Los even got in a little Perez shout.

Any fans in Chicago or travelling in for the US v Trinidad Tobago game this Wednesday should swing by The Globe Pub in the afternoon. There will be an afternoon pre-game party plus a bus (w/keg) that will take us out to Bridgeview and back after the game. Yours truly will be coming in for this. Hope to see you there!

The very Toulouse-Lautrec style image taken at The Globe Pub and provided by Flickr

Lots of great stuff at the USMNT blog, including an interesting pre-game Pedro Gomez video and a couple players talking about the unique circumstances of tonight’s game.

Goff gives a good rundown of the scene in Havana.

Grant Wahl talks about the mesmerizing strangeness of the country.

Did you know the admission price for this game is 4 cents?

Will the player’s exchange jerseys after the game? Unlikely, says Maykel Galindo, “If someone wants to exchange jerseys, like in the Gold Cup, you can’t because otherwise you won’t have anything to wear for the next match.”

Finally, what are the Cuba Cinco risking by travelling to Cuba…? On a related note, Miss Cuba is hot.

Live on ESPN Classic and Galavision tonight, 09/06/2008 8:00 PM ET. BVSC is always good!

Grant Wahl of CNNSI. com is in Havana and coming up with unbelievable stuff. This is why he is the best soccer writer in the US.

The USMNT blog is on the scene too as the team steps into 1959 lands in Cuba.

Image via NYDailyNews

Love to see the small side games.

Only a few more days before the team makes that historic trip to Havana.

Anyone else wondering how Cuba’s holding up after Hurricane Gustav? We’ve already seen Jamaica and Mexico come to an agreement to switch home and away on Saturday with this game set for Azteca and the return heading back to The Office on October 11th.

The U.S. team held the first of four practices in the north Miami suburbs as it prepared to play Cuba in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Havana on Saturday. Saturday’s game in Havana will mark only the second time the U.S. has played in Cuba. The Americans are coming off a 1-0 win over Guatemala and are heavily favoured against a Cuban squad that lost to Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 in a qualifier on Aug. 20th. The U.S. needs a win to stay on track to qualify for the World Cup. The Americans play Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 10 in Bridgeview, Ill., and wins against both countries would all but assure a berth on soccer’s biggest stage.

Both sides are playing down the politics between the two countries, but come game night you have to imagine the atmosphere in the stadium will be Gatorade-commercial intense…

Crumbling Estadio Pedro Marrero seats 28,000 and was built in 1929.

Lingering question…will any crafty US fans find their way to this game (defying the travel ban)…?

Live on ESPN Classic and Galavision.

Image via Fussballtempel

My boy Michael Kammarman and his Stache reveals the Roster.

This is one of the reasons I love USSoccer.com

This is what it’s really like, not only for a Qualification match, but for friendlies and club tournaments every time you head down south.

Definitely worth the 9 minutes of your day.