USMNT to face Japan and South Korea in September friendlies
USMNT to face Japan and South Korea in September friendlies
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Tyler Adams responds to Landon Donovan's comments regarding the USMNT
Tyler Adams says 'the criticism is fair' when asked about Landon Donovan's recent comments on the USMNT.
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The U.S. men's national team will face Japan and South Korea in a pair of September friendlies, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday.
The USMNT will face South Korea on Sept. 6 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. (5 p.m. ET, TNT, Telemundo, Max, Universo, and Peacock), and will then take on Japan at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Max, Universo, and Peacock).
Mexico will also face the two Asian countries, taking on Japan in Oakland, Calif. on Sept. 6 and South Korea on Sept. 9 at a venue to be announced.
The games will be the USMNT's first after the Gold Cup and a vital chance to test itself against high-quality opposition as the 2026 World Cup approaches.
After the Gold Cup ends, the USMNT will have just four international windows remaining before coach Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup roster.
Japan recently became the first team to qualify for the World Cup aside from host countries Mexico, Canada and the United States. The Samurai Blue have reached the last 16 in each of the last two World Cups.
The USMNT and Japan have only faced off three times before, with Japan winning the first meeting in 1993 and the U.S. winning in 2006. Most recently, Japan defeated the USMNT 2-0 in 2022 just two months before the World Cup kicked off.
South Korea also reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, and has qualified for every tournament since 1986.
The USMNT hasn't faced the Taegeuk Warriors since 2014, when Chris Wondolowski scored two goals in a 2-0 friendly win. Overall, South Korea leads the all-time series with a 3W-2L-2D record against the USMNT.
The U.S. will next be in action early next month with matches against Switzerland and Turkey. Pochettino's team will then kick off the Gold Cup, where it is set to face Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti in the group phase.
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