USMNT will take on New Zealand in friendly at RFK Stadium

The United States will take on New Zealand in a friendly on October 11 at RFK Stadium. The Americans will use the month of October to prepare for the final round of World Cup qualifying, which begins in November, and that will include a visit from the All Whites.

The U.S. still have to make the final round of qualifying. They're currently second in their group, but the top two in each group advance so it's not looking like much of a problem. That's especially true with their final two contests featuring a match against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and then a home match.

New Zealand should be a solid opponent for the Americans to tune up with. The U.S. are somewhat limited in teams they can line up because a lot of other countries are playing qualifiers and travel can be an issue. The All Whites went to the World Cup in 2010 and nearly made it in 2014, falling in a playoff to Mexico. They won't be a huge test for the U.S., but they're hardly a pushover.

It will be good to see the U.S. back to RFK Stadium too. It has been one of the greatest homes for the Americans, dating back decades. But it is old and falling apart now, which is why D.C. United are getting their own new stadium. The new stadium is expected to open in 2018 and, when it does, most every U.S. match in Washington, D.C. will presumably be played there. RFK Stadium may even be torn down. So every time the U.S. can get back into that venerable, historic — if complete trash heap — stadium is nice.

The U.S. will almost certainly schedule a second friendly for the October FIFA date, likely on October 7. It will probably also be on home soil, so as to minimize travel, but no opponent or site has been lined up yet.

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