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THE March friendly between the Welsh men’s football team and the United States will see extensive security measures in place as the Washington raises tensions in the Persian Gulf.
The PA news agency reported yesterday that contracts are about to be swapped between the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and US Soccer for a March 30 friendly at the Cardiff City Stadium.
It is set to be the first visit of a major US national sports side to Britain since Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed by a US air strike last week.
The FAW was always aware that hosting the US for the first time in a men’s football international would present unique security challenges. But some measures are reportedly now being ramped up in the wake of President Donald Trump decision to send 3,000 more troops to the Middle East and his threat to strike Iranian cultural sites.
The FAW has experience of working closely with security agencies, having hosted the 2017 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus at the Principality Stadium.
The US team — likely to include players such as Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic and Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin — will play Holland in Eindhoven on March 26 and was seeking another game on their European tour. US Soccer postponed its men’s training camp in Qatar on Saturday after what it described as the “developing situation” in the Gulf.
Gregg Berhalter’s squad were set to train in Doha from January 5-25 in preparation for their first match of 2020 against Costa Rica in California next month. They are now holding their annual January camp at the IMG Academy in Florida.
