The U.S. men’s soccer team announced on Monday an upcoming group of friendlies in the upcoming Fall “Kickoff Series” with four Top-20 international opponents slated to challenge the young, up-and-coming USMNT.
The series begins on Friday, Sept. 7 when the U.S. faces five-time World Cup winner Brazil and Neymar in East Rutherford, N.J. Four days later (Sept. 11), the U.S. will welcome CONCACAF rival Mexico and “Chicharito” Hernandez to Nashville.
September:
vs. ?? in NJ, pres by @LibertyMutual
vs. ?? in Nashville, pres by @ATTOctober:
Two home matches TBANovember:
vs. ??????? in London at Wembley
vs. ?? at TBA venue in Europe pic.twitter.com/g58smtzoup— U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt) June 25, 2018
Two fixtures against undetermined teams will take place in October, followed by the USMNT traveling to Europe for a set of friendlies. They will first take on Harry Kane and England at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 15, and then travel to meet up with four-time World Cup winner Italy on Nov. 20.
The game against Brazil will be televised on FS1, with the match against ‘El Tri’ airing on ESPN. The fixture vs. England will be on ESPN2, followed by the Italy match being aired on FS1.
The tests against some of the world’s top national teams will be a valuable test as a young U.S. squad has already set its sights on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup after missing out this year.
Most recently, the U.S. tied France before the World Cup began, showing promise of what a balanced and youthful team can do, giving American soccer fans hope for the future.
Notes
U.S.A. vs. Brazil
The match against Brazil will be the 19th between the two nations, with Brazil winning 18 of them. The single U.S. victory came in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The two sides most recently met in September 2015, a 4-1 Brazil victory.
U.S.A. vs. Mexico
In a battle between CONCACAF rivals, Mexico holds the all-time advantage with 34 wins, compared to 18 for the U.S. with 15 draws. The teams have met five times in the Gold Cup final, with Mexico taking home the trophy four of those times. Their most recent matchup took place in June 2017, with the U.S. earning a 1-1 draw at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
U.S.A. vs. England
In what will be the 11th fixture between the two countries, England holds the all-time advantage with seven wins, compared to two for the U.S. and one draw. The most recent match was a group stage game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, ending in a 1-1 draw that gave the U.S. the Group C title.
U.S.A. vs. Italy
The November matchup with Italy will mark the 12th game between the two sides, with Italy winning seven compared to one victory for the U.S. and three draws. The lone U.S. win came in a 1-0 friendly win in 2012, which is also the last time the sides met.
