The United States will host defending world champion Spain in a friendly on June 4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, US Soccer announced on Thursday. With no FIFA international dates in April or May and their first Gold Cup match on June 7, the match against Spain may be the only match the U.S. will have to prepare for the tournament in the 10 weeks leading up to it.
USA To Host World Champion Spain On June 4
“Spain is clearly one of the most talented teams in the world,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We value the opportunity to test ourselves against a team of their quality, and we couldn’t ask for a better match to prepare for the Gold Cup.”
The match will be the fifth time that the two countries have played, with Spain winning three of them, but the U.S. got the most recent match and arguably most important of the four. In the 2009 Confederations Cup semifinals, the U.S. defeated Spain, 2-0, to snap Spain’s 35-match unbeaten streak.
It’s not as if anyone will feel bad for Spain though. La Furia Roja are the defending Euro and World Cup champions and ranked number one in the world. Led by David Villa up front and a dizzying array of talent in the midfield with Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, David Silva and more, Spain will be a huge challenge for the U.S.
Grass will be laid down over the artificial turf field at Gillette Stadium for the match, providing the teams a natural surface. The 68,756 capacity stadium in the Foxborough suburb of Boston is expected to be full for the 4:30 pm EDT match that will be broadcast live in the United States on ESPN and Univision.
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