots think that they are going to dig into our pockets to purchase their beach houses.
Viva USA!!!!!
The game is being broadcast in Vietnam in English by an ESPN-owned station. There will be feeds.
DON’T pay for this game. The only way this stops is if it isn’t profitable. Pirated internet streams are the way to go. Encourage all the other US and Honduran supporters you know: STEAL THIS GAME!!
there are no viewing places in MS, only 2 in TN, and 1 in AL. I doubt I’ll be driving 5 hours to go to some bar I haven’t heard of in another state to watch this on TV. I’ll just have to be with the boys in spirit. LETS GO USA.
The whole thing is BOGUS.
I Will not go out of my way to watch this. Even though I will not be happy about it. But it’s a JOKE and the only
thing to combat this is to not pay for it.
Zac you are correct about the Central American countries being third world, but the broadcasting of the game could only be blamed at us in the USA since we do not take soccer very serious as a nation as the rest of the world. Hey Welshbean your Mexican friend is an idiot because you will not be harmed at El Torito for being white. Viva USA!!!!!
Hey John from Florida or anyone from Florida….I just got off the phone with a friend who happens to be Mexican and he said do not go to EL TORITO SPORTS PUB & CANTINA as there have many violent incidences there (especially if you are a gringo(his words))….so if you value breathing don’t go there to watch the game. Regards,
We may have found a bar in Detroit to pick up the game, but we need to give them a show of interest before they make the commitment. Please add your name here if you’re interested in watching the match:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/US_HON_DETROIT/
This doesn’t register you for anything (you can use a fake e-mail address). We’re just trying to get a rough count so these guys will make the jump.
leave it to Shep to rip us off
how does one watch this game online as people are saying?
Hey John from Florida, Palm Beach here….will we make it out alive if we watch the game @ EL TORITO SPORTS PUB & CANTINA?
I live not too far from there; just not sure we would be warmly welcomed. Let me know if you are making the trip!
A restaurant in my town will be showing the game. Now I have to decide between watching it in enemy territory or gambling that I’ll be able to find a stream. Hmm…
I don’t understand how boycotting helps anything. The places that are paying for the feed will pay for it regardless of whether or not people show up. It’s not like the rightsholder is going to see any less money if you decide not to go.
This is why every American needs to watch on ESPN and just mute Harkes. so we get a 3.0 rating not a 0.7 with the rest of the 2.3 wathcing it on galavision.
DETROIT AREA US FANS: We are working on getting a Detroit bar to show USA-HON. Interested? Go here: http://bit.ly/XQief Sign up. We need headcount to convince the bar to show it. Thanks!
I wonder if USSF could make more money partnering with someone to do pay per view than going the ESPN/Univisión route? How many households would pay $40 to watch a WCQ, (including those of Mexican, Honduran, etc origin for those games)? In fact the opponents might pony up more than we Yanks for some games.
It’s really not completely unthinkable.
That said, I’m glad ESPN has made a commitment to the USNT’s, and also that Univisión has gone outside their core demographic to broadcast the USNT’s.
every federation own the rights to their home games. they sell it to whoever wants them to broadcast them wherever they want to.
This company bough the rights to broadcast the game in the US from the Honduras federation. Now, this company doesn’t own a channel in the US, so they cant show it in public. If they are going to resell their rights it probably a ton of money. How to make money from this. Closed circuit. HoorAY!
Who to blame? No one really. IMO.
ESPN? USSF? Well, when rights are for sale – in some cases years ahead of time, you need to know for sure that it will be a profitable broadcast. Soccer in the US isnt profitable (yet). Also, it’s Honduras. Not exactly a superpower. Plus, second to last game? it means you should be dominating by now and already qualified.
Not even a spanish feed in StL? Balls.
I love the name of the one restaraunt in Nashville – Honduras Restaraunt. I’m sure a Yank wouldn’t get knifed there.
This is total bull****.
i’m worried there won’t be a stream, we would need someone from Honduras to stream it, or someone that somehow has access to the closed circuit to stream it, it doesn’t just magically show up, someone has to be putting it up, I don’t think thats a guarantee on this one
WHAT – THE – POOP.
SO, looks like I’ll be at Babylon Cafe in Arlington if anyone wants to meet up. I know its an engrash speaking bar. Don’t know where the AO or Sams Army are going though.
A countries own federation should be able to sell it’s own broadcast rights regardless of where the match is being played. This is so stupid.
(SBI-The country where a broadcast originates dictates the rights to any broadcast. The only thing a host federation can be forced to do is to sell those rights, which is what was done. Until U.S. national team soccer broadcasts draw big ratings numbers, American networks won’t spend the money, and closed-circuit broadcasts are thing we will deal with.)
