YANKS IN MEXICO. Two U.S. products and former MLS stars, Daniel Hernandez and Antonio Martinez, could see action Friday for Necaxa, which split its first two games of the Torneo Apertura.
TV: VERACRUZ-NECAXA, Friday, Fox Sports en Espanol, 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT.
FOXBORO SHOWDOWN. The United States looks to pick up its first win in the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying when it hosts El Salvador Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
TV: USA-El SALVADOR, Saturday, Fox Sports World, Telemundo, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT.
MUST-WIN GAME. Canada plays a must-win game Saturday against Honduras in Edmonton in World Cup qualifying. Frank Yallop's lost at home to Guatemala, 2-0, last month in its Group B opener. TV: Back after missing the Guatemala game are English-based strikers Iain Hume (Tranmere Rovers) and Tomasz Radzinski (Fulham).
TV: CANADA-HONDURAS, Saturday, Closed Circuit, live, 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.
TRICKY TESTS. World Cup 2006 qualifying begins Saturday in all of Europe's eight groups. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson kept his job after revelations of his involvement in an FA sex scandal, but he might not survive if England doesn't get off to a good start. England opens with tricky tests at Austria Saturday and Poland four days later.
TV: AUSTRIA-ENGLAND, Saturday, Closed Circuit (Setanta), live, 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT.
PLAYOFF FEVER. The A-League playoffs begin this weekend with the quarterfinals. The following are the matchups in the two-leg series: Montreal-Rochester, Richmond-Syracuse, Portland-Seattle and Vancouver-Minnesota. Defending champion Charleston finished eighth in the nine-team Eastern Conference and did not qualify.
TV: MONTREAL-ROCHESTER, Sunday, Fox Sports World, live, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT.