Raymond James to host soccer exhibition

Just two days after Tampa learned it has a shot at hosting future World Cup soccer matches, the city was named Thursday to play host to an international exhibition game between the U.S. men's national team and El Salvador, Feb. 24 at Raymond James Stadium.

For the Americans, the contest will be their second-to-last match before head coach Bob Bradley names his final 23-man roster for this summer's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Against non-World Cup qualifier El Salvador, however, Bradley, will likely field a team comprised mostly of U.S.-based players, said U.S. Soccer spokesman David Applegate.

Kickoff at RJS is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and TeleFutura.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. and will be available through ussoccer.com, by telephone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket locations in the Tampa Bay area. Prices will range from $18 to $68, plus special VIP on-field seats for $150.

"This game will be an important part of our preparations, providing us with one of the last opportunities to evaluate the players being considered for the World Cup roster," Bradley said. "We are excited about the chance to return to Tampa, a community which has a long tradition of supporting soccer."

Tampa is one of 18 U.S. cities that will be included in the USA's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. This is the fifth time the city will have hosted the U.S. men's national squad in a friendly. The last time came March 25, 2007, when striker Landon Donovan recorded a hat trick in front of 31,547 fans at RJS to lead the Americans to a 3-1 victory over Ecuador on March 25, 2007. The attendance mark was a record for an exhibition soccer match in Florida.

After the El Salvador game, the U.S. will travel to face third-ranked Holland on March 3 in Amsterdam. Once Bradley names his World Cup roster, the U.S. is expected to slate its final tune-up games prior to the World Cup.