USMNT to Face World Cup-Bound Morocco in June Friendly

The U.S. will face the African side in June as the first of its six pre-World Cup matches.

The U.S. men’s national team will kick off its World Cup preparation with a friendly against Morocco on June 1 in Cincinnati, the site of November’s emphatic 2-0 win over Mexico that was the highlight of the seven-month qualifying campaign.

The June international window, which includes four games, will be the longest stretch the U.S. has together before the November-December World Cup in Qatar. The Americans will face Morocco at TQL Stadium and a second exhibition opponent at a to-be-announced U.S. venue before entering Concacaf Nations League play toward the middle of the month. The U.S. was drawn against Grenada (home on June 10) and El Salvador (away on June 14).

Two more friendlies in late September will fill out the national team’s limited pre-World Cup schedule.

“We’re excited to face a fellow World Cup finalist and provide our team with a different challenge,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “With only six international games before the World Cup, this is a critical period for our team preparation. Combining the magnificent training facilities, the world-class stadium and the amazing atmosphere, Cincinnati ticked all the boxes to give us a great start to these summer matches.”

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Morocco is ranked 24th in the world (second in Africa) and qualified for its second straight World Cup with an impressive 7-0-1 record, scoring 25 goals and yielding just three. Among the more notable Atlas Lions are Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi and Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri. The U.S. has lost all three prior matches against Morocco, the most recent coming in a 1-0 friendly setback in Nashville in 2006.

Morocco will face Belgium, Canada and 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia in Qatar.

The pandemic, the compressed international schedule and the reduction in friendlies prompted by the launch of Nations League competitions in Europe and Concacaf have severely limited Berhalter’s opportunity to see his squad face more varied, non-regional opposition. Of the 32 games the U.S. has played since the start of 2020, only five came against teams from outside Concacaf—four friendlies and the 2021 Gold Cup semifinal win over Qatar. There’s been next to no opportunity to prepare for the likes of England, Iran or the Wales/Scotland/Ukraine playoff survivor, who will be the Americans’ World Cup opponents. The four upcoming non-Nations League friendlies are as good as it’s going to get.

There have been reports in recent weeks that Uruguay is the other potential June opponent. That game would be played June 5. La Celeste have already scheduled a game against Mexico for June 2 in Phoenix, so they’ll be in the country. Berhalter has suggested that he’s hoping to take his team to Europe in September.