Exploria Stadium to Host USMNT Friendly vs. Trinidad & Tobago

The United States Soccer Federation announced today that Exploria Stadium will host the United States Men’s National Team in a friendly match against Trinidad & Tobago on Jan. 31. It will be the senior men’s team’s first game of 2021.

This game continues the trend of hosting national team games in Orlando during the COVID pandemic. The U.S. Women’s National Team has also made the city home, playing a pair of friendlies against Colombia — the first of which was played Monday night in the USWNT’s first match of the year — and the 2021 SheBelieves Cup at Exploria Stadium.

The game could see multiple Orlando City players don the Red, White & Blue in their home stadium. Daryl Dike, Andres Perea, and Benji Michel are with the U.S. U-23 team in Bradenton, while Chris Mueller had a stellar performance for the USMNT in Fort Lauderdale last month. All four could have the opportunity to be available for Gregg Berhalter in this game.

The opposition will also likely have an Orlando City legend as Kevin Molino has been a regular for the Soca Warriors over the past few years. It would see the 30-year-old midfielder return to the city where he signed his first professional contract.

“It’s nice after an intensive training camp to get to compete,” USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said in a club press release. “The guys have been working hard and we welcome the opportunity to play against a regional rival like Trinidad and Tobago.”

As with the USWNT games, U.S. Soccer is planning on making a limited amount of tickets available for the match. More ticketing information will be released at a later date. For the opportunity to buy tickets before the general public, fans should consider becoming U.S. Soccer Insiders. Membership is free at the standard membership level.

This will be the fourth time that the U.S. Men’s National Team has played at Exploria Stadium since it opened in 2017. The Yanks are 3-0-0 in Orlando City’s home stadium, as the first three games included a 4-0 win over Panama in 2018 Concacaf World Cup qualifying, a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a 2019 friendly, and a 4-1 win over Canada in the 2019 Concacaf Nations League.

Notable Soccer Events at Exploria Stadium

• Oct. 6, 2017 — USMNT World Cup qualifier vs Panama (U.S. won, 4-0)
• Oct. 14, 2017 — NSL Championship (Portland Thorns beat North Carolina Courage, 1-0)
• Dec. 3, 2017 — NCAA Women’s College Cup (Stanford beat UCLA, 3-2)
• Jan. 10-11, 2018 — Florida Cup (Corinthian (BRA) 1-1 PSV Eindhoven (NED); Rangers (SCO) 1-0 Atletico Mineiro (BRA))
• March 7, 2018 — SheBelieves Cup (USWNT 1-0 England7, 2018 – SheBelieves Cup (USWNT 1-0 England; France 3-0 Germany)
• Jan 10-12, 2019 — Florida Cup (Ajax (NED) 2-2 Flamengo (BRA); Ajax (NED) 4-2 São Paulo (BRA); Flamengo (BRA) 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (GER))
• March 21, 2019 —USMNT friendly vs. Ecuador (U.S. won, 1-0)
• June 28, 2019 — International Friendly: Pachuca (MEX) vs. Independiente Medellin (COL) (Medellin won, 2-1)
• July 31, 2019 — MLS All-Star Game (Atletico Madrid beat MLS All-Stars, 3-0)
• Nov. 15, 2019 — USMNT Concacaf Nations League vs. Canada (U.S. won, 4-1)
• Jan. 15 & 18, 2020 — Florida Cup (Corinthians (BRA) 2-1 New York City FC (USA); Palmeiras (BRA) 0-0 Atletico Nacional (COL); Palmeiras (BRA) 2-1 New York City FC (USA); Atletico Nacional (COL) 2-1 Corinthians (BRA))
• March 5, 2020 — SheBelieves Cup (USWNT 2-0 England; Spain 3-1 Japan)
• Dec. 15-22, 2020 — Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, semifinals, final
• Jan. 18, 2021 — USWNT friendly vs. Colombia (U.S. won, 4-0)
• *Jan. 22, 2021 — USWNT friendly vs. Colombia
• *Jan. 31, 2021 — USMNT friendly vs. Trinidad & Tobago
• *Feb. 18, 21, & 24, 2021 — 2021 SheBelieves Cup

*- indicates future event