SB Nation United States Men's National Team
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The United States will travel to Europe in November to play two friendies. Jurgen Klinsmann's side will take on France on Nov. 11 and Slovenia on Nov. 15.
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.
The United States men's national team will play France in Paris for a Nov. 11 friendly, it was announced on Friday. The match will be the second time the USMNT has visited Europe since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as head coach. It will also mark the first time the U.S. has played a former World Cup champion under Klinsmann.
"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.
France recently qualified for the 2012 European Championship and is ranked No. 12 in the world. Their team is coached by former World Cup champion Laurent Blanc and features such notable players as Samir Nasri, Frank Ribery and Patrice Evra.
Preston Zimmerman's Diatribe Brings 'Real American' Debate To Forefront
by Jeremiah Oshan
If you were on Twitter today, you almost surely heard about Preston Zimmerman's diatribe regarding perceived unfairness in Jurgen Klinsmann's selections to the United States national team. Specifically, Zimmerman -- an American who's currently playing in the the German third division -- took issue with Klinsmann's proclivity of calling in German born players who are eligible for the USMNT, but who sometimes don't even speak English. (If you missed it, I've attached his entire 16-Tweet message below the jump.)
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.
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Dec 28 4:17p