photo by John Rieger/USA Today Sports
By FRANCO PANIZO
It will indeed be an all-South American September as the U.S. Men’s National Team gears up for its do-or-die play-off match.
U.S. Soccer confirmed on Thursday morning that Jurgen Klinsmann’s side will host Brazil in a friendly at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sept. 8. The game falls on a FIFA international date – meaning the top players will be available for selection – and comes four days after the Americans take on Peru in another exhibition match.
The clash with the Brazilians will also mark the final bit of preparations for the U.S. ahead of its October play-off match for the 2017 Confederations Cup.
The U.S. played earlier this month at Gillette Stadium in the CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage, defeating Haiti, 1-0, off a goal from Clint Dempsey.
The Americans, who are 1-16 all-time against Brazil, last faced the South American giants in May 2012. The U.S. lost that friendly, 4-1, in front of a crowd of 67,000-plus at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
Coming off a disappointing showing at the 2015 Copa America, Brazil will be aiming to fine-tune things ahead of the start of its World Cup qualifying campaign in September. The Brazilians were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL tournament, losing to Paraguay on penalty kicks.
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What do you think about the USMNT playing Brazil in a friendly? Wishing it was being held in a different city? Is it a good thing that the Americans will face such a talented opponent a month before their play-off game?
Share your thoughts below.
please lose Klinsy
I grew up a Nebraska Football fan. Loved Tom Osbourne and the I back. But when he retired wegot longtime assistant Frank Solich. He was a solid coach and they won 9-10 games every season. But they were nor winning titles and occassionally got blown out by really good teams. So the Big Red faithful screamed for a new coach. Solich was fired, but then Big Red Nation learned so ething the rest of the country already knew. Nobody wanted to coach in Nebraska. Its hard to recruit talent from Florida, Texas, California, etc to come play in Lincoln, NB. They were turned down more than a few times. And then had to take Bill Callahan, who was not successful at all. My point is before we fire Klinsy, mildly successful, but makes head scratching decisions sometimes, who can we get that is a proven winner? I dont believe we are that attractive to proven international caliber coaches. I dont want Jason Kreis or GreggBurhalter personally.
What do you guys think? Who would take the job?
Peter Vermes controls all soccer operations etc at SKC, he isnt a tactical wizard but he knows what he is doing.
Anyone.
US Soccer has gotten basically the same results for the last 20 years, I dont think JK making lemonade with lemons, I believe that basically any professional coach could keep the status quo.
The US job is the best national team job in the world. In no other nation does the nat’l team coach have the control and pay that Klinnsman does. A US national team manager that leads us to a finals match will be able to write his check for the rest of his life.
If this was any first rate national program Klinnsman would have been asked to submit his resignation. Sadly we are stuck with him.
Frankly, there’s a big difference between Arena and Klinsmann. Arena took over a team in 1998 that had abysmal morale after that year’s World Cup, where it lost all three group games. Four years later, the U.S. came within an uncalled handball of reaching the World Cup semis. Yes, the U.S. needed help to get out of its group but Arena put the team in that position.
Under Klinsmann during the past four years, the U.S. has developed a disturbing MO: Consistently poor defense, little (if any) tactical sophistication, charging like crazy while behind late in games to try to pull out a win. This isn’t going to change unless Klinsmann goes.
Carlos Queiroz would be the perfect choice. He coached Real Madrid, spent two different stints as Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United, and guided four national teams, including Portugal. He also helped compose the Project-40 report for U.S. Soccer, so he knows the game in this country far more extensively than Klinsmann does.
BTW, equating Klinsmann to Osborne is wrong. Klinsmann can’t develop talent, provide necessary guidance nor conceive of coherent tactics. I’m sure Osborne could do both; otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted as long as he did.
Patriots play the Giants at home in their final preseason game on the 3rd and the Steelers at home in their first regular season game on the 10th. So this is either on turf or on an atrocious grass field laid 3-4 days earlier. Good times!
did you really have to post that picture with the announcement?
What! Too soon?
Some time ago
Embarrassed at the Gold Cup so that decide to do damage control by announcing a match against Brazil the day after.
Well I actually heard about this game so time ago
Do I have to explain the difference between a rumored game and an official announcement….?
Lets hope it’s nice and cold in October in Foxboro. But Foxboro was not chosen for that reason, it’s because of the closeness of the Kraft family with Sunil Gulati, who used to work for the Krafts. BUT, then again, isn’t that the way soccer works now? Use your standing and enrich the people who are close friends of yours. As an FIFA Excom member, he would have a lot of knowledge and inside information for the US Senate Subcommittee hearings, but that’s exactly why he refused to appear, instead sending and underling who did his best Sgt. Shultz impersonation: ‘i KNOW NOTHING, NOTHING!!!
+1… too many women and men’s game at Foxborough.
Foxboro was chosen due to the area’s large Portuguese/Brazilian population that will show up to watch Brazil and make US Soccer a lot of money.
There’s no question a natural grass surface is preferable to turf. But the grass doesn’t last long in Boston come cold
Good thing it’s not being played in October as you wrote, but on September 8th. The weather will be just fine.
Oh boy….another game on a crappy field
Surely the Brazilians have not agreed to play on artificial turf.
Brazil is a good soccer team. They hosted the World Cup last summer
USA isn’t bad either though.
Oh really?