U.S. Men Announce Soccer Opener for 2016 | Sports Destination Management

U.S. Men Announce Soccer Opener for 2016

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Jan 04, 2016

The USA will play Euro 2016 finalist Iceland Jan. 31 and Canada Feb. 5 in friendlies at StubHub Center in Carson, California, to kick off its 2016 season.

The games will conclude the traditional January camp. Iceland won't have access to players playing abroad as the game falls outside the FIFA international windows.

"Iceland is one of the up-and-coming soccer nations in Europe," said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in a statement. "They have been really impressive in qualifying for the European Championship for the first time, and they have earned huge compliments for their youth player development. Their players are now spread across the big leagues in Europe."

"As we know from our past meetings, Canada is a difficult opponent that is not easy to break down. It's a good experience to play against them, particularly for some of our younger players. They started off on the right foot in World Cup qualifying, having won at home and picking up a point on the road in El Salvador, so this will be a good challenge."

The USA and Iceland have a 2-2-2 record in a series dating back to 1955. The USA and Canada have played 32 times since 1925. The USA is unbeaten for the last 35 years, a run that includes eight wins and 13 shutouts.

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