Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
With the latest batch of international friendlies in the rear view mirror, the U.S. national team is looking forward to its next set of games, which will both take place in Europe.
The United States' next two friendlies will be played during the Nov. 11-15 FIFA international window, and according to U.S. Soccer, "the two matches will be played in Europe and will be announced in the near future."
Reports out of France earlier this week suggested that if Les Bleus qualified for the finals of Euro 2012 and didn't need that fixture window for a playoff that they would host the United States. That scenario played out for France after its draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.
When told that France won its Euro qualifying group prior to the USA-Ecuador friendly Tuesday night, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said, "Good to know. It will definitely shed some light for those of us that have the map right now, and we'll make that public in the next few days."
There's been little speculation to date about the identity of the second opponent.
The November international window falls in the week between the MLS semifinals and MLS Cup final, meaning that Jurgen Klinsmann's roster from a domestic standpoint should be extremely contingent on which teams advance to the league's championship game.
For MLS teams that will have been eliminated, the friendlies provide an opportunity for U.S. players on those teams to extend their personal playing calendars a bit, something that has been a major talking point for Klinsmann in the recent weeks as he strives to get MLS to lengthen its season and cut back on the down time for MLS players.
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