RSS
ATOM
United States men's national team to face Italy in Genoa on February 29
The U.S. men's national team will travel to Italy to face the 2006 World Cup winners in a tune-up for World Cup qualifying
Jan 9, 2012 5:48:00 PM
By Nick Rosano
Getty Images
The United States men's national team will face Italy in a friendly match on Feb. 29, U.S. Soccer announced today.
The match falls on the final FIFA international fixture date before World Cup qualifying commences in June, meaning head coach Jurgen Klinsmann can call on all his players.
“Obviously we are very excited to be playing a team of such high quality,” said Klinsmann. “We are slowly trying to raise the bar for our team, and this is an awesome opportunity for the players to be challenged against one of the top teams in the world.”
This will be the 11th encounter between the two teams and the fourth on Italian soil. They most recently faced off in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, with the Italians crusing to a 3-0 win. The teams also faced off in the 2006 World Cup group stage, with the showdown ending 1-1, providing the USA's lone point of the competition that the Italians went on to win. The U.S. has never beaten Italy with an 0-7-3 record against the azzurri.
The game will be played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, where Klinsmann played for Sampdoria during the 1997-98 Serie A campaign. He also had a very successful tenure in Italy with Inter from 1989 to 1992.
The match is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN2.
The match falls on the final FIFA international fixture date before World Cup qualifying commences in June, meaning head coach Jurgen Klinsmann can call on all his players.
“Obviously we are very excited to be playing a team of such high quality,” said Klinsmann. “We are slowly trying to raise the bar for our team, and this is an awesome opportunity for the players to be challenged against one of the top teams in the world.”
This will be the 11th encounter between the two teams and the fourth on Italian soil. They most recently faced off in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, with the Italians crusing to a 3-0 win. The teams also faced off in the 2006 World Cup group stage, with the showdown ending 1-1, providing the USA's lone point of the competition that the Italians went on to win. The U.S. has never beaten Italy with an 0-7-3 record against the azzurri.
The game will be played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, where Klinsmann played for Sampdoria during the 1997-98 Serie A campaign. He also had a very successful tenure in Italy with Inter from 1989 to 1992.
The match is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN2.
Follow Goal.com on 
to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's 
page; be part of the best soccer fan community in the world!
to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's page; be part of the best soccer fan community in the world!Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
28 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
RANKINGS: Top three American players all have the week off
Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan were both out of action but remain the top two names on the board.
-
RIGG: Banega joins list of humorous self-inflicted soccer injuries
Professional soccer players injure themselves in a variety of darkly humorous and preventable ways. Banega, by forgetting the handbrake, joins an extensive list.
-
COHEN: When is it time for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger to part ways?
Arsenal's Wenger and Chelsea's Andres Villas-Boas are on the hot seat, and people need to accept that Robbie Keane would rather play in a top league than MLS.
-
ROSANO: Club America secures win emblematic of tight Clausura race
Club America won at home for the first time since August, but coach Miguel Herrera acknowledged the need for improvement. Pachuca coach Efrain Flores lamented the tight result.
-
FOX Soccer Plus free preview - EPL, UCL, Serie A and more
Sign up for FOX Soccer Plus today for access to Premier League, Champions League, Serie A and over 600 exclusive events!
Advertisement
Advertisement
