USMNT schedules friendly against No. 16-ranked Switzerland

CHICAGO – In its final match before the Concacaf Nations League Final Four, the U.S. Men’s National Team will take on the challenge of facing No. 16-ranked Switzerland on May 30 in St. Gallen.

ESPN and Univision networks will cover the match live from kybunpark, with the kickoff time still to be finalized.

The match against Switzerland represents the sixth time the USMNT will face a Top 20 opponent since Berhalter became head coach in 2019. Led by Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, the Swiss are gearing up for the European Championship where they have been drawn into Group A with four-time World Cup champion Italy, Turkey and Wales.

“One of our priorities is to challenge ourselves against top level competition, so we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to play a quality European opponent,” USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Both teams will be gearing up for big tournaments, so it will be great preparation for our group as we head into the summer.”

AGAINST SWITZERLAND

The encounter marks just the third time in the last 25 years the USA has met Switzerland. In the last duel, a Brek Shea free kick helped steer the U.S. Men’s National Team to a 1-1 draw on March 31, 2015, in Zurich.

It was another free-kick finish that remains the iconic moment of the history between the teams. In the USA’s opening match of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, a crowd of 77,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan witnessed an Eric Wynalda wonder strike that led to a 1-1 draw and the USMNT’s first point in a World Cup since 1950.

The May friendly will come nearly 31 years to the day of the USMNT’s first match in St. Gallen. Bruce Murray scored the U.S. goal in a 2-1 defeat to the Swiss on June 2, 1990 in the team’s final match before taking part in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Overall, the U.S. is 1-3-4 all-time against Switzerland, and unbeaten in its last four.

COMPETITION COMING UP

The fixture is a prelude to three significant competitions in 2021, beginning with the Concacaf Nations League final four. Winners of League A’s Group A, the USMNT takes on Honduras in one semifinal, while Mexico and Costa Rica will square off in the other, with the winners competing for the inaugural Nations League title. The matches are scheduled for the FIFA window in the first week of June, with the venues and times still to be determined.

The following month, the U.S. will compete in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup in search of its seventh confederation championship title. The USMNT has been drawn into Group A with Canada, Martinique and a third team to be determined through a qualifying tournament. The United States last lifted the trophy in 2017, when Jordan Morris netted the game-winner against Jamaica in the 2-1 victory.

Those games serve as prelude to the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying, which will feature an eight-team final round and commence in Sept. of 2021.