U.S. to meet Mexico in soccer friendly on April 2 in Arizona

The U.S. will meet regional rival Mexico on April 2 in Glendale, Ariz., in the Americans’ final tuneup before World Cup training camp in May.

The U.S. and Mexican federations have been in negotiations to schedule the game for weeks, working through obstacles posed by domestic soccer league matches in both countries as well as TV rights. And the match figures to be important for coaches in both countries in terms of helping them select rosters for this summer’s tournament in Brazil.

“Games against Mexico are always special for the players and for the the fans,” U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann said. “We expect that it will be an amazing atmosphere in Phoenix with supporters for both teams and it’s great to have an opportunity to play before the start of the World Cup. You couldn’t ask for a better experience to help with our preparations.”

The U.S. has never lost in Glendale, with one of its victories coming over Mexico. And Klinsmann, in a long career as a player, manager and assistant coach, has never been beaten by Mexico.

As a team, the U.S. is 12-5-4 against Mexico since 2000, including a 10-2-3 record at home. The most recent victory came in September in Columbus, Ohio, when a 2-0 win over Mexico clinched a World Cup berth for the U.S.

Kickoff is set for 8 PDT p.m. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Feb. 19 at 8 a.m. PST at the U.S. Soccer website and at Ticketmaster locations in the Phoenix area.

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