USMNT to face Colombia on October 11 in Tampa, Florida
CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The next stop of the fall Kickoff Series will take place in Tampa on Oct. 11 when the U.S. Men’s National Team hosts 16th-ranked Colombia at Raymond James Stadium. FS1, UniMas and UDN will broadcast the match live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Colombia will be the fifth team in the Top 20 of the FIFA World Rankings to face the MNT in the Kickoff Series, joining Brazil, England, Italy and Mexico. The six-match set will provide the aspiring young U.S. side with top-level competition at the start of their four-year journey toward the 2022 World Cup. The remaining opponent for October will be finalized in the near future.
The match falls on an international fixture date, which makes all players available for selection.
“As we continue to build into the next cycle, this will be another important experience for the development of this group,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Dave Sarachan said. “When you talk about exciting, technical and experienced opponents, Colombia ticks all the boxes. With players at some of the top clubs around the world, they are fast, physical and skillful. Tampa has been a great host to our national teams, and I know they will come out and show their support in October.”
RESTART UNDERWAY
With the 2022 cycle officially underway, the process of elevating a rising crop of internationals is already in motion. Since November of last year, a total of 18 players have been given debuts for the senior MNT. Seventeen of them came in under 24 years old at the time of their first caps, while 10 will be age-eligible to represent the U-23 MNT in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament and 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. ussoccer.com has profiled 11 of these hopefuls in the new video series RISING: Emerging Faces of the U.S. Men’s National Team, which chronicle the route of players on their quest to become a part of the National Team by going behind the scenes with family, youth, coaches, teammates and professional club managers from across the world.
The U.S. has faced Colombia 18 times since 1961, more than any team from South America. The MNT hasn’t had great success against the perennial power, holding a lifetime record of 3-12-4. It’s been more than a decade since the last U.S. win, a 3-0 shutout on March 9, 2005 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.
The two have played each other in significant tournament games, including a FIFA World Cup and multiple editions of Copa America. In the 1994 World Cup held in the United States, now-MNT General Manager Earnie Stewart scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against of the tournament favorites in its second group stage match.
TAMPA TIME
The MNT returns to Tampa following the 3-2 win against Martinique in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Overall, the USA holds a lifetime record of 4-1-1 at Raymond James Stadium. Nine different U.S. players have put their name on the scoresheet in those matches, including two individual multi-goal games (Landon Donovan, Jordan Morris) and three scored by defenders (Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Omar Gonzalez).
U.S. MNT 2018 KICKOFF SERIES SCHEDULE
| Date | Game | Venue, Location | Time (ET) | TV |
| Sept. 7 | USA vs. Brazil, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance |
MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, N.J. | 7:30 p.m. | FS1, UniMas, UDN |
| Sept. 11 | USA vs. Mexico, presented by AT&T | Nissan Stadium; Nashville, Tenn. | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN, UniMas, UDN |
| Oct. 11 | USA vs. Colombia | Raymond James Stadium; Tampa | 7:30 p.m. | FS1, UniMas, UDN |
| Nov. 15 | England vs. USA | Wembley Stadium; London, England | 3 p.m. | ESPN2, UniMas, UDN |
| Nov. 20 | Italy vs. USA | TBD | 3 p.m. | FS1, UniMas, UDN |
