USA vs Oman: Team news, broadcast options, preview for September 12, 2023 friendly

Topics: TV Schedule, USA, Oman, International Friendly

The Stars and Stripes host Oman with the aim of making it back-to-back wins since Berhalter's return. Here is everything you need to know about this tie.

Where can I watch USA vs Oman live?

Fans in the USA can watch their national team live on TV on Universo and TNT. If you prefer streaming games, then fear not, as there are several options to choose from including Watch TNT, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock, UNIVERSO NOW, and fuboTV, which offers live streaming via Universo, Universo NOW, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.

If you live elsewhere, please check our dedicated match page for further information on how to follow USA vs Oman live in your country.

Preview

The USMNT prepare for their second and final match of the September international break, with the Stars and Stripes hosting Oman in a friendly at Allianz Field in Minnesota. This fixture is an 8:30 p.m. ET kick-off, which is not the best time for fans in Europe or the Middle East, but this will be an interesting game to catch nonetheless.

The North American powerhouse enters this clash on the back of their recent victory over Uzbekistan, beating the Asian nation 3-0 thanks to goals from Timothy Weah, Ricardo Pepi, and Christian Pulisic. This was also the first game for Gregg Berhalter since being reappointed as the national team manager.

The man who led the Stars and Stripes to the 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16, where they eventually lost to the Netherlands, was let go after allegations of domestic abuse from the 50-year-old tactician's past resurfaced.

An independent investigation cleared the U.S. Soccer Federation to rehire the former Colombus Crew boss, which they did. He has now been tasked with improving the team and uniting the squad — the domestic abuse claims were brought to everyone's attention by the disgruntled family of USA talent Gio Reyna.

Under his reign, the North American giants won the Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League while making the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition. While this game against Oman is a friendly, it is a tremendous warm-up for their tricky upcoming fixtures in October against Ghana and Germany.

Oman, on the other hand, kicks off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign soon and will love to enter that competition on the back of a win against the USA. The Middle Eastern nation have never qualified for that prestigious tournament in their history but there is reason to be optimistic this time around.

Al-Ahmar finished as runners-up in the most recent edition of the Gulf Cup, losing to Iraq in the final after beating Saudi Arabia in the group stage. Furthermore, Branko Ivankovic's side also beat continental powerhouse Japan 1-0 in the qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, though this amounted to little, and finished third in the Central Asian Football Association Nations Cup.

Ivankovic can be credited with this uptick in form from Oman as he has enjoyed impressive spells with the Iraq national team and Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb.

However, beating your neighbors is nothing compared to overcoming FIFA's 11th-ranked nation in the world. Oman enters this tie with some lovely form but that counts for little when they come face to face with a team that has several players plying their trade in Europe's major leagues. Do not miss this fixture.

Team news

USA: Tim Weah scored in the win over Uzbekistan and will be hopeful of another start alongside Monaco ace Folarin Balogun. Christian Pulisic, who has enjoyed a terrific start at AC Milan, also got on the scoresheet in the aforementioned 3-0 victory but could be given a rest while Ricardo Pepi, the other goalscorer, might miss out on on a start. Matt Turner has been given permission to return to the UK for the birth of his child and will not feature while Tyler Adams, Taylor Booth, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sean Johnson, Josh Sargent, Zack Steffen, and Walker Zimmerman are all injured. Gio Reyna, meanwhile, was not called up.

Oman: The visitors have called up 19 players from three clubs in their domestic league: reigning champions Al-Seeb, second-placed Al-Nahda, and Al-Suwaig. Issam Al-Sabhi and Muhsen Al-Ghassani, who are the two top scorers in the current roster, will likely lead the attack while Al-Ahmar will rely on captain Harib Al-Saadi and goalkeeper Faiz Al-Rushaidi for their experience.

Key stats

This will be the first-ever meeting between these two national teams.
Oman is unbeaten in four consecutive games and enters this game on the back of a three-match winning streak, beating Palestine in their most recent outing.
This will be only the third encounter between Al-Ahmar and a CONCACAF nation, having narrowly lost 4-3 to Costa Rica in 2014 while beating Haiti 3-0 the year before that.
USA's Gold Cup semifinal defeat to Panama on penalties is their only loss since losing 2-1 to Serbia straight after their 2022 FIFA World Cup elimination.
The Stars and Stripes have won all but three of their last 11 fixtures, drawing two and losing once.