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Report: USMNT to face Guatemala in pre-Gold Cup friendly in San Diego

US Men's National team, Starting eleven

By IVES GALARCEP

The U.S. Men’s National Team’s busy summer is ready to get a little busier as word has emerged that the team is set to return to San Diego for the first time since 2006.

The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the U.S. will face Guatemala on July 5th at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego in the team’s final tune-up match before the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Americans begin Gold Cup play in Portland on July 9th vs. Belize.

The match will mark the U.S. team’s first visit to San Diego since tying Canada, 0-0, at Torero Stadium in 2006, and the national team’s first game at Qualcomm Stadium since  beating Mexico there in 1999.

The match is the ninth match scheduled for the USMNT this summer to date, not including the knockout rounds of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The U.S. is also expected to play a friendly in mid-August.

The match will mark the first meeting between the Americans and Guatemala since the U.S. defeated the ‘Chapines’ last October at Sporting Park in Kansas City to secure their place in the Hexagonal Round of World Cup Qualifying.

What do you think of this development? Excited about having the U.S. team play in San Diego?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. My old stomping grounds. I think I can make this game. The weather should be great and the green jerseys out in full force. LOL

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    • Am hoping they train at the Olympic Trainning Center in Chula Vista. By the way, back before the 1998 (?) WC when the USMNT practiced so my son and I skiped out of work early and went down to watch. Care to guess how many people came to watch? There was less then 12 people there. Bet there will be more if they practice at Chula Vista this year.

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    • I’m amused at a stadium named for a ticket re-seller. Let’s just call it Legalized Scalping Park.

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  2. Cant wait to see the US national team play at the new San Francisco 49ers stadium

    The lower seating bowl has the most seats in any stadium in the US and the fans are closer to the field

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  3. As a San Diego fan if the USMNT it is nice to get to see them in SD. It will be fun to host any traveling fans as well.

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  4. Buyer beware… last time the MNT played a “tune up” before the Gold Cup was against Spain. Lots of us paid a lot of money only to see Bradley roll out the JV team. Excuse was…. the games that count start in just a few days

    Point is.., in a deal like this, you don’t know what you’re gonna see in the US Jersey

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    • Bradley sabotaged that roster selection for Spain and all the fans at that time were screaming to not have bradley jr start so he didnt start his son.

      He put in the worst line up on purpose

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      • The reality is you may not want to send your best XI out to provide film and get tired or hurt, in the last friendly before a tournament. You usually use the majority of that game to look at the margins of your squad and decide who makes the bench. To do so…..you play a lot of bench-level people trying to make distinctions. Like preseason in any other sport. I already know many of my starters…..why re-prove the obvious…..

        I know it stinks for ticket buying fans — I feel sorry for people who bought Canada tickets in Houston — but there should really be disclaimers attached to certain friendlies where a smart coach will not be running out his first XI for 90 right before a tournament.

    • Hmm, DC gets US V Germany, Cleveland gets US V Belgium along with Gold cup games. Not to mention the East Coast has had a ton of USMNT games the past 3 years.

      I think you guys can handle.

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      • Clearly you are from somewhere far away if you think Cleveland is eastern in either a geographic or cultural sense. Enjoy the games. Cheers.

    • It’s wierd when everything isn’t geared to the East coast huh? Guess you’ll just have to settle for your NHL/NBA/MLB/NCAA/NFL teams being covered every second of every day on every major sports network to keep you busy.

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      • People on either coast complaining about professional sports. How quaint. Let me tell you how it is to live in the south…

      • Is there anything more tiresome than people from flyover country and/or the west coast complaining about east coast bias? I mean, there probably is, but I just can’t think of it right now.

      • I’m not complaining, I’m commenting that it’s ironic an East coast guy is asking where the love is. It’s everywhere around you!

        It makes sense as to why. They have several major markets (including THE major market in NYC), most media outlets are based there, and most major sports headquarters are there.

  5. jeez there are going to be alot of games this summer.. i mean what is this baseball… if your going to include the u20 teams.. thats almost 20 games in a 3 month span.. not that i’m hating but its going to be real rough to watch all these games.

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      • Don’t get your point. Why is it necessary to have a second gold cup every cycle when the HEX is taking place and everyone sends their B teams? It isn’t.

      • That’s exactly the point, you get a chance to field a B team so they get experience in meaningful competition. Not to mention the $$$$ the tournament brings in.

    • And CONCACAF is supposed to get the needed money to fund CCL and WCQs and so forth from where, exactly?

      You do realize that is why we have 2 tournaments, right? So we can continue to have these wonderful games for our members since most can’t afford to participate and rely on C’CAF to fund their travel

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      • Great points guys. However, the second Gold Cup is still a waste and it should go! No need, or room on the schedule, for a B team tournament.

      • no, there clearly is room in the schedule since it’s going to happen this summer. Whether you like it or not is a different story, but the Gold Cup happening every two years will continue to happen unless there’s a huge change, ie) copa america. I’d also point out that many, many fans love watching the US, and the excitement over this summer is great. As long as they are wearing the US jersey, I’d watch anyone play.

        This also isn’t a CONCACAF only thing, the AFCON is held every two years also.

    • Why? To imitate Europe? Because we send a B team? Bluntly, I’d like to see some B teamers (Corona, Boyd, Holden, et al.) get a chance to show what they have and in the middle of qualis they wouldn’t otherwise. It may mean Brad Evans also makes the team but that’s a trade off. Because teams should be forced to send their A side? They don’t necessarily do it for any of the regional tourneys. Players come up with mysterious injuries. Teams try something a little different. Sometimes the Euros are won by the home team (Greece) or the team that does manage to field more A teamers (not England). But then one could say the same thing of Gold Cup.

      I think the room for experimentation is good for us, and allows us to try marginal players in the middle of a mixed bag qualifying so far where if players stood out at particular spots we could use some help, CB, F, wing mid. I also would like to see the backup GKs get some time because you never know.

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  6. Nice to have USMNT in San Diego. We don’t need MLS (they didn’t think they needed San Diego) we have even better quality soccer with the Xolos 20 minutes away in Tijuana!

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    • Cool story bro

      Im sure all the white upper class folks are all in line to buy xolos tickets…..

      San Diego is weak for sports. Im from there. If the teams are losing, the fans wont show up.

      Also, the Republican city council wont support an MLS team when they cant even get a stadium deal for the chargers

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  7. That’s a lot of games–5 in June, 1 friendly + Gold Cup (4-6 games), that’s a lot of FIFA ranking points.

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