The U.S. men’s national team has announced three fall friendlies, with matches against two Concacaf foes and one from Oceania.
The USMNT will face Canada on Sept. 7 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and will then take on New Zealand on Sept. 10 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The USMNT also announced that it will face Panama on Oct. 12 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, with one more October match expected to be announced at a later date.
With the games set for FIFA windows, the USMNT will have the ability to feature its strongest team.
The USMNT has never lost a match at any of the three venues where the matches will take place.
The September/October slate:
🇺🇸 USA vs Canada 🇨🇦
📆 Sept. 7
📍 Kansas City
👏 Fan Appreciation Match🇺🇸 USA vs New Zealand 🇳🇿
📆 Sept. 10
📍 Cincinnati🇺🇸 USA vs Panama 🇵🇦
📆 Oct. 12
📍 Austin
👏 Hispanic Heritage Match, presented by @ATTMore Info » https://t.co/LOqWMX8Jv5 pic.twitter.com/DbdRQSI5qc
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 25, 2024
Marsch vs. USMNT the highlight
The highlight of the fall windows is likely to be the game against Canada, which is now led by American manager Jesse Marsch.
Last month, Marsch accused U.S. Soccer of not treating him well when he interviewed for the USMNT job last summer.
Though the game itself won’t have high stakes, there will certainly be heightened interest in the showdown between Marsch and Gregg Berhalter, a coach that Marsch didn’t hesitate to criticize during his time as a pundit.
Berhalter has been under pressure since re-joining the USMNT as head coach last summer, when he beat out Marsch and other candidates to secure his former job.
The Marsch vs. Berhalter matchup could theoretically not happen if the USMNT flames out at the Copa América and Berhalter loses his job — a fate that appears less likely after the U.S. began the tournament with a 2-0 win over Bolivia.
Marsch’s Canada side fell 2-0 to Argentina in the tournament opener, but Les Rouges put together an encouraging performance that will give them confidence ahead of upcoming matches against Peru and Chile.
The U.S. and Canada could also square off before September if they meet at the Copa América — but that matchup could only happen if it were the final.
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