WEEKEND WATCH GUIDE

Gold Cup: USA vs. Cuba, 4 p.m. Saturday, Ch. 9. It's hard to resist the geopolitical storylines of this one — restoring diplomatic relations on the soccer pitch! That said, Cuba lost 6-0 to Mexico and 2-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in the group stage; anything less than an easy win for the Americans in this match, played at the Baltimore Ravens' stadium, would be a surprise.

Gold Cup: Panama vs. Trinidad and Tobago, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox Sports 1. T&T might be the Gold Cup's most exciting team so far; it beat Guatemala and Cuba handily and probably should have beaten Mexico as well. Neither of these teams was favored coming into the tournament, but both have to be feeling optimistic about reach the final, given the struggles of others.

MLS: Chicago at Columbus, 4 p.m. Sunday, ESPN2. These two played Wednesday in Chicago, and Columbus dominated in a 1-0 win. Kei Kamara, who leads MLS with 13 goals, has scored three for Columbus in two previous meetings between the sides this year. Chicago has sunk to the bottom of the MLS standings; if nothing else, we can see if they can get any lower.

Gold Cup: Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox Sports 1. Two pretournament favorites meet in the quarterfinals, after both finished second in their groups. Mexico's porous defense let in four goals in the team's last match; Costa Rica only managed three draws in the group stage. If Mexico loses, coach Miguel Herrera might be fired by the time the final whistle finishes sounding.

Jon Marthaler