USA to play South Korea in Los Angeles on February 1

The United States' first match of 2014 will be on February 1 when they host South Korea at the StubHub Center. The match will be part of the Americans' January camp, affectionately (or more accurately, sarcastically) know as Camp Cupcake because it is not on a FIFA date and does not feature any players playing in major European leagues.

While the January camp friendly at the StubHub Center (formerly Home Depot Center) was a staple of the U.S. calendar for years, the Americans have not played the match there since 2011. In 2012, they played in Glendale, AZ, and this year they went to Houston, TX, where there were scores of empty seats, just as was the case when they played in Los Angeles. That probably won't be the case this year, though. Los Angeles has the biggest Korean population of any city in the world aside from Seoul, so there should be a good crowd on hand, with many there to support the Taegeuk Warriors.

The U.S. will gather for a training camp after the new year to prepare for their friendly against South Korea, with reports saying they may also travel to Brazil after for a camp there to get a better feel for the country ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Like the U.S. South Korea will not have their European contingent available to them, which means Son Heung-Min, Lee Chung-Yong, Ku Sung-Yueng, Ji Dong-Won and Hong-Jeong-Ho will all miss the match. It will be a predominantly K-League squad for the Koreans, which will match the Americans' MLS-laden team.

In addition to the MLS contingent, the U.S. will also have the services of players in the Scandinavian leagues on winter break, like Mix Diskerud. The MLS-based team should make for a strong core, though, with Jurgen Klinsmann tapping so many domestic players for his first choice team lately. Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Evans and Eddie Johnson will all be available, provided they don't go on loan for the winter.

The match will also be an opportunity for Klinsmann to get a look at some younger players, like Chris Klute. It may also be Mike Magee's chance to finally put on a U.S. shirt and make a late run at the World Cup team.