By Jacob Klinger

When the US travels to Genoa for its friendly with Italy at the end of the month, it will be the first time ever that the team plays on February 29.

Yet there are a number of different kinds of friendlies. Knowing which friendlies fit which categories helps better understand the scheduling of these matches. It can even help normalize the amount of stress involved in watching them.

Looking forward - and back - I've found five such types of games.

The Test
The Test often takes place in Europe when the national team coach and the scheduling powers that be decide to take a good hard look at the team, and see where it stands. As close to a first-choice roster is called in against a reasonably strong opponent. This could mean grueling road trips like the ones Bob Bradley's team took to England and Spain in the summer of 2008, or simply trips to less accomodating domains such last year's visits to Belgium, France, and Slovenia. When Scotland comes stateside in May, this will also be a test. A team relatively on par with the US in terms of talent does not cross and ocean just to kick around.

Naturally, the effectiveness of this test depends on how seriously the opponent takes the matches. Regardless, there is a significant step up in the difficulty of the match, whether it is the opposing talent, the travel, the venue, or all of the above, the players' nerves are meant to tested. The friendly against Italy should be just that.

The Glamor Game
Though these a hardly a glam occasion for the Nats, that doesn't make them any less recognizable. There's a reason Brazil doesn't plays in Soldier Field and not Toyota Park. In the right situation, these games can more closely resemble 'The Test.' For instance, the last two matches the US played against Argentina were hotly-contested when they could have been simple federation money-makers.

Zat Knight's England debut at Soldider Field comes to mind when thinking of less competitive internationals. Regardless of form or the players on the roster, England is a name team that fills stadiums. On that particular day, the US lost a pretty boring game, 2-1. Still these matches have value beyond the funding the federation. A young Clint Dempsey got a runout that day, scoring his first of many goals for that national team.

The Backyard Ballgame
Not necessarily a brawl, but almost always competitive. These games are played against regional competition that often has a point to prove. Bruce Arena played these all the time, and Klinsmann has utilized them in preparation for World Cup Qualifying with matches against Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama. Not always first-choice, but still valuable in adjusting to the quirks of local playing styles, these friendlies have lately been just as useful for the players as the coach. Props go to Klinsmann for taking this act on the road against Panama. The handful of players from that match still playing for the US come qualifying crunch time will undoubtedly draw strength from the experience.

Prep School
There are a number of theories about preparing for key competitions like the World Cup. Some teams just play whoever they can get a game with while others try to examine styles of group stage opponents. These are an exercise in tactical wrinkles. Which lineups, formations and player combinations work best against certain opposing setups. When the US took on Australia ahead of the group-opener with England it gave Bob Bradley a chance to match wits with a lighter version of the vintage Anglo style. Choosing too light or illogical of an opponent can be deadly, too. The Morocco-Venezuela-Latvia Send Off Series from 2006 was as boring as it was pointless.

There were many things wrong with the 2006 campaign and the prep work was one of them. Playing Spain before the Gold Cup wasn't the greatest of plans either. These games can be marred by the conscious avoidance of injuries, but when planned correctly are largely enjoyable affairs. Any time a Cup's about to happen, soccer can't be all that bad.

Mexico
Nothing takes the friendly out of friendly like a match with Mexico. It doesn't matter who plays, or where. There is bad blood, a high level of competition, and everything else one associates with one of the best rivalries in the international game. US Soccer tends to make a pretty penny off of these, too. Though they can get redundant, this fixture is never a yawner.  

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Jacob Klinger is a regular contributor to Soccer 365 as well as No Short Corners. He is currently a journalism student at Syracuse University. His love for the game goes back as far as he can remember, but was truly christened during the United States' cardiac qualifying campaign for Korea/Japan 2002. Between classes and columns, he still plays. You can follow him on Twitter @MrJacobK or email him at jmklinge@syr.edu. 

HAVE YOUR SAY ... Got a category of your own? Not a fan of the US's scheduling policy? Are you really sick of playing Mexico? Or do you just think there are too many cash-cow games? Have at it in the Facebook comments section below.