SANDY, UT (Sunday, May 28, 2017) – The U.S. National Team’s friendly against Venezuela on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium will have some Real Salt Lake flare to it, as GK Nick Rimando was called in for the U.S. and FW Jefferson Savarino will join Venezuela. Rimando is part of U.S. National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena’s 27-man roster for the upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches against Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico, while Savarino will look to make his first appearance for the senior national team in the friendly in Sandy.
The U.S. will face Trinidad & Tobago on June 8 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, then Mexico in Mexico City on June 11.
“I'm honored to be called in for the next World Cup Qualifying games and friendly against Venezuela in Utah,” Rimando said. “Although a friendly at the Riot I've been looking forward to this game for a while, I'm thrilled that my US teammates will get a chance to play in front of our amazing fans and extremely excited to represent RSL and wear the US crest at home in front of my family, friends and the fans. To say that it will be a special night for me would not do it justice.”
Rimando, 37, is Major League Soccer’s all-time leader in games played (434), games started (434), minutes played (39,181), wins (187), shutouts (132) and saves (1,487), including three saves in a shutout victory over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
The 17-year MLS veteran has 22 career caps for the U.S. and has five shutouts on the international stage, including one against Serbia during this year’s January camp.
Savarino, 20, joined Real Salt Lake on loan this season from Zulia in his native Venezuela. Already through four matches he has two assists, including one on the game-winning goal against Philadelphia on Saturday. A regular contributor for Venezuela at the U-20 and U-21 levels, he has yet to appear for the full national team.
The U.S. Men’s National Team boasts a perfect 3-0-0 record at the home of Real Salt Lake, including a pair of victories in World Cup Qualifying over El Salvador (2009) and Honduras (2013). Overall, the U.S. has won all four of its matches in Utah since 1990, including a World Cup Qualifying victory over Costa Rica at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2005 and a Gold Cup win over Cuba in 2013, a game which saw current RSL icons Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Tony Beltran feature at “the RioT” in Sandy.
This Summer’s visit by the U.S. Men’s National Team continues a tradition of high-profile international soccer events brought to Utah by RSL, Rio Tinto Stadium and the Utah Sports Commission, which have historically combined to offer fans the opportunity to visit the Wasatch Front to see Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game, international powers such as Internazionale Milano (Italy), Xolos de Tijuana (Mexico), Everton (England) and others, including the U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Olympic teams as well.
“I think we have a good group,” Arena said. “I’m still in the early goings with this team and I haven’t seen all of our players, so this camp gives me the opportunity to see six new faces we haven’t had in with the team yet, which is valuable. It’s also great that we’re able to bring back 21 players that have been in with our program already in 2017. We have a roster that has good balance all over, we have good young players and hopefully it’s a team we can put together to get us points in both games.”
Players begin reporting May 28 into Denver ahead of USA-Trinidad & Tobago, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Kickoff in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is set for 5:50 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast on FS1, UniMas and UDN.
Only three days later, the U.S. will seek its first three points away to Mexico in World Cup Qualifying. The historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosts the 66th meeting between the teams since 1934, which will be televised on FS1, Univision and UDN beginning at 7:30 p.m.
In preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, the MNT will play a tune-up against Venezuela on June 3 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah [TICKETS]. FS1 and the Univision networks have the call at 8 p.m. MT.
Fans can also follow all three games live on Facebook and Twitter at @ussoccer and @ussoccer_esp.
Through the first four matches of the Hexagonal Round, the U.S. is in fourth place at 1-2-1. The top three finishers in the six-team stage will qualify for the World Cup with the fourth-place finisher playing in an inter-confederation playoff against other finishers from Asia, South America and Oceania.
U.S. MNT Roster By Position (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 13/0), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 0/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 35/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (11): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 33/6), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 11/1), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/GER; 3/0), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 20/2), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 3/0), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 14/0), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas; 0/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 4/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 2/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 6/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 17/3)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 2/0), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana/MEX; 2/1), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 8/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 33/6), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 15/1), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 38/18)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 36/16), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 38/18), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 3/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 8/4)
