The US men's national team will begin a two-match European tour by playing the Netherlands on March 26 at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday.
Kickoff against the No. 14 team in the current FIFA World Rankings is set for 2:45 pm ET, with broadcast and ticket details still to be finalized.
The pair of spring fixtures will be the first away friendlies of US manager Gregg Berhalter's tenure. For the US, the matches will serve as preparation for their Concacaf Nations League semifinal in June, as well as the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, which begins in Concacaf next September.
“One of the important parts of continuing to develop this group is the opportunity to play against high-level opponents away from home,” Berhalter said in a statement. “The Netherlands is a soccer powerhouse featuring some of the world’s best talent. This game will be a good chance to compete as we build toward the important competitions in the summer and fall.”
Meanwhile, the Dutch will be tuning up for the 2020 European Championship after qualifying out of the same group as Germany. They'll be the fourth FIFA Top 20 team Berhater has faced, and 10th overall for the US men in the last two years.
The meeting will be the US's sixth against the Netherlands dating back to 1998, with the Netherlands holding a 4-1-0 advantage in the series.
It will also feature several intriguing connections between the two camps. There's 19-year-old Ajax defender Sergiño Dest, a dual citizen who recently committed his international future to the United States when he appeared in their 4-1 Concacaf Nations League victory over Canada last month.
Additionally, Jozy Altidore set a record for U.S. goalscorers in Europe when he hit the net 31 times in all competitions in AZ Alkmaar';s 2012-13 campaign. The sporting director for the club at the time was Earnie Stewart, a three-time U.S. World Cup veteran and Dutch-American who spent the majority of his professional playing career in the Netherlands and now serves in the same role for the U.S. Soccer Federation.
US veteran Michael Bradley also had a career-best year while playing for Dutch side Heerenveen, scoring 16 goals in the 2007-08 season, also a single-season high for an American in Europe at the time.