Anyone know if those “offical US Soccer bars” are gonna be picking up the English broadcast? ‘Cause there’s one of those pretty close to me, but as with some others, no bars on either of those lists anywhere in my state.
I don’t understand all the people complaining about having to listen to spanish. I’ll give you two tips;–
1)Watch the game and you’ll what happens
2) If you aren’t watching the game and you hear GOOOOL!, then something just happened.
For me there are several places in Arlington VA, I’ll probably go to Costa Verde which is more of a restaurant than bar.
Is there any point to broadcasting in English if only 5 bars show the match? There couldn’t be more than 1000 people that will be in those locations to look at those ads, etc.
EL TORITO SPORTS PUB & CANTINA 561-434-9282 4469 S CONGRESS AVE LAKE WORTH
that’s where I’ll be..the only cracker in the room trying to understand the Spanish commentator….
woohoo, small bar is 5 min from my apt!
sean is right…they WILL make money off of this deal because the spanish speaking bars will MORE THAN pick up the slack for the low number of english speaking bars…it sucks but hey…we gotta deal with it this time around…
I hope USSF is taking steps to ensure this never happens again.
For instance, how’bout making it a requirment of concacaf membership (or participation in any fifa sanctioned event) that a country can only sell rights to a concacaf/fifa game provided the buyer agrees to broadcast the game on a station widely accessible to the populations of the countries involved in the contest.
If a country refuses to agree, suspend them from participating in concacaf/fifa events.
It’s in each country’s interest for their citizens to get to watch important games and to grow support for the national program. All the big guns should get involved in this: FIFA, USSF, the Mexican soccer federation, concacaf. Imagine if some fricking regional media provider were able to limit the Olympics to closed circuit TV–totally unacceptable.
won’t get a dime from me. I will find another way to watch it.
for all the people posting in disbelief that there are only 5 bars showing this game obviously you didn’t look at the spanish language list. There are almost 200 bars all around the country which will be showing the game in Spanish. I’m sure the company which owns the rights will make a fair amount of money selling the game to these bars. Honduran fans in the US regularly have to pay to watch their team on closed circuit TV. This is nothing new to them. The reason that this is happening to the US national team is because ESPN decided they wouldn’t get enough ratings to justify buying the rights to the game. ESPN is a business. Until they get enough ratings for their English language broadcasts of the USMNT this type of thing will happen from time to time. If you are pissed about this just watch the game for free online.
1 vote for Future Black Outs of all Honduras matches in the United States…
Who’s coming with me!!!!
1 place in WA huh? I agree this is obviously ridiculous. I gotta go along with the sentiment that teams should be able to negotiate coverage of their games if a viable option can’t be hashed out with the host…..just ridiculous!!!!!!guess ill be in front of my comp that night.
If you’re in Albany make sure to head down to Wolff’s. They’ve had great turnouts for matches all summer….packed for the Confederations Cup, but good crowds for qualifiers as well. I was starving for a soccer pub since I moved here 2 years ago, and now Albany has a great one. Awesome!
John in ATL Eats corn on the cob the long ways!
This is such a joke. I put the blame squarely on US Soccer, although I, for one, will admit I don’t know the details of the situation.
@Zac – Look around dude. You live in a footballing 3rd world country. No TV for huge game, Soccer competes with Ladies Softball for network time, some teams in our top division play in glorified high school stadiums, we pay our “professionals” such high salaries that some of them have to bag groceries on the side and live with their parents… Should I go on?
I’ve spent a lot of time in that exact third world and when it comes to soccer, the coverage is first class. Don’t be an idiot and generalize about something you don’t know that much about.
Can tell there are a lot of newbies on here, meaning people who didn’t follow the USMNT in past road adventures in competitions such as WCQ cycles, Gold Cups, Olympic qualis, etc.
More tenured fans have had to learn to deal with these types of things before to support the US when they play in CONCACAF outside of the USA.
I’m not crazy about this either but that’s how it is, so just deal with it and support your national team as best you can. And please, quit whining.
The closest bar to me is in Chicago, which is 3 hours away. I hate to admit it, but I’ll drive there to watch if necessary.
Posted by: Cobi Jones is the best soccer player ever | October 01, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Better get there early — Small Bar is aptly named. But they do have a good beer selection.
I want to watch, but will probably end up watching my alma mater lose a football game instead on a different channel.
Having been showered by beer at RFK by Hondurans (Gold Cup), definitely not going to pay $15 to watch this at a Central American bar in the metro area. US Soccer match tracker plus SBI and my other favorite Blog for comments…