World Cup qualifying gut-check for U.S. in Columbus tonight against Jamaica

Perhaps it’s just as well Friday’s horror show loss to Jamaica was only on beIN Sport, the new soccer channel with limited distribution.

But U.S. World Cup qualifying returns to ESPN tonight so there will be nowhere to hide for the Americans should they choke in Columbus, Ohio., as I point out in today’s column. (And yes, I know the Colorado Rapids are the Galaxy’s opponents Friday despite what I write in the column).

Was Friday’s game merely a bump in the lengthy qualifying road or indicative of a bigger issue? We’ll know more tonight.

In case you didn’t see the last game, check out the highlights here: