Orlando, Fla. selected to host USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League match vs. Canada

CHICAGO (Sept. 20, 2019) – U.S. Soccer has selected Orlando to host the U.S. Men’s National Team’s critical Concacaf Nations League home match on Nov. 15 against Canada.

Kickoff at Exploria Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, UniMas and TUDN.

With the participants for the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be determined based on FIFA rankings at the conclusion of this tournament, Nations League’s matches have added significance for their impact on the rankings.

“Winning at home is critical in these tournaments, so finding a home-field advantage is important,” “U.S. MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “When you talk about great environments, the atmosphere in this stadium is one of the best in the country. Like we’ve seen in previous visits, the fans in Orlando are there when you need them and we look forward to their support.”

The USA is joined by Canada and Cuba in Group A of the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League A. Only the winner of the group will advance to the knockout stage, and Canada opened play with consecutive victories against Cuba by an aggregate score of 7-0.

The USMNT plays its inaugural match in the Nations League against Cuba next month on Oct. 11 in Washington, D.C. Kickoff in the nation’s capital is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on FS1 (coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET), UniMas and TUDN. [TICKETS]

Four days after the opener in D.C., the USA takes on Canada at BMO Field in Toronto (7:30 p.m.; ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN)

CANADA AIMING TO KNOCK U.S. OFF
With the top six teams in the FIFA rankings as of June 20 receiving entry into the group that will compete for Concacaf’s three automatic spots in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, these Nations League matches are critical since games in official competitions like the Nations League carry greater weight in the overall ranking. Canada currently sits in seventh place in the rankings table among teams in the region, thus results for them are absolutely vital to improve their standing.

Canada head coach John Herdman had this to say about the USA game on Oct. 15 in Toronto: “For us it’s a cup final. This is the game we have been waiting for, for 10-15 years. We want their best. We want the challenge. It’s our house and we have to make sure they feel that.”

IN ORLANDO
This will be the USA’s sixth visit to Orlando and the third since the opening of Exploria Stadium. A near 20-year gap began following a 1-0 win against Sweden in 1998. Then in 2017, the United States returned to overwhelm Panama in a 4-0 World Cup Qualifying win in front of a sellout crowd of 25,303 fans. Most recently, an 81^st minute strike from Gyasi Zardes earned the United States a 1-0 shutout victory on March 21 against Ecuador. With the win, Gregg Berhalter became the second USMNT head coach to begin his tenure with three straight victories.

NATIONS LEAGUE LAUNCH

The new tournament was created to maximize the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all of the confederation’s 41 Member Associations. There are three Leagues (A,B,C), with each League consisting of four groups.

At the end of the round-robin competition, the League A and B teams that finish last in their groups will be relegated to the lower league, while the group winners in Leagues B and C will be promoted to the higher league for the next edition of the competition.

The four group winners from League A will advance to the Knockout Round, where a semifinal and final will be played during the June 2020 FIFA international dates to crown the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League champion.

Additionally, the 2019-20 Nations League will serve as qualifying for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. The top two finishers in each League A group, along with the group winners in League B will advance directly to the tournament, while the League C group winners will playoff against the League B second-place teams, before a second playoff against the League A third-place sides to determine the final four spots at the next confederation championship.