U.S. Men's National Team to Face Off with 13th Ranked Denmark at the HDC - STM Staff

CHICAGO - After an extended lay-off, the United States Men's National Team has set its' first opponent after the new year. The U.S. Men will take on 13th ranked Denmark on Jan. 18 in Carson, Calif at The Home Depot Center. The match is set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. PT, broadcast live on ESPN.

"Denmark is traditionally a very solid team with some outstanding talent," said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena in an U.S. Soccer press release. "This a great challenge for us as we begin the process of preparing for 2006 World Cup qualifying. We're looking forward to the excitement of playing our first match at the wonderful new Home Depot Center."

The U.S. team is hoping to turn the HDC into another Wembley, where the U.S. can hang their hats and coats, and hopefully many wins on their opponents' heads. The USA and Denmark have met three times in their history, with the United States still searching for their first victory after posting a 0-1-2 record. The two teams last met seven years ago, with Denmark winning 4-1 in the final match of U.S. Cup '97 in Pasadena, Calif.

Both teams are fully revamped since that meeting. Denmark has a long history of success on the international stage. The Danes reached the Round of 16 in the 2002 World Cup. They beat France and Uruguay in group play in process. Denmark was the 1992 European Champions in Sweden. Denmark has qualified for the 2004 Euros, and has been drawn into Group C - the Group of Death - along with Italy, Bulgaria and Sweden.

The USA is coming off two years of unprecedented success. Following their incredible run in the 2002 World Cup, the USA posted a 10-4-2 record in 2003, including a third place finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The United States team is now fully focused on qualification for the upcoming 2006 World Cup in Germany. The U.S. begins CONCACAF qualifying June 13, 2004, against the winner of the home-and-away series between Grenada and Guyana, with their first match to be played at home.

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