U.S. U-23 men's national team to play Brazil U-23's in October
The U.S. U-23 men's national team will play the Brazil U-23 men's national team on Oct. 13 in Brasilia, Brazil, U.S. Soccer announced Monday.
As part of the trip to Brazil, the U-23's will hold a camp in Brasilia Oct. 10-12 before the match. The roster for the trip will be named in the coming days.
The game serves as part of the run-up to qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro. The CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament will be held in 2015.
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“We are absolutely thrilled with the invitation from the Brazilian Federation to play against their U-23 National Team,” said U.S. Soccer technical director Jurgen Klinsmann. “We have emphasized the need for this group to be together as much as possible, and to play against one of the best teams in the world will be a great benchmark for our players. They also get a chance to play in Brasilia, which is one of the host venues for the 2016 Olympics, and for many it will be a first taste of what the environment would be like for the tournament. We couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.”
The trip coincides with the U.S. men's national team's two October friendlies against Ecuador and Honduras, though both will be played in the U.S. The team plays Ecuador Oct. 10 in East Hartford, Connecticut, and Honduras Oct. 14 in Boca Raton, Florida.
The U-23 team last held a camp Aug. 3-7 in the Bahamas, where it defeated the Bahamas senior team on Aug. 6.
The U.S. U-23 team has qualified for the Olympics four times since 1992, finishing as high as fourth in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The team didn't qualify for the 2012 London Olympics or the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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