What should have been a summer of celebration and excitement for the future turned into a nightmare for the USA. Jurgen Klinsmann’s seat is getting ever warmer. With a Confederations Cup Playoff against Mexico looming on October, the next two games for the US are extremely important. The first step towards getting it figured out is against Peru.
The US roster was released on Sunday. There were several surprise inclusions and exclusions. Michael Bradley was left out (reportedly at the request of Toronto FC) for the first time in what seems like forever. The biggest inclusions include Tim Howard returning from his year away from the national team and SV Sandhaussen forward Andrew Wooten. Geoff Cameron, Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood all return to the national team after missing the Gold Cup with a number of injuries and club commitments.
The Gold Cup was an unmitigated disaster for the US. Not only did they not win, but they didn’t even win the consolation game and they looked poor in every single game except one (a 6-1 drubbing of Cuba). On top of that, arch-rival Mexico won and that comes at a price – the Confederations Cup Playoff at the Rose Bowl. These next two friendlies for the US should provide a clearer picture on what the roster for the game against Mexico in October. But the US cannot afford to look too far ahead because first they have to deal with an in-form Peru squad.
Peru are coming off an amazing run at the Copa America. They finished second in a group that featured Brazil and Colombia. Then they made it to the semi-finals before losing to host and eventual winner Chile. They then beat Paraguay in the consolation game to finish third. On Peru’s roster the one to watch is 31-year-old Flamengo forward Paolo Guerrero, who has a team leading 25 goals in 63 caps.
Notes:
Prior to being left off this roster, Michael Bradley had played every minute for the US this year (1,290 minutes to be exact).
The US is without a number of younger players as the U-23 team currently has an ongoing camp in England. They play two friendlies against England and Qatar.
As of Wednesday morning, 26,000 tickets have been sold. This is the US’s first game at RFK since 2013 against Germany.
This will be the second of three games that Peru will play in the US this year. They played Venezuela in March in Ft. Lauderdale and they are scheduled to play Colombia on September 8th at Red Bull Arena.
When, Where
9/4/15
RFK Stadium
Washington DC
7pm ET
FOX Sports 1, UniMas and fuboTV
All-Time Series
Series even at 2-2-1
Last Meeting
2/16/00
Orange Bowl
Miami, Florida
1 USA Peru 0
Next Game Up
Tuesday, September 8
USA vs. Brazil
Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts
