The USMNT will return to the pitch this Saturday to kick off their 2026-27 CONCACAF Nations League campaign. The two-legged quarterfinal round will act as the penultimate window for the USMNT during the 2026 calendar year; there will be a camp and a friendly during the month of December.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the USMNT's return to action.
The basics
The USMNT will head south to Miami for the first leg of their CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal match against Haiti. The match was initially set to take place in Kingston, Jamaica, but it will now take place at the Nu Stadium in Miami due to external factors requiring Haiti's home match to be played in the United States.
Right back into it in Red White & Blue. 🇺🇸
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 4, 2026
Mauricio Pochettino has called in 25 players for our November camp and pair of @CNationsLeague quarterfinal matches against Haiti!#USMNT x @ouraring pic.twitter.com/qwZu0R9J23
The match will take place on Saturday, November 14, with the beginning of the match set for 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be broadcast on TBS, TruTV, Universo, HBO Max, Peacock (for Spanish-language watching), Westwood One Sports, and Fútbol de Primera.
Head-to-head record
I previously established what the head-to-head record between the two sides looks like in a previous piece about the fixture's confirmation. That said, I will reiterate that the USMNT has earned at least a result in three-quarters of their head-to-head encounters with Haiti.
What to know ahead of this edition
This first leg could easily be a question of whether Haiti can keep this within two goals or if the USMNT can create enough breathing room to all but secure a semifinal berth and allow for significant roster rotation in the second leg.
To understand what this could look like, let's take a quick look at Haiti's group stage run. In their final game against Costa Rica, 55% of Haiti's 350 completed passes were in their defensive end, while a small majority of Costa Rica's accurate passes came from beyond their final third. In the first encounter, which Haiti won 2-0, Costa Rica dominated possession 56%-44% and controlled the vast majority of the offensive chance creation. They outshot Haiti 21-6 in total and 15-2 when considering shots from inside the box.
¡¡HAITÍ METE MIEDO!! 👏😳
— Zona Concacaf (@ZConcacaf) November 8, 2026
David Badia suelta una convocatoria INTERESANTE para medirse ante Estados Unidos. Claramente, los haitianos tienen una tremenda CAMADA y están a las puertas de dar un GOLPE DE AUTORIDAD en CONCACAF. pic.twitter.com/nfJdxKgIaG
Even in their 4-1 win against the Dominican Republic, Haiti was outpossessed. Despite scoring three more goals and having an expected goals measure that was well above that of the Dominican Republic, they were still outshot 15-14 and created six fewer scoring chances. The Dominican Republic outshot Haiti 12-11 inside the box, which preceded an 8-3 margin in that area for Costa Rica.
The USMNT can capitalize on these statistics by loading up the box and sustaining pressure deep in Haiti's end. They can achieve this by operating with up to seven total forwards and midfielders, which could ideally be achieved with a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, or even a 3-1-3-2 to allow for one player to rotate between helping in the attack and preventing counters.
If the USMNT can challenge Haiti from short range while maintaining possession to some extent, they will have a strong chance at bringing a sizeable aggregate score into the second leg in Cincinnati.
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