Photo by USA Today Sports Images
By FRANCO PANIZO
The U.S. Men’s National Team will once again close out a calendar year with a friendly in Europe.
U.S. Soccer confirmed on Tuesday that the Americans will close out 2014 with a match against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Nov. 18. The game will be played at Aviva Stadium and give U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann another opportunity to look at players ahead of next summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“We are absolutely thrilled to finish our work in 2014 with a game against Ireland,” said Klinsmann. “They are consistently a difficult team to play against, and we welcome these types of challenges as we continue to move our team forward towards the Gold Cup next year.”
The match will fall in the midst of the MLS playoffs, meaning some domestic-based players might not be able to participate if their clubs are still in the hunt for the MLS Cup.
It also is the latest in a string of end-of-year friendlies player in Europe. The U.S. closed out 2013 with a game in Austria, visited Russia the year before and traveled to take on Slovenia in 2011.
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What do you think of the U.S. playing the Republic of Ireland in the final match of 2014? Wishing the Americans would play teams from other countries a bit more? Think Landon Donovan gets a call for his swan song if he’s not involved in the MLS Cup playoffs?
Share your thoughts below.
hope he does give LD the nod, but if I were to bet, I’d say no, he snubs him.
After LD’s comments about the WC Team I wouldn’t bring him into a camp either.
Regardless it wouldn’t be a SNUB since LD has already signified that he is retiring from soccer. Why waste calling him in….just to give him a lap around the field?
If that’s the case have a USMNT match featuring a half-time show with LD, Boca, Gooch, Goodson, Dolo, EJ, Davis, Wondo, Rimando, and the rest of retirement players to give them a send off.
If Landon did have a testimonial match, I believe it would happen during a friendly on American soil, not somewhere in Europe.
why EIRE?
why not Poland or Norway or Portugal or Serbia?
why pick a squad where we will win 5-1 and thousands of fans will be drunk
why not play a friendly against Ghana or Ivory Coast or Japan or S Korea in London?
Maybe the Irish FA sells a season pass for International matches and they needed one more to fill their commitment for the year? (That’s not really a hypothetical, they do.)
Maybe those European teams don’t want to cram in another match during Euro 2016 qualifying?
Maybe those teams don’t want to fly to London and then have their players have to get back to Russia or Japan or Asia the next morning?
Maybe the entire world is not sitting patiently by their phones waiting for Jurgen or Sunil to call?
Yeah, looks like JK trying to pad his stats while not going too weak. Ok while not APPEARING to go to weak.
Again: people need to get paid. Not enough people would go to see the US play GHA, CIV, ROK in London, Paris, or Rome for people to get paid. The US is not Brazil or Argentina and is not the box-office draw of either of those sides in a neutral country.
Is the match in San Antonio vs Colombia happening?
according to Grant Wahl its off
bummer.. idk what they are going to do on that fixture date. pretty much everyone is booked. probably skip it.
I think Klinsi is done with the US based players anyway. this cycle will be largely comprised of Euro players, IMO
should be a good game.