Reeling from a stunning loss against Jamaica, the United States national team will see Sunday’s friendly against Venezuela as an essential opportunity to gain momentum before the Gold Cup.
Although results under Gregg Berhalter have typically been positive, belief in the squad is fragile after they missed out on the 2018 World Cup, and another setback would only serve to undermine confidence further.
Venezuela, meanwhile, approach the match in Cincinnati with the aim of gaining some momentum after a run of form that has seen them only win one of their last six internationals, having lost 3-1 to Mexico earlier this week.
| Game | USMNT vs Venezuela |
| Date | Sunday, June 9 |
| Time | 7:00pm BST / 2:00pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
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In the United States (US), the game can be watched on BeINSports and live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox Network / UniMas | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast or available to stream.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | USA squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Steffen, Johnson, Miller |
| Defenders | Gonzalez, Ream, Miazga, Carter-Vickers, Zimmerman, Robinson, Long, Lovitz, Lima, Adams |
| Midfielders | Bradley, Trapp, Lletget, Roldan, McKennie, Mihailovic, Holmes, Yueill, Pulisic |
| Forwards | Altidore, Zardes, Morris, Arriola, Sargent, Lewis, Gyau, Amon, Boyd |
After leaving out a number of important players in midweek - Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Weston McKennie, for example - Gregg Berhalter is set to offer them a recall.
Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams have also joined up with the squad, but Pulisic is not in the matchday squad.
Confirmed USMNT starting XI: Steffen; Lima, Long, Miazga, Ream; Trapp, McKennie, Roldan; Arriola, Boyd, Zardes
| Position | Venezuela squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Farinez, Graterol, Romo |
| Defenders | Villanueva, Osorio, Chancellor, Mago, Rosales, Hernandez, Feltscher |
| Midfielders | Moreno, Herrera, Machis, Rincon, Savarino, Anor, Seijas, Murillo, Penaranda, Figuera |
| Forwards | Aristeguieta, Martinez, Rondon |
Adalberto Penaranda is unlikely to play after going off only 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Mexico. His participation in the Copa America is in doubt.
Confirmed Venezuela starting XI: Farinez; Rosales, Chancellor, Villanueva, Mago; Moreno, Rincon, Herrera; Murillo, Savarino, Rondon
Betting & Match Odds
USA are favourites to win this match with Bet365 , priced 17/20. Venezuela are 16/5 outsiders and a draw is priced at 5/2.
Match Preview
Sunday’s match against Venezuela represents the final dress rehearsal for the USA’s Gold Cup campaign, in which they will attempt to defend the trophy that they won in 2017.
Coach Gregg Berhalter approaches the match under some pressure after his team turned in a listless display against Jamaica, although it was a highly experimental line-up that used a raft of players who will not even feature in the summer’s continental showpiece.
“It was something to learn from,” he said after the match. “There were some positives. One of the objectives of this first camp was to play an alternate formation. We achieved that.
“The effort was okay, but we performed poorly tonight.”
It was a strange approach to have for a friendly so close to an important competition, particularly after the USA failed to qualify for World Cup 2018. As such, an altogether more competitive side is expected to feature against the South Americans in Cincinnati, particularly as their opening Gold Cup match against Guyana is not until June 18.
Mexico will be the benchmark side for the US to match up to as they host the competition, and Berhalter will have watched with interest as they dismantled Venezuela 3-1 in midweek.
The South American side, meanwhile, will themselves want to improve upon that display, in which Jhon Murillo opened the scoring only for the Tricolor to ultimately overwhelm them.
Although they did manage to record a 3-1 win over Argentina in March, that success is entirely out of character with their last few months, which have seen a series of stodgy draws against average opponents.
Japan, Iran and Ecuador have all shared 1-1 draws with Rafael Dudamel’s side, who are 29 on the FIFA Ranking, eight spots below their best.
This matchup should offer a good opportunity for the USMNT to get back in the groove before it really matters.
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