The final test for the U.S. men’s national soccer team before the World Cup will come Tuesday against Saudi Arabia on Spain’s southeastern coast.
And while the result of a friendly two months out will be largely forgotten by the time the Americans arrive at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium outside Doha, Qatar, for their opener against Wales, they recognize the importance of performing far better than they did in the next-to-last tuneup.
That 2-0 defeat to Japan on Friday in Düsseldorf, Germany, wasn’t as close as the score suggested, triggering alarms about the team’s preparedness for the sport’s biggest competition.