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USMNT announces November friendly vs. Wales

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The U.S. Men’s National Team will play again in 2020.

U.S. Soccer announced on Friday morning that the USMNT will square off against Wales on Nov. 12 in a friendly in Swansea. The match, which will be played without fans in the stands, will mark the first time the Americans take the field since the Feb. 1 exhibition game against Costa Rica that ended 1-0 in the USMNT’s favor. It will also mark the first match featuring the team’s top European-based players since November.

“First and foremost, we are looking forward to getting the group together after such a challenging year,” USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said in a prepared statement. “Wales is a quality opponent with high-level players, so it’s a good opportunity to test ourselves. We appreciate all the work by the Football Association of Wales and here at U.S. Soccer to provide this opportunity to compete.”

The friendly vs. Wales falls on an official FIFA international fixture date, meaning Berhalter will be able to call up players based domestically and abroad. It is likely, however, that the USMNT roster ends up being comprised by mostly foreign-based players given where MLS will be in its season and U.S. Soccer’s relationship with the league.

Additionally, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday that it is continuing to search for a second opponent for November. The USMNT was supposedly set to play Australia, but the Socceroos reportedly pulled out of the friendly due to continued concerns about COVID-19.

Comments

  1. they can move the game to swansea but that doesn’t change immigration, UK will want a 14 day quarantine and the game is in less than 3 weeks so the coaches and staff better get on a plane now. there will be no MLS because of both virus avoidance and the quarantine, as the league runs into november. assuming it happens it will be all EU/UK players. i expect an “A” team concept plus adams and reyna. personally i wouldn’t have my choice players risking transport in this, nor do i think running out pulisic or mckennie or steffen for the umpteenth friendly kicks the full roster ball down the field one inch.

    Reply
    • The first match was always to be played in Wales, to fulfill the cancellation in March. A second match will still be played in London. As long as UEFA allows matches we will play. Whether that’s wise is another question.

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      • you’re implying UEFA overrules UK. if UK says no soccer…..fwiw “from 18:00 BST, the 3.1 million people in Wales will have to stay at home as a 17-day lockdown begins.”

    • Good thing that 17 lockdown ends before the friendlies then. I’m just saying footballers often have a different set of rules.

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      • dear god, dude. so, for starters, that 17 days walks you up to the eve of the friendly. Mr. Jones in Wales cant go outside but they will let us practice? meh. second, like many americans you seem to think that at the end of the period for the practical measure, there is no extension, there is no problem anymore. this is about to be a nasty patch. i don’t think it is a safe assumption that a viral lockdown nominally through 11/10 will have to be over before an 11/12 game. this thing has a 6-14 day incubation period and even if they lock down now they will have spiraling cases through at least 14 days. you then as was the experience with lockdown have cases from people getting everyone they are stuck in lockdown with sick. americans don’t seem to get how public health measures work because it’s a political — or worse, legal — issue and not a practical one.

    • You seem to think that this somehow my plan or idea. The Welsh Federation has been coordinating with government. If governments start saying no then UEFA will postpone the NL matches that come in the days following the friendly. You have to schedule it, if the UK orders a shutdown then you can cancel but you can’t schedule it on two days notice.

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    • Found some clarification, professional sports in Wales are allowed to continue to operate behind closed doors. The reasoning professional soccer and rugby players can’t work from home so they have to be able to train and play. Few of the Welsh Premier League clubs are fully professional so most of the matches are being postponed. Swansea City and Cardiff City will be able to continue in the English leagues as well.

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  2. Vs Wales-So you mean to tell me, we could see a possible lineup of
    LW-CP, CF-Sargent, RW- Konrad
    10- Reyna, 8-McKennie, 6- T. Adams
    LB- Antonee, CBs- Brooks, EPB, RB- Dest
    GK- Steffen subs- CF/W-Weah, 10- Green, RB- Moore

    Reply
    • And whoever the 2nd match is against, we have potentially
      LW- CP, CF/9- Nico, RW- ArJo
      10-Reyna, 8-Holmes, 6- C Dirks
      LB- Dest, CBs- Miazga, CCV, RB- Yedlin
      GK- Horvath subs- W-Sabbi, CB- Richards, 10-Green
      If players are healthy, these friendlys could be exciting!

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    • I’d go slightly different formation:
      —————Sargent—————
      –Pulisic——-Reyna——–Konrad–
      ——–McKennie——-Adams———
      Robinson—–Brooks—–TBD——Dest

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    • England’s opening is the same day as our match with Wales. UEFA clubs have three match days in the window. The 2nd and 3rd days are for Nations League matches.

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    • are you thinking about “why?” Rona is in the UK in a nasty way. i am sure we are playing in wales to try and dodge imminent London restrictions — which was the initially discussed site. we will still have to meet UK quarantine. the whole thing may get canceled if the UK goes national lockdown. i think people are living in a Rona dreamworld. it’s about to get nasty. we will be lucky if the game happens at all.

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  3. I really hope they can get a second game, even if it’s not a major opponent. Maybe Scotland or Ireland has an open date, or?Another possibility might be a North African team since that isn’t much of a plane ride and teams like Tunisia and Morocco often make the World Cup.

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      • you’re not thinking very clearly. exactly who do you think panama is fielding without MLS players and with how few europeans they can muster. if you want a real panama game you don’t leave the americas.

    • let’s be real, this type friendly is usually not many players who hop a plane all the way from home. even for the opponent at a neutral site. under the circumstances we don’t want anyone whose people have to travel much. we want their EPL/Ligue 1/B.1 all stars.

      Reply
    • Didn’t say I wanted Panama just said it was a rumor I heard. It’s not my thinking at all.
      ———————————
      According to Wikipedia Panama is playing Japan in Austria Nov.12, and Japan is then playing Mexico the 17th. I suppose in theory then Panama is looking for a 2nd match for their trip. In the October window they played CR without any MLS players.
      ——————————
      It also wouldn’t surprise me if the FA has special permission to allow footballers to travel without the quarantines do to their frequent testing. That’s just a guess though.

      Reply
      • my contrary guess would be that players already within UK (or EU by extension, through December at least) have a right to work as long as they are open for business. anyone already there for club ball, either there or on the continent, has a right to enter and a right to work. it’s whether they let in any outsiders. it’s whether they allow soccer games. that’s not america and i wouldn’t assume if covid spirals sports continue unabated. that was my whole thing on do we play here or do we bet on continued UK permission for sports, fight through quarantine, etc. and even if allowed through quarantine legally you’re ignoring the scenario i explained with ronaldo where people can interact and get the virus before they leave, test negative while at club, and then show up sick or become so. basically a friendly is reshuffling a new deck with travel and without practical quarantine or bubbling and hoping you draw no positive tests.

      • You just depend on clubs testing properly and then doing your testing once players get there. Obviously we’ve seen nothing is fool proof. I don’t really think it’s wise but if everyone else is playing we’re going to play.

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