USA vs. Ukraine: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule and Preview

The United States men's national team will take to the pitch for just the second time in this crucial 2014 calendar year Wednesday as they travel to face Ukraine in Cyprus for an international friendly. 

With an upcoming World Cup appearance looming for the Americans, Jurgen Klinsmann and company won't be taking their friendly lightly as they look to build momentum and form heading into the summer. 

Needless to say, this match isn't short on storylines despite it having little importance in terms of winning and losing. Let's break it all down here. 

When: Wednesday, March 5 at 2 p.m. ET (7 p.m. GMT)

Where: Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus

Watch: ESPN2

Top Storyline: Can the match outshine early complications? 

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Following political unrest in Ukraine, last week the national team's officials moved the location of Wednesday's game from Kharkiv, Ukraine to Larnaca, Cyprus—or so it seemed. 

Ukraine's head of football federation Anatoliy Konkov then appeared to cancel the match altogether on Tuesday, saying on a television show, according to Reuters, that his team would not travel to play in Cyprus.

"We play for our people and our country. Our team do not fly to Cyprus and stay at home," Konkov told the ICTV channel, per Reuters. 

It doesn't end there. Following that development, Team USA reached out to Ukraine directly and confirmed the match was still on for Cyprus.

With all of that mess out of the way, it seems like the match is still a go and the two sides are still going to be able to face off. And that's an awfully good thing for many of America's players.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

With Klinsmann looking to trim down his 23-man roster heading into Brazil, the status of a handful of talented players is in limbo. Players like Chris Wondolowski, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis and more could end up cracking the roster with big performances in upcoming matches.

Going into an unfamiliar road environment, Klinsmann will be closely watching his players to see which ones handle the adverse situation in the right way. That will be a huge sticking point heading into Brazil, with tough matchups against Germany, Portugal and Ghana in group play. 

It was a headache to keep everything together, but the match is still on and should produce an exciting affair. Both teams are ranked in the top 20 of the FIFA world rankings, with America at No. 13 and Ukraine in 18th. 

As long as some of those players can put on a show, this match should have no trouble out-shining those early speed bumps.

Prediction

Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images

The Americans looked crisp in their first action of 2014, dismantling South Korea 2-0 at home. But it's a completely new territory playing overseas, especially in the rare situation Team USA currently find themselves in. 

Added to playing in Cyprus is the fact that they face Ukraine, the No. 18 team in the world. If it weren't for an incredible 3-0 France win in the second leg of their play-off, they would be in the World Cup field. 

Klinsmann's USA squads fight no matter what the setting or who the opponent, but they will run into a talented team that can keep it tight.

USA 1, Ukraine 1