Breaking News: USMNT to Play In Utah

We all woke up to some very excited and unexpected news this morning. It was announced on the USMNT instagram account early Wednesday that the US Men’s National Team will be playing at Rio Tinto Stadium this coming Wednesday, June 9th against CONCACAF opponent Costa Rica.

The match, although a friendly, is designed as part of a run of matches scheduled close together that are intended to simulate the condensed World Cup Qualifying campaign that is set to take place starting this coming September.

The other matches that the USMNT will take place in during the stretch that include the match played in Utah are in order, Switzerland on May 30th, the Concacaf Nations League from June 3rd to June 6th, capped off by the June 9th fixture at Rio Tinto.

Photo by Refugio Ruiz/Getty Images

Another perk of having the USMNT come to town besides the obvious opportunity for fans to come and watch, is that it often increases the likelihood of local players being called up and seeing minutes in the match. With Justen Glad, David Ochoa and Aaron Herrera all on the national team radar, it is likely that we could see one or all of them called in for this match. Exciting stuff all around!

For more information, you can find the full announcement from the USSF here.