USMNT will host Turkey and Switzerland for a pair of late-spring exhibitions, as announced by U.S. Soccer on Monday. These friendlies are set to be important preparation for the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup and provide the national team with one of its last opportunities to compete against European squads ahead of the pivotal 2026 World Cup, which will take place on home soil.
Ranked 28th and 20th by FIFA, Turkey and Switzerland will challenge the 16th-ranked Americans. Interestingly, these matches were not the federation’s initial preference; sources revealed to FOX Sports that Mauricio Pochettino’s squad had hoped to face elite teams like England and Belgium this spring.
The U.S. Soccer Federation nearly secured matches against both countries before England and Belgium were drawn into World Cup qualifying games during the June international window, according to these sources.
England, which finished as runner-up in the last two European Championships and won the World Cup in 1966, currently holds the fourth spot in FIFA’s rankings, while Belgium is in eighth place.
Instead of facing England at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the U.S. will take on Turkey on June 7 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Following that, they will head to Nashville, Tennessee, to play against Switzerland on June 10. This match will mark the second encounter against a Top-20 opponent since Pochettino’s arrival last fall, with the U.S. having lost to then-16th-ranked Mexico in October.
The Gold Cup, featuring 16 nations and hosted by the U.S., is set to kick off on June 14, primarily in the western region of the country, while FIFA’s Club World Cup will occur simultaneously in the east. The draw on April 10 will reveal the U.S.’s three group stage opponents for the Gold Cup and the cities where these matches will be held.
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