Halilhodzic Sees ‘Real Test’ in US-Morocco Friendly Ahead of World Cup

Vahid Halilhodzic, head coach of Morocco’s national football team, has described the upcoming friendly match between Morocco and the United States as “a real test” for his team ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Rabat – Vahid Halilhodzic, head coach of Morocco’s national football team, has described the upcoming friendly match between Morocco and the United States as “a real test” for his team ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The match against the US “will allow us to prepare to face Canada,” Halilhodzich said at a press conference today in Cincinnati, Ohio, adding that the two North American teams have the same “footballing approach.”

The international friendly will take place today, June 1, at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. It will kick off at 7:30 pm local time, which is 12:30 am in Morocco.

During the press conference, the Atlas Lions coach spoke at length about the “good atmosphere and [positive] state of mind” that his team has shown in training. He conceded, however, that summoning Atlas Lions players for international matches following a long season with their respective clubs is physically and mentally challenging.

Romain Saiss, the captain of the Atlas Lions, has said that despite the injuries and sickness that some players suffer from, the match against the US is a “source of motivation” since it is an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup.

Five Moroccan internationals will miss the Morocco-US friendly game, including FC Bayern Munich right-back Noussair Mazraoui due to his injury.

Saiss confirmed his departure from the English club Wolverhampton yesterday in an emotional post on his Instagram account.

Head coach of the US football team Gregg Berhalter said last month that the international friendly is “a good challenge” for his squad. “We are very much looking forward to the challenge,” he said.

The Moroccan national team will be the first African squad to play against the US since Berhalter became head coach in 2018.

Both Halilhodzic and Saiss congratulated the Wydad AC for winning the CAF Champions League title after beating Egypt’s Al Ahly 2-0 on Monday. “It has been a very good year for Moroccan football,” Saiss said.