Pre-Match: The United States men’s national team officially begins a new World Cup cycle today. Sure, we’ve seen several friendlies since the World Cup qualifying debacle, but now that the summer has passed and a champion has been crowned, the slate is wiped clean and everyone is equal once again.
The USSF have set up two interesting friendlies to begin, starting with a match-up against five-time world champions, Brazil. The Samba Boys are coming off some disappointment of their own. Tabbed as pre-tournament World Cup favorites, they were ousted in the quarterfinals by Belgium in a thrilling game.