It was announced this evening that the U.S. men's national team will take on Canada on June 4 at Toronto's BMO Field in an international friendly.
This will be the first U.S. match in Canada since 1997 and as such it will be given the proper stage: a 7 p.m. kickoff and live broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
Part of the Centenary celebrations for the Canada Soccer Association, the match will be the final tune-up for both teams before the start of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying. The U.S. opens play June 8 at home against Antigua and Barbuda in Group A, while Canada travels to face Cuba in Group C.
“First of all, we are honored to be chosen to be part of Canada’s Centenary Celebration,” said Klinsmann. “This is exactly the type of challenge we are looking for as we grow the team and get ready for the start of World Cup qualifying. There is a great history in the rivalry, and Canada is a team we could see in the final round of qualifying. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
The U.S. has a 3-6-1 lifetime record in matches in Canada in the series dating back to 1925 but has won the last two times out. The most recent visit came in the final round of qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 9, 1997, when an early goal by Claudio Reyna and two from Roy Wegerle delivered the U.S. a 3-0 victory that clinched the USA’s ticket to France.
Overall, the United States has done exceptionally well against Canada for the past two decades. The U.S. is in the midst of a 14-game unbeaten streak (8-0-6) since dropping a 2-0 decision to Canada on April 2, 1985, in Vancouver. The lifetime series record stands at 13-8-9 in the USA’s favor.
I can't think of a better way for the U.S. men to get ready for World Cup qualifying than by throwing a serious beating on Canada, just like the U.S. women did last weekend. The Canadian men's national team is a joke so I don't expect much push back from all their failed hockey players.
On Twitter, along with the news of this game, I saw more information about other friendlies for the U.S. men this summer. It looks like they'll face Brazil in Washington, D.C. and not Gillette Stadium (keeping my fingers crossed until I hear otherwise, officially). Plus (and this was new information), they reportedly will face Scotland as well.
Clearly, both of those matches are much more intriguing to me. Stay tuned as we find out the exact details.
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