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PREVIEW: United States Plays South Korea in Harrison; USMNT Need Momentum
The U.S. Men’s National Team is back on the field for the first time since losing the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. They take on South Korea at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, in a friendly.
Both the USMNT and South Korea are in the 2026 FIFA World Cup field.
Despite the USMNT being ranked higher than the Korea Republic, #15 vs #23, the Asian side is looking far more complete and dangerous than the still figuring it out USA.
The game is available to watch on English television via TNT, and is streaming on HBO Max and Peacock. Spanish viewers can catch the match on either Telemundo or Universo.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s match.
U.S. Needs Momentum
It goes without saying, but the United States does not have the best look right now.
Coming off a loss to Mexico in the 2025 Gold Cup Final, it has not been a year to remember for the USA. Outside of the Gold Cup, the team won its first two games of the year before losing four straight, including a Nations League Semifinal and third-place game. The latter gave Canada a rare piece of trophyware by the way, shoutout to former RBNY head coach Jesse Marsch.
The big story of this friendly is Christian Pulisic. The AC Milan midfielder is back with the USMNT after he skipped the Gold Cup tournament earlier this summer. He has scored twice in all competitions for Milan during the early season. Norwich City attacker Josh Sargent is also in the mix. He has five goals in four appearances in the English Championship so far this season.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has elected to bring in more European-based players into the fold this time around, when in the last window, he used a fair amount of Major League Soccer names. Still, he left out multiple big names, such as Weston McKennie.
PSV Eindhoven fullback Sergiño Dest is back for the first time since the team’s fourth-place finish in the Nations League. So is Tim Weah, who recently moved to Marseille in Ligue 1.
The former New York Red Bulls’ star is going to be joined by another former RBNY player, midfielder Tyler Adams.
Nine months out from the FIFA World Cup, the roster construction is still being questioned.
USMNT Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Freese (GK); Dest, Richards, Ream, Arfsten; Adams, de la Torre; Weah, Luna, Pulisic; Sargent
Tigers of Asia Riding High
On June 5, 2025, South Korea became the ninth team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Iraq 2–0 in qualifying. The tournament will mark their 12th appearance in the final tournament and will be a return to the United States after the team competed in the 1994 World Cup.
The Republic of Korea will be a huge test for the USA. Since March 2024, the team has only lost one game across multiple competitions. That loss was to Japan back in July, which lost the country a Gold Medal in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship.
Son Heung-min, the recent LAFC transfer who has captured the spotlight in Major League Soccer, continues to lead the team. He will likely be the main piece of the starting XI on Saturday.
A plethora of European playing talent should also be there. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and FC Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae have garnered more playing time in UEFA competitions as of late. We may also see Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Jens Castrop, who used a one-time switch from Germany to play with South Korea, make his debut.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo has done well since taking over the team in the Summer of 2024. His second stint leading South Korea began with controversy, with many fans questioning the logic of bringing him back following his disastrous 2014 World Cup campaign. While Saturday is not make or break, it will help ease doubters even more if the team pulls off a strong win.
South Korea Predicted Lineup (4-2-2-2): Kim Seung-gyu (GK); Seol Young-woo, Kim Min-jae, Byeon Jun-soo, Lee Myung-jae; Park Yong-woo, Seo Min-woo; Lee Kang-in, Bae Jun-ho; Son Heung-min, Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Return to Harrison
It is wild to think that it’s been nearly a decade since the U.S. Men’s National Team played in Harrison, New Jersey.
The 2017 World Cup Qualifier against Costa Rica was the last time The Stars and Stripes took the field at Sports Illustrated Stadium, then Red Bull Arena (or forever RBA if you ask Tyler Adams).
That game in 2017 feels like a turning point for how US Soccer treated competition in the United States. The sellout crowd of 26,500 was majority backing the visiting Costa Rica, making the match feel like an away game on home soil.
While that isn’t the main reason why the USA lost that game 2–0, it seems to have played a role in where the USA plays its games.
For years to come, places like Minnesota, Columbus, and others like it became regular home venues. Games against Mexico could still be played in California or Texas (there’s money to be made there). Still, the federation seemingly took it to heart to play home games in places where domestic fans would be the priority.
Now, all those years later, the team is back in Harrison. Michael Bradley, the now head coach of New York Red Bulls II, who captained the USMNT against Costa Rica that day, will be honored before the match. It’s safe to say South Korean fans will not outnumber USMNT ones in Harrison.
Maybe enough time has passed, or maybe this is just a safe enough opponent to have the game at Red Bull Arena (shoutout, Tyler Adams).
Either way, one of the country’s better soccer-specific stadiums seeing the U.S. Men’s National Team Football again is great to see.
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