The reported US-Ireland friendly in November looks like it's official.
The Football Association of Ireland on Monday announced that the Republic of Ireland national team will host the USMNT at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Nov. 18. The match had been reported by Irish daily The Independent last month.
No official word yet from US Soccer, but if accurate, this would be the second announced match for the USMNT following the 2014 World Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann will take his troops to Prague on Sept. 3 to take on the Czech Republic. The USMNT reportedly will also face Colombia in San Antonio on Sept. 9.
It's been 12 years since the US last faced Ireland, in April 2002 during the run-up to the World Cup. Ireland won 2-1 in a driving Dublin rainstorm despite an Eddie Pope goal for the US. The teams also played to a 1-1 tie in Foxborough, Mass., in the 2000 US Cup.
Before that, their previous meeting was the last US win in the series, a 2-1 triumph in the 1996 US Cup, also in Foxborough, on goals from Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna.
Ireland – led by LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane (above) and coached by former Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill – begin their qualifying campaign for Euro 2016 at Georgia on Sept. 7. Keane & Co. then travel across the Irish Sea to face Scotland at Celtic Park on Nov. 15, just four days before the US friendly.
Besides Scotland and Georgia, Ireland's rough qualifying group also includes Germany, Poland.
Keane is Ireland's record cap-winner and goalscorer, with more than 130 caps and more than 60 goals in international competition.
