After nearly a month of breathlessly waiting (guilty as charged), the U.S. men's game vs. Brazil was formally set today with the international friendly to be held on May 30 in Landover, MD (at the home of the Washington Redskins).
Regardless of where it is, I'm obviously psyched to see the Americans match up with one of the world's true superpowers but I have to say that I'm disappointed I won't be able to attend it. The rumors were that Gillette Stadium and Landover were the finalists so it's a shame that we won't have this great game in our backyards. Oh well.
Brazil, a five-time World Cup champion, will be playing the Americans for the fourth time in four years. Brazil has won all three in that span - twice at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa and a 2-0 exhibition win at East Rutherford, N.J., in August 2010.
The U.S. is 1-15 against Brazil, winning in 1998 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"When you talk about Brazil, you are speaking of one of the most gifted football playing nations in the world,'' U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "It is our goal to be able to match up against teams like Brazil on a consistent basis, so this is an amazing opportunity.''
Before World Cup qualifying begins, the Americans play at Italy on Feb. 29, then plan to host Scotland on May 26. They play at Canada on June 3 before opening qualifying at home against Antigua and Barbuda on June 8.
Host of the 2014 World Cup, Brazil will play Mexico on June 3 at Arlington, Texas, and Argentina on June 9 at East Rutherford.
You'll remember that the 1-0 win in the '98 Gold Cup was when U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller absolutely stole it by playing one of the best games I've ever seen.
As I keep saying, over and over, this summer is going to be incredible if you have even a passing interest in soccer. The U.S. will play some intriguing friendlies before beginning their World Cup 2014 journey. Plus, Brazil will be stateside for a trio of juicy meetings. Brazil vs. Mexico and Brazil vs. Argentina is something you would see in a World Cup quarterfinal or semifinal, a really high-level match that should attract monster crowds and media attention.
It seems that the location of the Scotland match is TBA so let's keep our fingers crossed that maybe the U.S. men's national team will come to Foxborough for the start (Saturday) of Memorial Day weekend. What a treat that would be!
UPDATE 2/15: Once again, my wish doesn't come true as the U.S. men will face Scotland in Jacksonville. Wait, what? Ugh, crappy choice. Hope there's plenty of Scots in snowbird country.
The U.S. men's first World Cup 2014 qualifier on June 8 against Antigua and Barbuda will be held in Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium (home of the Buccaneers).
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