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January 31, 2014

KOREA VS. U.S. @STUBHUB CENTER

Korean manager Hong Myung-bo must avoid another poor showing. (Yonhap)

Capacity Crowd of 27,000 Fans to Attend

Next up for the South Korean National Soccer Team, who got humiliated against Mexico on Wednesday night in Texas 4-0, is the United States.

The U.S. side is supposed to be tougher and is ranked higher than both Mexico and Costa Rica. The current FIFA ranking has the U.S. at No. 14, while Mexico is No. 21, Costa Rica is No. 32, and South Korea is No. 53.

S. Korean manager Hong Myung-bo all of sudden has a lot to prove.

Here is the U.S. Soccer News release:

The U.S. Men’s National Team will open its 2014 schedule playing before of a capacity crowd of 27,000 fans when it hosts the S. Korea for an international friendly at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 1. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes Radio and UniMas. Fans can also follow the match live on Twitter @ussoccer.

The capacity crowd will constitute the first home opening sell-out for the MNT at StubHub Center, and the second time the U.S. has sold out the venue. Including Saturday’s match, StubHub Center will serve as the site of the USA’s first game of the year for the seventh time since 2004, with the U.S. posting a 3-1-2 record in those previous games.

The MNT returned to the United States this week to conclude January camp at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson after spending two weeks in Sao Paul, Brazil, as part of an opportunity to go through a “dry run” for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named a 22-player roster for the final portion of the camp that culminates with the team’s match against S. Korea.

Saturday’s game is the first meeting between the USA and S. Korea since the group phase of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where the United States played the host to a 1-1 draw. Overall, the U.S. has a 1-3-2 record against S. Korea, which has qualified for its eighth World Cup tournament.

The U.S. MNT is coming off a record-setting 2013 campaign, posting the most victories (16) and best winning percentage (.761) in team history. The USA has advanced to the FIFA World Cup for the seventh-straight occasion (10th time overall).