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The United States men's national team will play France in a friendly on June 9 in Lyon, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced via Twitter on Wednesday. The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) indicated that a contract with the FFF hasn't been signed but that the contractual details on the match, which will be France's last friendly before the 2018 World Cup, are in the process of being finalized. The match is set to be held at Lyon's Groupama Stadium. France also plan to face Colombia on March 23, Russia on March 27, Italy on June 1 and an as-yet-unnamed opponent on May 28. The U.S. -- which missed out on qualifying for the World Cup in October when it lost 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago on the last day of qualifying -- is looking to play at least one other friendly before the tournament. Last month, the USSF said it was exploring the possibility of hosting a pre-World Cup series of friendlies involving other countries that failed to qualify, including Chile, Ghana, Italy and Netherlands. However, the fact that the France match is being held in Europe makes it unlikely that those plans will come to fruition. The U.S., which will not play a competitive match until the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, could have a new coach in time to face France, after the USSF presidential election in February. Dave Sarachan, who managed the U.S. in last month's 1-1 draw in Portugal, will remain the interim U.S. coach for the Americans' Jan. 28 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Carson, California.
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