UPDATE 7:45pm ET: Goff is now reporting that the team the US will play is Colombia, and it will still take place at Craven Cottage on November 12. He also says Croatia will instead take on Argentina at West Ham’s Upton Park.
ORIGINAL POST:
According to Steven Goff of the Washington Post, the proposed friendly with Croatia in early November has been scrapped.
The Croatian federation announced the friendly on November 12 at Fulham’s Craven Cottage in London, but US Soccer never formally announced the friendly and it now appears to be off after a deal couldn’t be finalize.
Goff also reports, however, that US Soccer is now in talks with another European team for a replacement friendly on the same date, and Goff’s wording makes it sound like it could also be the same venue.
“The US team currently holds the 17. position of the FIFA Ranking Table, and at the World Cup in Brazil it reached the second round, only to lose against Belgium in extra time.
“I am extremely glad to have reached an agreement with my colleagues from the US Soccer. We are all aware what the 1990 match signified for Croatia and Croatian football. Nearly quarter of century later, USA has an excellent squad, their football is expanding, and this encounter will promote both US and Croatian football,” said the president of Croatian Football Federation, Davor Šuker.”
We’ll have to wait and see what comes of this, but from the sounds of it we can expect the US team to be playing an overseas friendly against a European opponent in mid-November.
