ESPN drew a 1.6 overnight rating for its broadcast of the U.S.-Mexico match. (Miguel Tovar/Getty Images)

The United States almost pulled out a win against Mexico on Tuesday in a game that ultimately ended in a 0-0 tie and the U.S. getting only its second point in a World Cup qualifier at Azteca Stadium.

The game was ultimately a win for ESPN, which aired the game. The network drew enough viewers to earn a 1.6 overnight rating, on pace to set an all-time ESPN record for a World Cup Qualifier, according to a tweet Wednesday morning from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.

The U.S. is now in third place in the North and Central American and Caribbean region after having played three of 10 matches. The team is now one point behind Panama and tied with Costa Rica with four points, although the Ticos have more goals scored.

The U.S. will play at Jamaica on June 7, and then return home for four of its remaining six qualifying games.

ESPN says last night's USA-Mexico match pulled a 1.6 overnight, which is on pace to set an all-time ESPN record for a World Cup Qualifier.—
John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) March 27, 2013

Clint Dempsey leads U.S. scorers during the current World Cup qualifying. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Clint Dempsey has been named captain for the U.S. team’s World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, according to coach Jurgen Klinsmann via the U.S. Soccer website.

“Clint is one of our most experienced players and ready to assume a more vocal leadership role,” head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “He has been huge for us in World Cup Qualifying so far and is already one of our key leaders. We know he will do a great job for these two important games.”

The U.S. team’s captaincy needed filling with Carlos Bocanegra off the roster, Tim Howard injured and Landon Donovan unavailable during his sabbatical.

Dempsey, who leads U.S. scorers with six goals in the current World Cup qualifying run, previously captained the U.S. team during the second half of a 0-0 draw against Colombia in 2010.

With starting goalkeeper Tim Howard likely out for two crucial World Cup qualifiers for the United States national team later this month, former U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel offered Saturday to come out of retirement.

Friedel, who is currently playing with Tottenham Hotspur in Europe, gave a vote of confidence on Twitter to the likely new starting goalie, Brad Guzan. But he said if something were to happen to Guzan, he would be willing to fill in.

Howard’s club team, Everton, announced on Friday that he would miss “several weeks” with two broken bones in his back. That will likely put him out for a World Cup qualifying match against Costa Rica in Commerce City, Colo., on March 22. And only four days after that, the U.S. faces the daunting challenge of a match against Mexico at the Azteca.

Friedel retired from international soccer in 2005. He led the U.S. national team on a run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.

GK situation US:YOU ARE IN GREAT HANDS WITH GUZAN!!!! If he was also hurt of course I would consider helping until Tim and Brad were fit!!

— bradley h friedel (@friedel_b) March 9, 2013

That is if asked by the way, which I have not been.

— bradley h friedel (@friedel_b) March 9, 2013

Hungry’s Hegedus Csaba, a senior member of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, spoke on Wednesday about the decision to ban the sport from the Olympics. (Atta Kenare/Getty Images)

In perhaps a rare moment of solidarity, wrestlers from Iran and the U.S. will be among representatives of eight other countries that will join together at the World Cup tournament in Tehran on Thursday to protest the recent move to ban the sport from the Olympics after 2016, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The wrestlers will lie on their mat’s to protest the ruling from the International Olympic Committee that seeks to ban wrestling, a sport as old as the Olympics,  starting with the 2020 Olympics. The decision to go forward with the protest was made on Wednesday during a meeting of delegations of the sport from 10 countries; Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, the U.S., Russia and Turkey met to discuss ways to compel the IOC to reverse the decision. The wrestlers will also observe a minute of silence in an effort to show their opposition to the decision.

Fifteen members of the Committee already voted to do away with the sport earlier in February after being presented with statistics across 39 categories, including TV ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policies and global participation and popularity. The decision does not go into effect unless it is confirmed by the full IOC in a vote scheduled for September.

Referees will have the assistance of goal-line technologies for close calls during the 2014 World Cup. (Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images)

FIFA approved the use of modern goal-line technology systems for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, reports NBC Sports. The organization is seeking bids from companies to provide the technology with four potential providers currently; a final decision is due in early April.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter wanted to provide referees with high-tech systems to assist with goal-line decisions during games. The decision was largely in response to an incident during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when England’s Frank Lampard had a clear goal denied in a game against Germany.

Among the possible technology solutions are Hawk-Eye, a camera-based system and GoalRef, which uses magnetic sensors. Both systems send information within one second to a referee’s wristwatch. Two additional German systems are also bidding. The chosen technology will be tested at the Confederations Cup this June.

Diego Maradona is on the verge of becoming the Iraq national team soccer coach.

Diego Maradona is close to becoming the head coach of Iraq’s national soccer team, Reuters’ Luis Ampuero reported on Thursday, citing Argentine agent Hernan Tofoni.

 ”Diego is really enthused and phones us every day. He doesn’t just want to coach (Iraq) for the next six months but long term,” said Tofoni, who is heading up talks with Iraq for the Argentine company World Eleven.

“He is excited by the fact that it’s a challenge and that he’d be going to replace Zico,” added Tofoni, referring to the Brazil great who quit as Iraq’s coach last month.

Tofoni said that Maradona wants to coach Iraq long enough to take it to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. One of the all-time great Argentinian soccer players, Maradona became Argentina’s national team coach in 2008. He led the team to a 2010 World Cup quarterfinal appearance, where it was routed, 4-0, by Germany.

Iraq is third in Group B in the fourth round of Asian World Cup qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.

Ronald De Boer is advocating for the World Cup to be moved to the winter in 2022 to Qatar’s leadership. (Tom Shaw/Getty Images)

Former Netherlands midfielder and Qatar soccer advisor Ronald De Boer is pushing to have the World Cup moved to the winter. De Boer was instrumental in helping Qatar win the right to host the World Cup in 2022, and now he is arguing to the country’s leaders that the tournament should not be held in the sweltering heat of June or July as usual. Temperatures in Qatar’s capital city, Doha, typically reach into the 100s during the summer.

According to an AP report, De Boer said:

“A tournament like the World Cup can benefit from players not being so burned out after a long season,” De Boer said. “You have everyone well-adjusted and physically fit (in the winter), and get the best out of the players. So you see a better tournament. I think there’s a big possibility in that so why not try it?”

UEFA President Michel Platini, who is also a candidate to become FIFA president in 2015, is in favor of the move and already said he was willing to reschedule the European soccer schedule in order to accommodate a winter World Cup.

“In 10 years we can manage to decide how we can postpone the season for one month,” he said. “January is difficult for the World Cup because you have the Winter Olympic Games. If we stop from 2 November to 20 December it means, instead of finishing in May, we stop in June. It is not a big problem. It is for the good of the World Cup, the most important competition in the world.”