U.S. Soccer is keeping a close eye on the escalating violence in Ukraine with the US men's national team’s impending friendly there less than three weeks away.
A spokesman for the USMNT confirmed to MLSsoccer.com that the March 5 game at Stadium Metalist in Kharkiv is still a go, but added that the U.S. Soccer Federation is in contact with the US State Department and is monitoring the situation.
The ongoing political crisis in the Eastern European country took a turn for the worse Tuesday, with at least nine people killed in the capital city of Kiev and many more injured in battles between anti-government demonstrators and police. Kharkiv – the country's second-largest city, which is nearly 300 miles east of Kiev – has been largely unaffected by the violence, however.
U.S. Soccer also told MLSsoccer.com that the team will be chartering a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, where it will train in the days leading up the game, directly into Kharkiv.
