by IVES GALARCEP
The long-rumored friendly between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Mexico is now official, with the final details finally emerging on Thursday.
U.S. Soccer formally announced the match on Thursday, setting up the latest installment in the heated rivalry. The game will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on April 2.
“We are going to be watching our players very carefully before making final decisions on the roster for the World Cup, so this will be a great benchmark to see where they are at and how they compete against our biggest rivals,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “Games against Mexico are always special for the players and for the fans. We expect that it will be an amazing atmosphere in Phoenix with supporters for both teams, and it’s great to have an opportunity to play before the start of the World Cup. You couldn’t ask for a better experience to help with our preparations.”
The match is not being played on an international fixture date, so it will feature players from MLS and Liga MX, which would still make it an appealing match-up for both sides given the number of domestic players both national teams are using these days.
The meeting will be the first between the teams in Phoenix since the U.S. team’s 2-0 victory over ‘El Tri’ on Feb. 7, 2007. Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan scored the goals on that memorable day, which saw an undermanned U.S. team pull off a slight upset against a full-strength Mexico side in front of a strongly pro-Mexico crowd.
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