Add Scotland to the list of friendlies United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann will use to round his team into form prior to the start of World Cup qualifying in June.
US Soccer announced on Wednesday that the US will play their seventh-ever match against Scotland on May 26 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for at 8 pm ET, and the match will mark the national side’s debut on NBC Sports Network. It will also be televised on the Univision family of networks.
"Jacksonville has an amazing facility and is the perfect place for us to begin our important summer schedule," Klinsmann said in a statement. "We are excited to bring the US national team back to a part of the country we haven't visited in many years. It's fantastic that we can continue to give fans in different parts of the country the chance to share in the journey."
Klinsmann’s side will face Brazil four days later on May 30 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., and follow that match up with a CONCACAF clash with Canada in Toronto on June 3. Before that, though, the US will travel to Genoa to take on Italy on Feb. 29.
The US are 1-3-2 all-time against Scotland, and the sides last met in the United States in Washington, D.C., prior to the start of the 1998 World Cup, resulting in a scoreless draw. More recently, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Glasgow in November 2005. Kris Boyd, who recently signed for the Portland Timbers, is a potential call-up for the Tartan Army.
US Soccer also announced that the squad will begin its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with another match in Florida, kicking off the quest to seal their place in Brazil by hosting Antigua and Barbuda on June 8 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm ET, and the match will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN3 and the Univision family of networks.
"Our focus since last summer has been to prepare this team for World Cup qualifying, and we are thrilled that we can start the process in Tampa," Klinsmann said. "It's critical that we start qualifying off on the right foot, so to be in a place where the team has had such great support is a huge positive for us. The players always talk about how great the surface is at Raymond James Stadium, so overall we think it is the ideal venue."
It will be the United States’ first-ever match against the island nation, which qualified for the CONCACAF semifinal round for the first time. Kilnsmann’s squad will also face Guatemala and Jamaica in initial stage of qualifying, playing home-and-away legs against all three opponents.
