US MNT Adds Two Games In Europe

The United States Men's National Team will travel to Europe in October to play a pair of friendlies.

On October 14th, the Nats will take on Catalonia in Barcelona's Nou Camp, the first time these two sides have met. Catalonia is one of 17 autonomous communities within the Kingdom of Spain, with Barcelona serving as it's capital. They are able to call on players from their region that are also eligible to play for Spain and have competed in nearly 200 international matches since 1904.

Three days later, the U.S. will take on Switzerland for the first game between the sides in nearly 13 years. The last time the two sides met, they played to a 1-1 tie with Eric Wynalda scoring the only U.S. goal on a phenomenal free kick. Switzerland is currently ranked 21st in the world by FIFA and are co-hosting the 2008 European Championship. They finished first in Group G in the 2006 World Cup and were eliminated in the Round of 16 in penalites after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, becoming the first time ever to be eliminated from the tournamen without surrendering a single goal.

"We are always seeking opportunities to challenge our group by playing in different environments and against quality opposition," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "It should be a great challenge and a fantastic experience for our team."

Both games will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision.

October 14th: United States vs. Catalonia (Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain)
October 17th: United States vs. Switzerland (venue TBD)