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The United States Men's National Team takes on Brazil at Gillette Stadium, after defeating Peru 2-1 this past Friday. This game will be the USMNT's final match before the all-important Confederations Cup Playoff against Mexico. This match versus Brazil will provide Jurgen Klinsmann with one last opportunity to tinker with his lineup and determine which players will feature against Mexico.
Brazil is expected to win this match with players such as Neymar, Hulk and David Luiz. However Brazil is no longer the dominant and world-conquering team it once was. The Seleção is still looking to regain its form after crashing out of the 2015 Copa America in the quarterfinals against Paraguay.
Brazil is coming off of a 1-0 victory this past weekend against Costa Rica and that result suggests that this match should be competitive. However, star striker Neymar did not start that match. Neymar is expected to be in the starting XI against the U.S. and should be a handful for the USMNT defense.
The U.S. has only defeated Brazil once and don't expect that to change. Brazil is the favorite and has a more talented squad. Additionally, the U.S. is missing Fabian Johnson, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Timothy Chandler, and Clint Dempsey.
At the very least the USMNT must put forth a decent showing and keep the score close. A good performance would greatly help to build momentum for the Confederations Cup Playoff.
The winner of the U.S. v. Mexico match will head to the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia as CONCACAF"s representative. Klinsmann has said that he believes it is important that the U.S. qualifies for the Confederations Cup.
The result of this match will be closely scrutinized by Klinsmann and the media, as it should provide a good indicator of whether the USMNT is prepared for Mexico.
U.S.A v. Brazil
When: Tuesday, September 8th, 8 p.m ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN2, UniMas, Univision Deportes Network
Online: WatchESPN