Before the U.S. men’s national soccer team heads to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, it will make a final stop in Jacksonville to play Nigeria in a friendly match June 7 at EverBank Field.
The city will be the last leg of a three-match send-off that takes place in San Francisco on May 27 against Azerbaijan and June 1 against Turkey in Harrison, N.J.
After the Jacksonville match, the team will travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil, its base camp location
during the World Cup that begins June 12 and ends July 13.
The U.S. squad is matched with Ghana, Portugal and Germany in their group.
The U.S. will begin its World Cup training in mid-May before the matches.
“We have some fantastic opponents that will help us get prepared for the teams we will meet in the World Cup, and also the opportunity to experience different climates and conditions in the venues,” said head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “It’s the perfect way to start our journey.”
Nigeria, the team’s Jacksonville opponent, is the only one of the three that also will be in the World Cup.
City leaders announced the Jacksonville match at a Thursday news conference at EverBank Field.
Mayor Alvin Brown said the “whole world will be watching” the games and that the match in Jacksonville “adds to our growing momentum as a premier venue and destination for sports events.”
All three matches will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2, among other outlets.
The U.S. Men’s national team last played in Jacksonville in 2012 in a friendly match against Scotland. The match set an attendance record for a U.S. men’s national team in the state of Florida by drawing 44,438.
For information, visit ussoccer.com.