SANDY, Utah, May 5, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team will return to Rio Tinto Stadium for the first time since 2017 and will play its first friendly on U.S. soil during a FIFA window since 2019 when it faces Costa Rica on June 9.
“It is such an incredible opportunity for the state of Utah to welcome U.S. Soccer to Rio Tinto Stadium,” RSL Interim President John Kimball said. “Real Salt Lake has a legacy of U.S. National Team players wearing our crest — from Eddie Pope and Jason Kreis to Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman and the new generation of players that have come through the RSL Academy. To host the match against Costa Rica is a chance to continue that legacy and is a huge credit to the Utah Department of Health for helping to ensure a safe environment for the teams and our wonderful fans. It will surely be a night to remember.”
USA-Costa Rica, presented by Allstate, will be broadcast on ESPN2, UniMás and TUDN with the kickoff time to be determined. Fans will be able to follow the match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT and Instagram @USMNT.
The Costa Rica match, combined with the friendly away to Switzerland on May 30 and the Concacaf Nations League Final Four on June 3 and 6, will simulate a match cadence similar to what players will experience during the upcoming three-match window during the World Cup Qualifying campaign, which kicks off in September.
“Costa Rica is a competitive Concacaf team and we are looking forward to this opportunity,” USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Combined with the ability to mimic the cadence of matches we will encounter in September and October, this is an important step in our preparation for the start of World Cup Qualifying.”
“The staging of the camp and the match fall under the comprehensive U.S. Soccer Return to Play Protocols,” the news release said. “Due to the evolving conditions related to the global pandemic, capacity for the match in Sandy is currently limited to 10,000 fans. Ticket sales information will be available at a later date.”
The match on June 9 will mark the fifth time the U.S. has played at Rio Tinto Stadium and the sixth time it has played in Utah since Real Salt Lake’s inaugural season in Major League Soccer in 2005.
