US to visit Dutch for March friendly

United States will visit Netherlands for a March 3 friendly at Amsterdam on the only FIFA fixture date before the start of final training for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Americans, who open their World Cup adventure June 12 against England, announced Wednesday they had booked a date at Amsterdam ArenA against the third-ranked Dutch squad.

It will be the one chance US coach Bob Bradley has to see top European club talent released from team commitments as well as a full lineup from US Major League Soccer clubs, who will have not yet started their 2010 season.

“We are very excited about the chance to play a team with the quality of the Netherlands,” Bradley said.

“During the past three years we have tried to challenge ourselves against the best opponents in different environments, and having the chance to play in Holland prior to the World Cup is a great opportunity for our group.”

The Dutch are 3-0 against the Americans, winning 1-0 at Amsterdam in 2004 in their most recent meeting.

In the past year, US players have faced eight teams who will be in South Africa for next year’s global football showdown, including powers Italy, Brazil and Spain.

The Americans have England, Slovenia and Algeria in their World Cup group while the Dutch face a first-round group that includes Denmark, Cameroon and Japan.