U.S. Men’s National Team to Face Wales on March 30 in Cardiff for Second Match of European Tour
USMNT First Meets Netherlands on March 26 in Eindhoven; Team Preparing for Nations League Semifinal and Start of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
CHICAGO (Jan. 17, 2020) – The U.S. Men’s National Team will face Wales on March 30 in Cardiff in the second match of its 2020 European tour. Coverage from Cardiff City Stadium begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, UniMás and TUDN. The USMNT will first face 14th-ranked Netherlands on March 26 at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, with ESPN2, UniMás & TUDN broadcasting live at 3:30 p.m. ET
Fans will be able to follow both matches via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT and Instagram @USMNT.
The USA’s first visit to Wales will pit teams equal in the FIFA rankings, now tied at No. 22 in the world. Meantime, the Netherlands will be the fourth team ranked in the Top 20 in the world to play the United States during head coach Gregg Berhalter’s tenure and the 10th overall in the last two years.
Wales, coached by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs and led by four-time UEFA Champions League winner Gareth Bale, are preparing for the 2020 UEFA Championship, having been drawn into Group A along with Italy, Switzerland and Turkey.
The matches will serve as an important preparation opportunity for the rest of the year as the USMNT will compete in the Concacaf Nations League final four in June and the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying, which kicks off in September.
We’re thrilled to have secured the game against Wales. They are a quality opponent with high level players that will use this match as preparation for a major tournament this summer. Along with the match against the Netherlands, we now have two outstanding European opponents to test ourselves against. Part of our process is to continue to challenge ourselves with quality opponents in an effort to keep learning and improving. We see this as another opportunity to reinforce our game model ahead of the of Nations League final four and ultimately the start of World Cup Qualifying later this year.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter
AGAINST WALES
This is only the second meeting between the nations and the first on Welsh soil. The previous encounter took place May 26, 2003, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis put up the goals, goalkeeper Nick Rimando earned a shutout in his first start for the USMNT, and striker Brian Ching made his debut in the 2-0 win, ending a 10-match unbeaten run for the visitors.
COMPETITION COMING UP
The March matches are a prelude to two significant competitions in 2020, beginning with the Concacaf Nations League final four. Winners of League A’s Group A, the USMNT takes on Honduras in one semifinal, while Mexico and Costa Rica will square off in the other, with the winners competing for the inaugural Nations League title. The matches are scheduled for the FIFA window in the first week of June, with the venues and times still to be determined.
Those games serve as prelude to the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying, featuring the top-six ranked teams in Concacaf as of June this year. Once the draw for “the Hex” is completed this summer, six of the 10 matches in group play will be contested this fall with two each in the FIFA windows for September, October and November.