Hours after the American men finally filled in their full World Cup schedule, they faced what should be their stiffest test before departing for Qatar.
Thirteenth-ranked Uruguay isn’t exactly comparable to England, Iran or Wales, the three teams the U.S. will meet in November (Wales beat Ukraine earlier Sunday in a playoff to claim the last Group B berth). But La Celeste are deep, talented and brimming with pedigree. After negotiating a schedule that’s featured a relentless and relatively repetitive series of Concacaf rivals, the Americans were eager to challenge themselves against a World Cup-caliber foe. Even though Sunday evening’s contest in Kansas City was a friendly, the first 10 minutes alone—during which the hosts were under considerable pressure—demonstrated the potential value of the experience.
“It's going to be amazing. I mean, a lot of us are young and we're still getting that experience against these high-level teams,” U.S. winger Tim Weah said before the match. “It’s what I’ve always dreamed of, playing at such a high level against the best.”
