The United States men’s national team will close its annual January training camp with a pair of friendlies against Iceland and Canada in Carson, Calif.
The matches against Iceland (Jan. 31) and Canada (Feb. 5) at the StubHub Center conclude the usual exertions to start the year and provide the first tests of a year scheduled to include several World Cup qualifiers and the Copa América Centenario on home soil in June.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann is expected to summon a largely MLS-based squad in January to evaluate potential alternatives ahead of the upcoming matches against Guatemala in March and prepare his players for the year ahead.
After carrying out an extensive training camp, the Americans kick off their schedule for the year against Euro 2016 finalists Iceland. It is the first meeting between the two countries since Iceland secured a 2-1 victory over the U.S. in San Diego prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Iceland coach Lars Lagerbeck is expected to assess his Scandinavian-based players during their winter breaks and test out potential candidates for a place in his squad for the Group F obligations against Austria, Hungary and Portugal in June. Most of the Iceland regulars -- and several of the usual U.S. stalwarts -- are not expected to play because the match is scheduled outside a FIFA match window.
“Iceland is one of the up-and-coming soccer nations in Europe,” Klinsmann said in a release. “They have been really impressive in qualifying for the European Championship for the first time, and they have earned huge compliments for their youth player development. Their players are now spread across the big leagues in Europe.”
Canada presents an altogether different challenge in the second southern California friendly. Several of Benito Floro’s established starters are likely to play a part in this match ahead of the critical Group A fixtures against Mexico on March 25 (Vancouver) and March 29 (site TBD in Mexico).
Floro and the Canadians hope to use this match as meaningful preparation for the dates against El Tri. Their recent results -- including a 1-0 win against Honduras and a 0-0 draw in El Salvador to start the fourth round of World Cup qualifying in November -- underscore the discipline and the structure since Floro took charge last year.
The past two meetings -- a pair of 0-0 draws in 2012 and 2013 -- reinforce the awkward challenge ahead as the Americans attempt to extend a 16-match unbeaten run stretching all the way back to 1985.
“As we know from our past meetings, Canada is a difficult opponent that is not easy to break down,” Klinsmann said. “It’s a good experience to play against them, particularly for some of our younger players. They started off on the right foot in World Cup qualifying, having won at home and picking up a point on the road in El Salvador, so this will be a good challenge."
