Socceroos book USA date

The international friendly will be played at Ruimsig Stadium in the Johannesburg suburb of Roodeport on June 5.

Verbeek said the match against the Americans, ranked five spots higher at No.18, would provide good preparation for the group clashes with Germany, Serbia and Ghana.

"The USA are a very strong team ... they narrowly lost to the Netherlands recently, which shows their qualities," said Verbeek.

"Their style of play will allow us to test our players against similar opposition to what we will face at the World Cup."

There is a chance the clash with the Americans could be repeated in the round of 16 at the World Cup in the unlikely event that one of the teams tops their group.

The June 5 clash will be only the third time the two nations have ever met and the Socceroos hold a historical edge, having drawn 0-0 in 1998 at San Diego and winning 1-0 in Orlando in 1992.

The game could see a matchup between Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and his Fulham teammate, US striker Clint Dempsey.

American coach Bob Bradley welcomed the clash with a "quality opponent" before his 18th-ranked team meets England in their Group C opener on June 12.

"Australia demonstrated in 2006 (when they went out to eventual champions Italy in the last 16) that they're a team capable of competing at the World Cup," Bradley said.

The Americans went out in the group stage of the 2006 tournament in Germany.

They edged Mexico to top the table in North American final-round qualifying for the 2010 World Cup where they will also face Slovenia and Algeria in Group C matches.

Australia's final home warm-up game is against New Zealand in Melbourne on May 24.