Rumor: USMNT to play Serbia on January 31st

If a Serbian report is to be believed, the United States Men’s National Team could have its first opponent for 2021 lined up. According to a report from Serbian outlet Zurnal, the USMNT will play Serbia on January 31st at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.

The USMNT last played Serbia as part of their 2017 January Camp. The two teams played to a scoreless draw at what was then Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. This would serve as a decent opponent for the USMNT during a time outside of a FIFA international window where they can get a full A team to come to the United States to play a friendly.

It’s hard to know whether the details provided in this report are firm, with the coronavirus pandemic making planning anything a day-by-day scenario. What is clear is that head coach Gregg Berhalter is intent on trying to have a January Camp of some kind, and having a decent opponent in Serbia, who is currently ranked 30th in the FIFA World Rankings, would be a nice test for the roster that he would bring in. As the calendar flips to January 2021, we’ll see who the USMNT can schedule for their first match of a busy year.