The United States gets set to host Japan in a clash of FIFA World Cup hopefuls on Tuesday night, as the two sides meet in an international friendly in central Ohio.

Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun provided the goals and Christian Pulisic the spark for a U.S. side coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday. The win against a largely second choice Japan side ended a seven-game winless run for the U.S.

The 15th-ranked U.S. was coming off a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday in the first of eight friendlies before coach Mauricio Pochettino calls in players for training ahead of the World Cup.

The US had not beaten a top 25 team since the CONCACAF Nations League final against Mexico in March 2024, including five straight defeats.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency