The U.S Men’s National Team continues its European summer tour on Saturday in Lyon to face France at 3 p.m. ET. Columbus Crew SC players
Zack Steffen
and
Wil Trapp
were called up to the USNMT ahead of two friendly matches against Ireland and France this week.
Last Saturday, the Stars and Stripes suffered a late loss at Aviva Stadium as Ireland’s Alan Judge scored in the 90th minute to win the game. U.S. striker Bobby Wood opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time only to see Ireland equalize minutes after the second half began. Crew SC midfielder Will Trapp donned the captain’s armband for the match and played the full 90 minutes.
“For our group, it’s about taking the steps — the first game against Bolivia, then Ireland, which was a tough crowd and now knowing this is the best test of the week,” said captain Wil Trapp. “It’s their [France] last game before the World Cup so we know the energy should be high.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, fans are calling for Steffen to be in the net against France after the loss in Dublin. Steffen currently holds Crew SC’s club shutout streak which spans five matches and 495 minutes.
“We want to show everyone who is watching what we’ve got. We want to go in and play as a team, work for each other and enjoy the experience,” said Goalkeeper Zack Steffen when asked about playing France.
Saturday’s match against the World Cup contenders will be only the fourth meeting between the U.S. and France. The young USMNT roster - with an average age of 23 years, 66 days-- is almost three years younger than the French roster's average of 26 years, 14 days.
USA vs. France kicks off on Saturday at Groupama Stadium in Lyon at 3 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.
