The United States and Ukraine are playing a friendly international match on Wednesday and the US team travelled to Cyprus for the game after the unrest in Crimea and Kiev and the match is streaming live online from ESPN, WatchESPN and ESPN Radio, while the matchup is on TV starting at 2 pm from ESPN2.
The match is a big one for Jurgen Klinsmann and the United States, as this is one of the last chances for him to see his players in action and their final friendly match comes against rival Mexico in April and that will be at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The MLS is starting this week and that is why Clint Dempsey is one of the only players to come for this match.
Klinsmann knows how tough it will be for the US in the World Cup this year and that is why he has put such a focus on these matches and this comes as the team has another match coming up against Mexico and they are in the toughest group in the World Cup. Klinsmann is preparing his players for that first match against Ghana, as they could be out of things if they lose, as they will need to get points against tough teams like Germany and Portugal, who of course has Cristiano Ronaldo to be their leader.
The team is coming off of a friendly win against South Korea and that was their first of the year and they also won over Austria last year and had a draw with Scotland. The US team won the Gold Cup last season and had 16 wins and this is a huge year for the squad and Klinsmann as they get ready for this event.
The United States has the longest travel schedule for their group matches of anyone at the World Cup and that will make things very tough and that is why Klinsmann is going to give his team a stern look on Wednesday. The team plays against Mexico next on April 2 as their final match before the World Cup begins and that will be at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona and once the World Cup begins the Americans have an immediate test with Ghana in Group G. Klinsmann has said that this the most important match for the team, as they could be out of their group by the time things pick up if they are beaten handily.
The Americans open against Ghana on that Monday at the Cup from Estadio das Dunas, while their next match will be against Portugal and that will be another very hard matchup with Cristiano Ronaldo at Arena Amazonia in the jungle. The final matchup is against Klinsmann's old team in Germany and that will be at Arena Pernambuco and depending on how things turn out, the US could be out of things.
Check here for the United States and Ukraine radio coverage.
