The U.S. national team will prepare for the final stage of 2014 World Cup Qualifying with a match against Canada at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. ET.
The friendly will conclude the annual January camp and will be the only match prior to the Feb. 6 World Cup qualifier in Honduras on Feb. 6. The game will also kick off a year-long celebration of the 100-year anniversary of U.S. Soccer and will be the first national team match played at the home of the Houston Dynamo.
“Obviously we have a great history with Canada, and they were unlucky not to qualify for the final round,” U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement. “The stadium in Houston is awesome, and the fans have been incredibly supportive there, so for us it’s a great way to start off the centennial year of U.S. Soccer.”
The U.S. camp is expected to primarily include MLS- and Scandinavian-based players as the match does not fall on a FIFA date. The Americans could have short preparation for the first qualifier as Feb. 6 falls on a FIFA friendly date, so teams are only required to release players a couple days in advance. Honduras could have as many as four matches from Jan. 18 through Jan. 27, although they also will likely be without key starters based in Europe.
Canada will also face Denmark in Tuscon, Ariz., on Jan. 26. The U.S. and Canada played to a scoreless draw in Toronto on June 3.

December 17th, 2012
Matt Thacker