World Cup: U.S. to play Brazil in New Jersey in August

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One month after the July 11 World Cup final in Johannesburg, South Africa, one team that might be in that final and one team that will not will play each other at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Five-time World Cup winner Brazil will play the U.S. on Aug. 10, U.S. Soccer announced Friday afternoon, with the 8 p.m. EDT match expected to be a sellout. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Bob Bradley, coach of the underdog U.S., said he was ‘constantly seeking ways to challenge our team and continue to raise the bar,’ but just what sort of team the U.S. will be able to field that night is uncertain.

The European season will just have begun or be about to begin, and clubs will be reluctant to release players for a friendly match, unless Aug. 10 is a FIFA-mandated match day, in which case they are obliged to do so.

In any event, the game is a rematch of the 2009 Confederations Cup final, which Brazil won, 3-2, and a chance for the U.S. to be the first team to play the 2014 World Cup host. Brazil will have a new coach by then because Dunga has said he is stepping down after South Africa 2010.

If both teams field their first-choice lineup, it could be a memorable evening in the Meadowlands. If not, it will be just another friendly.

--Grahame L. Jones