Report: US v. Slovakia in November

While US Soccer has yet to confirm this, reports out of Europe are saying that the USMNT will square off against Slovakia on November 14th in a friendly. Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss stated that the match would be played in an interview. If true, this would mean that Bob Bradley and company would get two solid tests in their first batch of tune-up matches, as both Slovakia and Denmark were group winners in UEFA qualification.

Although they did win their group, Slovakia was not extremely impressive at home. They did secure wins against the likes of Poland and Northern Ireland, while also beating minnows San Marino. But against the second and third place teams, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, the Slovaks struggled, dropping points in both matches. With a 2-2 draw against the Czechs and a very disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Slovenia on the penultimate matchday, Slovakia have been exposed somewhat as of late. Though they managed to secure qualification (their first since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993) on the last matchday courtesy of a Poland own goal, they will be looking to fix a few flaws and regain the form they had earlier in qualification.

With all of the injuries that have hit the USMNT, Bob Bradley and his staff will look to find some solutions for the holes in the lineup. Facing off against two teams that will also be in South Africa next summer is not a bad way to figure out which lineup changes can be legitimate solutions for the US on the international stage.