Argentina Final U.S. Opponents Before World Cup Qualifying Soccer Begins in Carson

U.S. Soccer announced the game this afternoon.

From the press release:

The U.S. Mens National Team will face Argentina at Giants Stadium June 8 to cap off a blockbuster trio of friendlies before kicking off 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. The match against the worlds No. 1 ranked team follows a two-game tour in Europe where the U.S. will take on England May 28 in London and Spain June 4 in Santander.

The match against Argentina will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN Classic and Galavision.

“Argentina is clearly one of the best teams in the world and playing against an opponent of that caliber is a great opportunity for our team,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “Combined with the matches against England and Spain, we have put together a very good schedule to help us prepare for World Cup qualifying. We expect it will be a fantastic crowd at Giants Stadium, and we are looking forward to an exciting atmosphere.”

The U.S. begins the quest to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup finals when they take on Barbados on June 15 at Home Depot Center. The second leg of the home-and-away series will be played either June 21 or 22 in Barbados. Prior to the USAs first World Cup qualifier, the U.S. will have faced six teams that have been ranked in the top 15 in the world since 2007 Argentina, Brazil, England, Mexico, Sweden and Spain.

The U.S. has played top-ranked Argentina eight times in their history, holding a lifetime record of 2-6-0 against the South American juggernaut. Of those eight matches, only three have been played in the United States, with the other five taking place in neutral sites. The two U.S. victories include a 3-0 upset of the defending champions in the group phase of the 1995 Copa America, and a 1-0 win in 1999 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., when a Joe-Max Moore goal was the difference.

The teams last met during the 2007 Copa America, with the Argentines outclassing a young and inexperienced U.S. team in their 4-1 win in Venezuela.

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About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!