The U.S. men’s national soccer team faces off against Nigeria on Saturday night at EverBank Field.
WJCT sports analyst Cole Pepper says the friendly match is part of the lead up to the World Cup Tournament, which is being held in Brazil this year
“While winning is not the most important thing for the U.S., playing well and adapting to the speed that Nigeria has and that they will see with their first match-up in Brazil: Ghana, that’s going to be important,” he said.
That game, the U.S. team's first 2014 World Cup match vs. Ghana, is Monday, June 16. The U.S. takes on Portugal on June 22 and Germany on June 26.
Germany is currently ranked second in the world behind Spain. The U.S. is ranked 13th.
Some 40,000 tickets have already been sold to Saturday’s game at EverBank Field. Pepper says it’s not unreasonable to think the number could top 50,000 when game time rolls around.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
