USA to Face Turkey and Czech Republic in Tough World Cup Warm-ups

The USA have arranged two tough friendlies as part of their preparation for this summer’s World Cup. Bob Bradley’s side will face two of the traditionally stronger teams from Europe, Czech Republic and Turkey.

The USA will meet the Czech Republic on May 25, venue to be decided, before playing their final home game against Turkey on May 29 in Philadelphia. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field is set for 11am PT.

“We are very pleased to get two quality opponents in the Czech Republic and Turkey in preparation for the World Cup. These games will provide a great opportunity to fine tune our plans for the matches in South Africa and test ourselves against some of the better teams in Europe,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley.

We are particularly excited about playing our final match in the United States prior to the World Cup in Philadelphia, a city rich in soccer tradition. Lincoln Financial Field has proven to be an excellent venue for international soccer, and the fans have shown tremendous support for the sport. We anticipate a fantastic environment in our last game before heading to South Africa.”

Meeting with Turkey Makes Home History

The match against Turkey marks the USA’s first home meeting against the side who finished third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. USA international football will return to Philadelphia – one of 18 cities included in the USA’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 – for only the second time since 1992.

Most recently, the USA captured a 2-1 overtime victory against Panama in the quarterfinals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Buoyed by a boisterous crowd of 32,000, the USA came from behind to defeat their Central American rivals in the only Men’s National Team game to date at Lincoln Financial Field.

The U.S. holds a 0-1-1 record against Turkey, who made a memorable run to the semifinals of the 2008 European Championship. The two sides’ most recent meeting came during the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, with the Turks collecting a 2-1 victory in Lyon, France.

Before concluding its U.S.-based World Cup preparations in Philadelphia, Bradley’s team will meet the Czech Republic on May 25. The location of the game will be determined in the near future.

The USA has faced the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) on two occasions, both coming in World Cups. Four years ago the U.S. fell 3-0 to the Czechs, then ranked No. 2 in the world, in Gelsenkirchen to open the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany before bouncing back five days later to draw 1-1 with eventual World Champions Italy. Czechoslovakia handed a young U.S. team a 5-1 loss on June 10, 1990, in Italy in the Americans’ first match in a World Cup in 40 years.