The U.S. Men’s National Team will play its final warm-up for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup against Venezuela on Sunday, June 9 at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati (2 p.m. ET; FOX, UniMas).
Here are five things you should know about Venezuela:
La Vinotinto
First thing’s first – while many national teams have a nickname based around the color they wear, Venezuela’s is a little more interesting. While some would say their primary kit is all burgundy and others might describe it as maroon, Venezuela goes by La Vinotinto which translates to “red wine”.Cheers to a colorful consensus!
Venezuela So Far
Appointed prior to the Copa America Centenario in 2016, former goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel has continued with the team into the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle. Since last September, Venezuela has gone 3-3-2, a record which includes two unofficial friendlies against the autonomous Basque Country and Catalonia in Spain – both were defeats.
Venezuela upset Argentina 3-1 on March 22 in Madrid, which was La Vinotinto’s second win in 25 all-time matches against the South American powerhouse.
This Summer
Just like the match in Cincinnati will serve as the final Gold Cup warmup for the USMNT, the same is true for Venezuela in their preparations for this summer’s Copa America, where the team will face Peru, hosts Brazil and Bolivia in the group stage.
Prior to Sunday’s match, Venezuela drew 1-1 with Ecuador on June 1 in Miami, before falling 3-1 to Mexico on June 5 in Atlanta.
Venezuela Roster
Rafael Dudamel named his 23-player roster for the summer friendlies and Copa America on May 30. The squad has players that feature in 11 different countries, including three from Major League Soccer: Josef Martinez (Atlanta United FC), Júnior Moreno (D.C. United) and Rolf Fletscher (LA Galaxy).
GOALKEEPERS (3):Wuiker Fariñez (Millonarios/COL), Joel Graterol (Zamora), Rafael Romo (APOEL/CYP)
DEFENDERS (7):Jhon Chancellor (Al-Ahli/QAT), Rolf Fletscher (LA Galaxy/USA), Ronald Hernández (Stabæk/NOR), Luis Mago (Palestino/CHI), Yordan Osorio (Vitoria Guimãres/POR), Roberto Rosales (Espanyol/ESP), Mikel Villanueva (Gimnàstic/ESP)
MIDFIELDERS (10): Juan Pablo Añor (Huesca/ESP), Arquímedes Figuera (Deportiva La Guaira), Yangel Herrera (Huesca/ESP), Darwin Machís (Cádiz/ESP), Júnior Moreno (D.C. United/USA), Jhon Murillo (Tondela/POR), Adalberto Peñaranda (Watford/ENG), Tomás Rincón (Torino/ITA), Jefferson Savarino (Real Salt Lake/USA), Luis Manuel Seijas (Santa Fe/COL),
FORWARDS (3): Fernando Aristeguieta (América de Cali/COL), Josef Martínez (Atlanta United FC/USA), Salomón Rondón (Newcastle United/ENG)
MNT History vs. Venezuela
The U.S. MNT holds a 3-0-2 all-time advantage against Venezuela. The two sides first played to a wild 3-3 draw at Copa America ’93 in Ecuador and have since met in four friendlies – all on U.S. soil.
Most memorably, veteran midfielder Michael Bradley made his international debut against La Vinotinto, coming on in the dying moments of the MNT’s 2-0 win on May 26, 2006.
Most recently, Christian Pulisic scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw on June 3, 2017 in Sandy, Utah.
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USA-Venezuela History |
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Date |
Result |
Goal Scorers |
Competition |
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June 22, 1993 |
3-3 D |
Henderson, Lalas, Kinnear |
Copa America ‘93 |
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March 29, 2003 |
2-0 W |
Kirovski, Donovan |
Friendly |
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May 26, 2006 |
2-0 W |
Ching, Dempsey |
Friendly |
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Jan. 21, 2012 |
1-0 W |
R. Clark |
Friendly |
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June 3, 2017 |
1-1 D |
Pulisic |
Friendly |