The US national team will open its 2016 slate with a pair of friendlies in Southern California, taking on Iceland and Canada at StubHub Center at the conclusion of the team’s annual January camp.
The Iceland match will kick off at 3:45 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 31, while the Canada encounter will start at 10:15 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 5. The US will resume their World Cup qualifying campaign in March, playing at Guatemala on March 25 before returning home to face Los Chapines at Columbus’s MAPFRE Stadium on March 29.
First reported last week by ESPN FC’s Doug McIntyre, the USMNT-Iceland match will be the first meeting between the countries in more than 20 years. The teams have split the all-time series, posting a 2-2-2 record in six meetings against each other dating back to 1955.
Iceland recently qualified for their first-ever major international tournament, defeating the Netherlands twice and finishing second in their group to qualify for the 2016 UEFA European Championships. US striker Aron Johannsson spent most of his childhood in Iceland and played for their U-21 national team before becoming a full American international.
“Iceland is one of the up-and-coming soccer nations in Europe,” US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement released by US Soccer. “They have been really impressive in qualifying for the European Championship for the first time, and they have earned huge compliments for their youth player development. Their players are now spread across the big leagues in Europe.”
The US and Canada have met 32 times, with the US currently holding a 35-year unbeaten streak against their northern neighbors. Both sides figure to feature plenty of MLS players in the February friendly, which will be the first meeting between the countries since they played to a scoreless draw in Houston in January 2013.
“As we know from our past meetings, Canada is a difficult opponent that is not easy to break down,” Klinsmann said. “It’s a good experience to play against them, particularly for some of our younger players. They started off on the right foot in World Cup qualifying, having won at home and picking up a point on the road in El Salvador, so this will be a good challenge.”
Both matches will be held at StubHub Center outside of L.A., marking the first time the USMNT will play in the same venue in back-to-back games organized by US Soccer since 1997. The USMNT has won at StubHub Center in each of the last two years, beating Korea 2-0 in February 2014 before topping Panama 2-0 at the Carson, California stadium earlier in 2015.
