A friendly between the U.S. and Peru is in the works for the second international fixture date in October, sources have confirmed to SBI. No location has been selected as of yet for the game that is likely to be played on Oct. 16, but east coast venues are currently being looked at as the potential site for the match.
A friendly between the two sides would make logistical sense given that the U.S. will play Colombia five days prior at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida while Peru will also be stateside as it takes on arch-rival Chile on Oct. 12 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Peru, which qualified for its first World Cup in 36 years this past summer, would round out the list of opponents for the Americans in 2018 if negotiations for the exhibition are finalized.
The U.S. has already formally announced the rest of its ‘Kickoff Series’ for the fall, including September showdowns against Brazil and Mexico and November visits to England and Italy. Reports earlier this year had indicated that Argentina would be scheduled in October, but a clash with the CONMEBOL giant is not in the plans.
The Peruvians, who are beginning their preparations for next summer’s Copa America, should provide a good test for the Americans. Peru enjoyed strong moments of inspired play at the World Cup but did not make it out of the group stage. Ricardo Gareca’s side lost to Denmark and France by the identical scoreline of 1-0 before blanking Australia, 2-0, in the Group C finale.
The last time the U.S. and Peru met was on Sept. 4, 2015 in a friendly at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. that the Americans won, 2-1. Jozy Altidore bagged a second-half brace that day, helping the U.S. rally from an early deficit in front of a crowd of 28,896 fans.
All-time, the U.S. holds a slight advantage over Peru with a 3-2-1 record.