By IVES GALARCEP
If the buzz from the 2014 World Cup had you excited about seeing the U.S. Men’s National Team in action, the recent news that a proposed friendly against Colombia won’t take place probably has you bummed out as the USMNT faces the prospect of no high-profile matches the rest of this year.
As it stands, road friendlies against Czech Republic in September, and Ireland in November, are all that can be found on the official USMNT schedule, with a rumored friendly against Ecuador slated for October (a friendly now officially set for Oct. 10 in Connecticut).
None of those three friendlies elicit a ton of excitement, and it is fair to assume U.S. Soccer was banking on the Colombia friendly to give U.S. fans the high-profile opponent they were hoping to see this year.
With Colombia now out, the pressure is on U.S. Soccer to find a quality opponent for the October fixture window, and in my recent Goal.com column, I suggest it is the perfect time to have the USMNT face Mexico again.
Yes, the CONCACAF powers do face each other quite often, having just met back in April in Arizona, but with the buzz from the World Cup exciting fans for both teams, now would be a good time to have them renew acquaintances and see how they stack up heading into a new World Cup cycle.
Right now, neither team has a match scheduled for Oct. 10th, which is why I suggest that date as the perfect time for USA and Mexico to meet. Whether or not U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Federation agree is another matter.
What do you think about the prospect of another USA-Mexico match? Think it’s too soon after the last meeting? Think it’s the perfect time considering how well both teams did at the World Cup? Where would you like to see them play?
Share your thoughts below.