With the Gold Cup looming in June, the US men's national team have scheduled another high profile opponent on this side of the Western Hemisphere.
U.S. Soccer announced that the USMNT will host Chile on March 26 at the Houston Dynamo's BBVA Compass Stadium. Chile is the 13th ranked team in the world, while the USMNT are 25th. Like the US, Chile surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“We’re thrilled to have an opponent of Chile’s caliber as we continue to build our team towards the Gold Cup,” head coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. "Houston fans have shown fantastic support for the National Team, so we think BBVA Compass Stadium is an ideal venue to compete in.”
The US face Panama on Sunday, Jan. 27 (8 pm ET | ESPN2, UniMás, UDN) then Costa Rica on Saturday, Feb. 2 (3:30 pm ET | FOX, UniMás, UDN) in their first matches under Berhalter. In March, the new boss will be able to call upon Americans in Europe, as that international break will present Berhalter full access to the player pool at his disposal for the first time.
Chile are led by global stars like Manchester United's Alexis Sanchez and Barcelona's Arturo Vidal. Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and Colorado Rapids forward Diego Rubio each received call-ups in 2018, as both could feature in the March match.
