The United States women’s national team will face Nigeria in a pair of friendlies during September, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced. The two-game series will be hosted in Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 3, and in Washington D.C. at Audi Field on Sept. 6. The announcement comes as the Concacaf W Championship and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations are in progress, with both national teams currently playing in knockout round stages.
The games will serve as the first matches on soil for the USWNT since qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The matches will be the first between the two sides since June 2021, where the U.S. defeated Nigeria 2-0 with goals from Christen Press and Lynn Williams.
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The match at Audi Field will be the first time the USWNT play at the venue, which serves as the home of MLS side D.C. United and some NWSL games for the Washington Spirit. It will be the 18th soccer-specific stadium built for Major League Soccer in the USA at which the team has played.
“First, I’m just excited to play two matches against Nigeria. They have some very talented players who will present a lot of different problems for us to solve on both sides of the ball,” USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a release. “Secondly, of course we’re looking forward to bringing the team back to one of the best soccer cities and best soccer stadiums in the United States in Kansas City, as well as getting to play our first game at Audi Field, which I’ve visited several times for NWSL games and is also a fantastic venue for our team to play in front of our home fans.”
The U.S. qualified for its ninth consecutive World Cup on July 7 following their second group stage match at the Concacaf W Championship, becoming the 12th team and the first nation from Concacaf to qualify for Australia and New Zealand. The Concacaf W Championship serves as qualification for the World Cup, Olympic Games, and the Gold Cup.
The USWNT will face Costa Rica during the Concacaf W Championship semifinals on Thursday with a spot in the final on the line. The winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games and in the 2024 Gold Cup.
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