The Irish men’s national soccer team is set to square off against Mexico June 1 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The friendly match, which won’t count towards either teams official international rankings, is slated as a warm up game in advance of Ireland’s 2018 World Cup qualifier game against Austria on June 11. Ireland is currently ranked 26th in the FIFA world rankings while Mexico is 17th.
“This is a brilliant match for us in our preparation for our World Cup qualifier against Austria,” Ireland manager Martin O’Neill said in a statement.
“Mexico in the United States couldn’t be much tougher but it’s exactly what we want,” O’Neill said, noting it will be good practice for the team’s upcoming games against Uruguay in Dublin June 4 and the match against Austria. “The players who may not have played for a while after their club season has ended will, I’m sure, relish the opportunity to play against such quality opposition.”
Ireland has faced off against Mexico only four times, with one loss (in the 1994 World Cup in Orlando) and three draws, most recently in Chicago in 2000. They have had better success at MetLife, beating Italy in the 1994 World Cup game 2-0, and in 2000 when they won 3-0 against Bolivia and 2-1 against South Africa. ♦
Ireland v. Mexico Soccer Friendly
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