Inter Miami stadium to host U.S. men’s friendly
Inter Miami CF Stadium is expected to host a U.S. men’s national soccer team friendly in December.
Hugo Carrillo, the president of the Salvadoran football federation, said at a press conference on Thursday that the El Salvador men’s national team will play a closed-door friendly against the U.S. men’s national team on Dec. 9 at Inter Miami’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Carrillo’s announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. men’s national team coach, Gregg Berhalter, saying that the team hoped to play in December despite there not being an official FIFA international window.
Although U.S. Soccer hasn’t announced the friendly, a source confirmed to the Sun Sentinel that the match will take place at Inter Miami’s stadium and the details for the game were being worked on.
The matchup between the U.S. and El Salvador will be the first international friendly played at Inter Miami CF Stadium.
The U.S. men’s national team played a pair of friendlies in Europe during the latest international window earlier in the month — a scoreless draw against Wales on Nov. 12 in the United Kingdom and a 6-2 win over Panama on Nov. 16 in
Austria.
Berhalter will likely hold a camp in December to call up and evaluate MLS/U.S.-based players after relying on mostly European-based players in the most recent international window.
MLS clubs wouldn’t be required to release their players in December since the friendly wouldn’t take place during an official FIFA international window, but most teams could allow their players to go since only two of the 26 teams in the league will still be playing by the time the friendly takes place.
The MLS Cup playoffs’ conference finals will take place on Dec. 6, with the final scheduled for Dec. 12.