Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
Jurgen Klinsmann’s busy summer is officially finishing in Europe.
U.S. Soccer announced on Thursday that the United States Men’s National Team will be playing a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarejevo on August 14. It will be the first ever meeting between the two nations.
The announcement confirms the original news reports in Bosnia, which began to trickle out in late May that their football federation had agreed to play the U.S. in the middle of August. The match-day is the lone date ahead of FIFA World Cup qualifiers for both national teams in early September.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently ranked 15th in the FIFA World rankings and currently lead their qualifying group, earning 16 points from six games (five wins and one draw). Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, AS Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic, and former Saint Louis Billiken Vedad Ibisevic are all part of the squad.
The match will wrap up one of the busiest summers in recent U.S. soccer history. From late May through the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the USMNT will feature anywhere from 10 to 13 times, depending how far they make it in the Gold Cup. All of the matches should give Klinsmann a chance to really learn about his squad and get closer to his final 23 for Brazil, should the USMNT secure qualification.
Playing on the road against nations in UEFA, the USMNT under Klinsmann has two wins, two losses, and one draw. The last match played in Europe was the 2-2 draw against Russia last November in Moscow. Overall against UEFA competition, the USMNT under Klinsmann is 4-3-1, the most recent match being the 4-3 victory over Germany on June 2.
What do you make of this news? Do you see the U.S. being able to defeat Bosnia?
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