United States Will Face France, Slovenia On November European Trip

It all brings up the idea that Americans have struggled with ever since the country’s founding: What’s a “real American”? As Sounder at Heart’s Dave Clark points out, it’s actually easier to serve in the American military than it is to qualify to be an American soccer player, so it’s probably not as simple as some would have you believe.

From a purely selfish point of view, I have no problem with what Klinsmann is doing conceptually. He’s looking as far and wide as the rules allow him in an effort to find the best possible players. Whether or not those players would be considered “American” by the average person on the street is really not that big of a concern to me.

Following news that the United States would face France in a friendly on November 11, news has come out that the second match of the USMNT’s European excursion will be a friendly against Slovenia in Ljubljana, with Soccer By Ives and numerous others passing along the information. This is a rematch of a 2010 World Cup match in which the United States fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, but had a winning goal controversially disallowed.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s team did not look anywhere near their best in their previous two matches against Honduras and Ecuador, and has yet to truly mesh and look like a cohesive team. Away matches in France and Slovenia represent a serious step up in competition for the United States after their last two matches. Slovenia failed to qualify for Euro 2012, but did well in their qualifying group and have a formidable team. The majority of the squad that went to the World Cup is still playing regularly.

“France is traditionally one of the best teams in the world,” Klinsmann said in a release. “When you look at their history, the players that have come through their team and what they have accomplished, you have to be impressed. This is an awesome opportunity for our players to play in a stadium that has hosted a World Cup Final, and a great experience for their careers.”

This will be just the third time the United States has played France and the first time since 1979.