Bruce Arena’s first match in charge of the U.S. national team since the group stage of the 2006 World Cup will come Sunday against Serbia in a friendly at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2, UniMas). Falling outside a FIFA fixture window with secondary rosters, neither Arena nor the players are under immense pressure to win the match. Winter friendlies are low-key affairs, arranged for the purpose of evaluating domestic players and working on fitness ahead of the MLS season and World Cup qualifiers in March.
Nonetheless, the coaching change and player selections have raised the attention level for the Serbia match and next Friday’s meeting with Jamaica in Chattanooga, Tenn.