Landon Donovan will lead the U.S. Men's National Team against Scotland and Antigua & Barbuda in matches in Florida. Photo Credit: David Bernal|U.S. Soccer

U.S. Men's National Team Returns to Florida for Key Matches in Jacksonville and Tampa

U.S. to Face Scotland on May 26 at EverBank Field; Opens Qualifying for 2014 FIFA World Cup against Antigua and Barbuda on June 8 at Raymond James Stadium

The U.S. Men's National Team returns to Florida for two critical matches heading into this summer as part of a five-match stretch that includes the start of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. will face Scotland on May 26 in Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff at EverBank Field is set for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the match will be shown live on the NBC Sports Network in the channel's debut broadcast of a Men's National Team game, as well as the Univision family of networks.

Jacksonville will host a U.S. Men's National Team for the first time since Feb. 6, 1999, when the USA recorded a massive upset of defending European Champion Germany with a 3-0 victory.

"Jacksonville has an amazing facility and is the perfect place for us to begin our important summer schedule," said U.S. head coach Jürgen Klinsmann. "We are excited to bring the U.S. National Team back to a part of the country we haven't visited in many years. It's fantastic that we can continue to give fans in different parts of the country the chance to share in the journey."

The United States will kick off the effort to qualify for its seventh consecutive FIFA World Cup when they host Antigua and Barbuda on June 8 at Raymond James Stadium, marking the first World Cup qualifier in the state of Florida since the USA defeated Mexico 2-1 on Nov. 23, 1980, in Ft. Lauderdale. The semifinal round opener begins at 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN, ESPN3 and the Univision family of networks.

"Our focus since last summer has been to prepare this team for World Cup qualifying, and we are thrilled that we can start the process in Tampa," said Klinsmann. "It's critical that we start qualifying off on the right foot, so to be in a place where the team has had such great support is a huge positive for us. The players always talk about how great the surface is at Raymond James Stadium, so overall we think it is the ideal venue."

The U.S. has played Scotland six times in its history, holding a lifetime record of 1-3-2 in a series dating back to 1949. The first three times the U.S. faced Scotland, it lost all three matches by a combined 11-0 margin, but the series has turned around since that opening, with the United States earning a victory and two draws.

The USA first met Scotland on June 19, 1949, dropping a 4-0 decision at Randall’s Island, N.Y. Scotland netted a 6-0 win against the U.S. on April 30, 1952, in Glasgow, Scotland, followed by a 1-0 victory on May 17, 1992, in Denver, Colo. The U.S. garnered its first win against Scotland on May 26, 1996, with Eric Wynalda and Cobi Jones tallying goals en route to a 2-1 victory in New Britain, Conn.

The teams last met on U.S. soil in the USA's final preparation match before the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing to a scoreless draw on May 30, 1998, in Washington, D.C. Most recently, the U.S. and Scotland played to a 1-1 draw on Nov. 12, 2005, in Glasgow. Josh Wolff converted a penalty kick in the ninth minute, but Scotland responded later in the first half. The USA dominated the match but could not find the game-winner.

The Tartan Army narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2012 European Championship from a group that included defending FIFA World Cup champion Spain. Scotland's strike force includes Kris Boyd, the all-time leading goal scorer in the Scottish Premier League who recently signed with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.

The United States has never played against Antigua and Barbuda, which qualified for the Semifinal Round of qualifying for the first time ever after winning Group F with a combined score of 25-3. Antigua and Barbuda will be the 91st country the U.S. Men will face in the history of the program.

Along with the United States and Antigua and Barbuda, Group A is comprised of Guatemala and Jamaica. Each opponent will meet twice, once at home and once away, in round robin play.  The top teams from each of three groups will advance to the Final Round of qualifying, which will take place in 2013. Three teams will automatically qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team will play in a two-leg playoff against the winner of the Oceania region.

While Antigua and Barbuda is months away from announcing its roster heading into the match, it is clear that much of the team’s attacking goes through Antiguan forward Peter Byers. Byers, who has eight goals in qualifying (the most goals among active players in qualifying), plays for the Los Angeles Blues in the USL PRO. He first debuted for Antigua and Barbuda’s national team in 2004. Last year, the 27-year-old Byers had two hat tricks in World Cup Qualifying victories against the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 6 and Oct. 11.

With Antigua Barracuda FC joining the USL PRO for the 2011 season, naturally the majority of Antigua and Barbuda national team flocked to this franchise and spent the year playing among the league’s various U.S.-based teams.

Antigua and Barbuda captain and defender George Dublin, midfielder Tamorley “Ziggy” Thomas and forward Randolph Burton are among a group of 18 capped players who have recent ties to Antigua Barracuda, which finished its first USL PRO season with a 9-13-2 record.

The United States will be making its seventh appearance in Tampa dating back to a 1-1 tie with Switzerland in 1985. Overall, the U.S. has a 3-2-1 record with wins against Finland (1990), Ecuador (2007) and El Salvador (2010). The 2007 matchup is the most memorable, with 31,547 on hand at Raymond James Stadium to see a magnificent hat trick by Landon Donovan in a 3-1 victory. In 2008, Raymond James Stadium hosted the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team for the group phase of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying. The U.S. posted a 2-0-1 record against Cuba, Panama and Honduras.

Following the match against Scotland, the U.S. continues its competition against the world's top teams when they host five-time World Cup champion Brazil on Wednesday, May 30 in Landover, Md. Kickoff for the USA's first-ever match at FedExField is set for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

For the last game before the start of World Cup qualifying, the United States will make a rare visit to Canada when it renews the rivalry June 3 at BMO Field in Toronto. Kickoff for the USA's first match on Canadian soil since 1997 is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

Ticket information will be announced in the near future. To find out when tickets will go on sale for both for matches, join U.S. Soccer's ticket alert email list. For the opportunity to purchase tickets for either game before the general public, join the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club and earn priority access to the ticket presale.

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