WEEKEND WATCH GUIDE

Friendly: U.S. men's team at Ireland, 2 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2. The USA has gone with a youth movement for this round of friendlies. In a 3-0 victory against Bolivia, 18-year-olds Josh Sargent and Tim Weah both scored their first national team goals. Dare we say there is optimism about the future?

MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy at Portland, 4 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2. The Galaxy have lost five of seven. Portland has won six consecutive matches, shooting up the standings as MLS's hottest team. It never feels right to say that the star-studded Galaxy squad is an underdog. But against Portland, at Providence Park, the Timbers are a big favorite.

Friendly: Scotland at Mexico, 7 p.m. Saturday, FS1/ Univision. The rest of the soccer world is gearing up for the World Cup, which starts in less than two weeks. Whether you cheer for Mexico or not, with no USA for the American media to cover you'll be hearing a lot about "El Tri" in Russia over the summer.

Friendly: Brazil vs. Croatia, 9 a.m. Sunday, beIN Sports. Brazil, you know — one of the best teams in international soccer. Croatia can boast some of the world's best players — midfielders Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), and forward Mario Mandzukic (Juventus). Both teams are headed to the World Cup.