Football
ESPN staff 8y

U.S. to meet New Zealand in Oct. 11 friendly at RFK Stadium

The U.S. will face New Zealand in a friendly on Oct. 11 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday.

The friendly will serve as a tune-up for the Americans' likely involvement in CONCACAF's final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which begins in November.

Jurgen Klinsmann's men currently sit in second place in their group, three points behind Trinidad and Tobago, with matches against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and T&T on Sept. 2 and Sept. 6 yet to come. A second-place finish would be enough to get the U.S. into the final-round hexagonal.

The October friendly will mark the third time the Americans will meet the Kiwis. The U.S. took 2-1 victories in both previous meetings, the first in the 1999 Confederations Cup in Mexico and again in 2003 in Richmond, Va.

The U.S. has played 23 times at Washington's RFK Stadium, setting a 15-3-5 record. The Yanks haven't lost at the home of D.C. United in 14 matches spread over nine years.

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