Ireland will take on USA at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday afternoon where they will be looking to rebound from a tough 1-0 loss last Friday to Scotland in European Championship Qualifying.
This match should provide them with the perfect opportunity to get things turned around given that USA will be nowhere near full strength. Players such as DeAndre Yedlin, Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen in addition to Ireland striker Robbie Keane have returned to their MLS sides as the playoff race continues to tighten.
In spite of the missing stars, this one should prove an exciting contest. Ireland have been in very fine form of late, and sit joint second in their qualifying group on seven points having beaten Georgia and Gibraltar and picked up an away point in Germany. However, the lead-up to last week's match against Scotland and this match has been dominated by news of assistant manager Roy Keane. It will likely be a nice break for the boys in green to just get out and play football.
Meanwhile, USA are one of the most exciting young squads in world football. At the World Cup over the summer, they showed how far they have come and thrilled a nation. Now, manager Jurgen Klinsmann is looking to bred in some new youngsters as they turn their eyes to the 2015 Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Championship tournament.
In terms of team news, not a massive amount is known and neither side is going to be at full strength. Although Captain Keane did not start last week in Glasgow, he is still in the plans of boss Martin O'Neill, and will certainly be sorry to miss out on an international against club teammates and opponents.
Meanwhile for the United States, they will be without some of their best players and to an extent it will be a patchwork defence. However, there are some very exciting players beginning to come through the ranks. In particular, look to see what sort of influence Rosenborg midfielder Mix Diskerud has on the game. In addition, it is really important for misfiring Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore to try and get a goal.
In spite of the fact that neither side is at full strength, this match looks as if it will be entertaining and exciting.