ESPN
Dec 10, 2024, 01:26 PM ET
The United States men's national team on Tuesday added a friendly vs. Costa Rica for Jan. 22 in Orlando as part of the January training camp.
Last month, the USMNT set a Jan. 18 friendly vs. Venezuela for Ft. Lauderdale. Neither match falls within the FIFA international window, meaning the U.S. roster will likely be comprised of MLS players that are taking part in the USMNT's annual January camp, also set for Orlando.
The January camp has historically proven to be a launching pad for several USMNT careers. From the U.S. squad at Qatar 2022, nine players earned their first or second cap during a January camp match, including captain Tyler Adams, forward Brenden Aaronson, defenders Walker Zimmerman and Tim Ream and starting goalkeeper Matt Turner.
"We are looking forward to the camp in January and the opportunity to get to know many of the MLS players and see all the potential talent we have here in the United States," USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said back in November. "We are happy to bring the National Team back to South Florida and utilize the great facilities of Inter Miami for this important moment as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup."
The U.S. has an all-time record of 3-1-2 against La Vinotinto, with the lone defeat coming in the most recent meeting between the two teams, a 3-0 loss in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 9, 2019.
Venezuela currently sits in eighth place in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, one point behind Bolivia following 12 of 18 matches played, and having recorded draws against Argentina and Brazil.
With the World Cup expanding to 48 teams in 2026, Venezuela's spot would see it qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs. Venezuela also enjoyed a strong run in last summer's Copa América, reaching the quarterfinals.
Against Costa Rica, the USMNT's overall record is near-even at 19W-17L-6D. All 19 of the USMNT wins have come at home, most recently the 2-1 win in World Cup qualifying on Oct. 13, 2021.
The USMNT beat Jamaica 4-2 to claim a 5-2 aggregate triumph and advance to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March vs. Panama, which will be their next official match. With the win, the U.S. also qualified for next year's Concacaf Gold Cup.
Information from Jeff Carlisle was used in this report.
