Where will USA vs Germany be played? How are USMNT friendly match venues decided?

After posting comfortable victories over Uzbekistan and Oman in the September international break, the USMNT is expected to face two tougher tests over the next week, with fourth-time FIFA World Cup winners Germany and Ghana, regular participants in the tournament in recent years, their next friendly opponents.

How many times have the USMNT played at Pratt & Whitney Stadium?

The European side are their first rivals on Saturday (14 October, kick-off at 3:00 p.m. ET), with the match to be played at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The home field of the UConn Huskies football team is fairly accustomed to hosting the Stars and Stripes, with the men’s team having played seven matches there since 2005, and the USWNT nine.

The stadium was inaugurated in 2003 and initially hosted NCAA Division I-A football games. However, it quickly opened up to other sports, including soccer, hockey and lacrosse, and has even been the venue for concerts by Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and The Police. It has a minimum capacity of 40,000, which can expand to at least 42,704 depending on the event taking place.

What is the US’ record in East Hartford?

Pratt & Whitney Stadium has become one of the USMNT’s most used home stadiums since 2005. On Saturday, it will host is the Stars and Stripes men’s team for the eighth time, with their previous seven matches in East Hartford resulting in four victories, two draws and one defeats.

Five of those seven games were friendlies, one of which was Landon Donovan’s last ever cap against Ecuador in 2014. The US also secured qualification for the 2006 World Cup by defeating Trinidad and Tobago in August 2005 and beat Costa Rica in group stage game at the 2013 Gold Cup.

How does US Soccer decide where the USMNT plays?

Unlike other countries, there is no national stadium in the United States, while there are lots of venues around the country for US Soccer to choose from when it comes to deciding where the USMNT will play. Due to the size of the nation, matches tend to be spread around, with cities and states where there is a big soccer fanbase and strong interest in the sport often favoured.

A while host of other factors also have to be taken into consideration, including when and for what the stadium was last used. The field, for instance, may not be in perfect condition for a soccer match if an NFL game or concert took place on it just a few days earlier.

The weather at different times of the year also play a part, as does the availability of nearby training facilities.

The most used stadiums by the USMNT