The United States national team will face stiff competition as it prepares for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup during the FIFA international fixture window in March. The Stars-and-Stripes will play Argentina on March 26 at the New Meadowlands Stadium, followed three days later by a match against Paraguay in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Argentina continues to be one of the most talented teams in the world, and we are excited to have the opportunity to compete against them," US head coach Bob Bradley said in a statement. "When you talk about the best players around the globe, the Argentines certainly contribute a lot of names to that list.
"Paraguay showed during the World Cup that they are a creative and organized team capable of being very dangerous in the attack. Both of these matches give us a chance to continue to raise the bar for our team, and it will also be a great part of our preparation for the Gold Cup."
The American manager will call his first team for the pair of matches, although the squad will feature a few different faces compared to the roster for the 2010 World Cup.
Bradley was at the helm the last time the US battled Argentina in 2008. The match was also held in East Rutherford, N.J. and ended in a scoreless tie, the first in the all-time series that favors the South American side (6-2-1). The two-time World Cup champions are currenty ranked fifth in the world.
The Americans last played Paraguay -- ranked 24th -- during the 2007 Copa America. Benny Feilhaber, Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan started in the 3-1 defeat.
The US plays another South American side -- Marcelo Bielsa's Chile -- on Jan. 22 and travels to Cairo to take on Egypt on Feb. 9.
Noah Davis covers the United States national team for
MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @noahedavis.
