Products You May Like
The USMNT will face Wales in an international friendly on Nov. 12, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) announced on Friday.
The match will be held at the Liberty Stadium in the Welsh city of Swansea, but due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the match will be conducted under the UEFA Return to Play protocol, and played without fans.
– Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
The match will be just the United States’ second held in 2020. The previous game was a 1-0 win over Costa Rica held in Carson, California. It is also the first game including European-based players since Nov. 19, 2019, when the U.S. defeated Cuba 4-0 to claim the top spot in Group A of the CONCACAF Nations League.
The USSF is continuing to pursue a second match in Europe during the November international window. Provisional releases for players will go out on Friday.
“First and foremost, we are looking forward to getting the group together after such a challenging year,” Berhalter said. “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 match’s location means the U.S. squad will be comprised of players mostly from abroad, though it’s possible that some domestic players may be included as well. The U.S. training camp is set to begin on Nov. 9, and with the MLS regular season ending the previous day, it’s unlikely any domestic players will take part if there is only one friendly scheduled.
Any MLS player that would be called up would be subject to a 10-day quarantine upon their return.
The staging of the camp and the match will fall under the comprehensive U.S. Soccer Return to Play Protocols and Guidelines and in line with the UEFA Return to Play Protocols, with stringent oversight by the Football Association of Wales.
The U.S. team and staff will operate inside a controlled environment in a hotel near Cardiff. Everyone entering the controlled environment will undergo multiple COVID-19 tests in advance of traveling, and then will be tested upon arrival and at least every two days during camp. There will be no full team training until the results of all arrival tests are confirmed.
The match will only be the second meeting between the two sides, and the first on Welsh soil. The previous encounter took place May 26, 2003, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis each score goals while goalkeeper Nick Rimando earned a shutout in his first start for the U.S.