POSTED: Monday October 26th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. TO FACE FELLOW FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS SLOVAKIA ON NOVEMBER 14 IN BRATISLAVA

Slovakia Finished First Place in Group 3 in UEFA Qualifying; U.S. One of Only Six Teams to Face Two Fellow 2010 World Cup Finalists on Last Fixture Dates of 2009

CHICAGO (Oct. 26, 2009) – The United States Men’s National Team will face fellow 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Slovakia
on Saturday, Nov.14 in Bratislava. Kickoff time and television details
for the USA’s first-ever visit to Slovakia will be finalized in the
near future.  Fans can follow the match live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. 

Combined with the match against Denmark on Nov. 18
in Aarhus, the U.S. will have played 12 games on foreign soil in 2009,
including five matches in the run to the final of the 2009 FIFA
Confederations Cup.  Additionally, the U.S. is one of only six teams –
including Denmark, Germany, Korea Republic, Netherlands, and  Paraguay
– that will have the opportunity to face two 2010 World Cup finalists
on the last two international fixture dates of the year.

“We are very pleased about the
opportunity to face another quality opponent on European soil,” said
U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “Slovakia finished on top of a very
competitive group in UEFA qualifying, and has demonstrated their
capabilities throughout the process.  With so few available dates for
international matches between now and the World Cup, having the chance
to play two fellow World Cup finalists is a big plus in terms of our
preparations.”

Slovakia have reached the World
Cup for the first time since beginning competitive international
football as an independent nation in 1993, following the division of
the former Czechoslovakia into two independent states - Czech Republic
and Slovakia.  Despite their relative youth on the world stage, the
Slovaks ousted group favorites Czech Republic and Poland, securing
first place in Group 3 of UEFA Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
with a 1-0 away victory on Oct. 14 in blizzard-like conditions in
Chorzow.

This is the first international
meeting between the U.S. and Slovakia.  The United States faced the
former Czechoslovakia in their opening group match of the 1990 FIFA
World Cup in Italy, falling 5-1 on June 10 in Florence.

Four days after the Slovakia
encounter, the U.S. will face fellow 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Denmark on Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Aarhus.  Kickoff at NRGi Park in
Aarhus is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), and television
details will be announced in the near future.  Fans can also follow the
match live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

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Keywords · U.S. · 2010 FIFA World Cup · Slovakia · Denmark · Bob Bradley

Name: Jim Moorhouse
Organization: US Soccer Federation
Email:
Phone: 312 808 1300
URL: http://www.usssoccer.org

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