The United States men’s national team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly on Dec. 18, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Tuesday.
Because the match, scheduled to be held at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, falls outside an international window, the U.S. squad is expected to be comprised of mostly domestic players. U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter will conduct a training camp in Carson starting on Dec. 5.
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The Bosnia match will aid in the U.S. team’s preparations for a trio of World Cup qualifiers during the January international window. That period will feature matches against El Salvador at home on Jan. 27, Canada away three days later and a home match against Honduras on Feb. 2. Through six matches, the U.S. is in second place in the “Octagonal,” one point ahead of Canada.
The U.S. is still planning on holding the customary January training camp, allowing MLS players to maintain a semblance of fitness during the MLS offseason, but no additional friendlies are scheduled. The team’s foreign-based players will join the camp as the World Cup qualifiers approach.
This will be the third meeting since the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed in 1992. A hat trick by Jozy Altidore highlighted the USA’s 4-3 victory on Aug. 14, 2013, in Sarajevo. Most recently, the teams took the field in this same venue to open the USA’s 2018 schedule, with the two teams playing to a 0-0 draw.
