This summer will be the final one before the next World Cup, and the U.S. soccer team has a busy year ahead.
The U.S. will play 10 games in the final round of World Cup qualifying. In addition, they will play in two major international tournaments this summer: the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
After an exhibition against Sweden on Jan. 24 in Carson, Calif., the Americans will open the final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup with a game against archrival Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio.
The U.S. should get off to a good start in qualifying. The Mexicans will be forced to play in very cold, perhaps below-freezing, temperatures. The last time the Americans did this to Mexico in qualifying — the U.S. also made Mexico play in Columbus in February eight years ago — the Mexican players did not even come out of the locker room for warmups and the U.S. won 2-0.
The Mexicans will get us back in the return match Aug. 12 in Mexico City, where the U.S. must play 7,000 feet above sea level in front of a hostile crowd, in polluted air, and at risk of getting sick from the local water and food. A tie there would be like a win.
The top three teams in the final six-team group qualify for South Africa in 2010. The fourth-place team will play a home-and-home, total goals playoff against the fifth-place team from South America. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that playoff for the U.S.
The U.S. also will play in the Gold Cup, the continental championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean, July 3-26.
The U.S. is the defending champion. By winning the 2007 Gold Cup, the U.S. qualified for this summer’s Confederation Cup in South Africa, which begins June 14.
The Confederations Cup is an international tournament pitting each continental champion as part of an eight-team field. It is played one year before the next World Cup at the site of the next World Cup as a tuneup event.
The U.S. was drawn with world champion Italy, Brazil and Egypt. The other group consists of host South Africa, Spain, New Zealand and Iraq.
The U.S. opens against Italy on June 15. Here is the complete schedule.
The top two teams in each group reach the semifinals.
While the Americans are not likely to advance to the semifinals in such a difficult group, it will give the Americans quality games before the Gold Cup and the final stage of qualifying and, hopefully, in preparation for next year’s World Cup.