Fresh off their third straight gold medal (and fourth overall) earlier this month at the Olympics, the U.S. women's national team is set for a tour of the U.S. which actually begins this weekend.
They play Costa Rica on Saturday, September 1 in Rochester, NY (Abby Wambach's hometown) at Sahlen's Stadium. Then they meet Australia on September 16 in Carson, CA at Home Depot Center and September 19 in Commerce City, CO at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Even better than those friendlies, today it was announced that Pia Sundhage's team (No. 1 in the world) will meet the No. 2 team-Germany-on Saturday, October 20 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL and Tuesday, October at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT for a pair of juicy exhibitions.
From the ussoccer.com press release
The U.S. and Germany are two of the most successful women’s soccer nations in history and have met three times in the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the USA owning a 2-1-0 record in those games. The most recent meeting in a major tournament came in the semifinal of the 2004 Athens Olympics as, the U.S. defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time and then went on to the championship game where a victory against Brazil started the USA’s run of three straight Olympic gold medals.
The most recent friendly match between Germany and the U.S. was played just more than two years ago with the USA earning a 4-0 win on May 22, 2010, in Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. Women’s National Team has faced Germany 25 times, compiling a record of 17-4-4 in a series that dates back to a 4-2 win on May 30, 1991, in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
The U.S. women have plenty of history at both of these venues and not surprisingly, they have experienced a boatload of success. Both locations happen to be hotbeds for soccer so expect sold-out crowds to take in the action.
Toyota Park, located less than 15 miles from downtown Chicago, is home to Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire and will host the fourth stop on the U.S. WNT Fan Tribute Tour celebrating the team’s third straight gold medal and fourth overall following a 2-1 victory against Japan on Aug. 9 in front of more than 80,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium to close out the 2012 London Olympics.
The Chicago area is no stranger to hosting friendlies between the two countries. The U.S. has an undefeated record against Germany in games played in Chicago, winning 4-2 on June 28, 1998, and a 4-1 victory on Sept. 9, 2001. Both of those matches were at Soldier Field.
The U.S. WNT has played three times at Toyota Park, with the most recent being a 1-0 triumph against Italy on Nov. 27, 2010, in the second leg of a 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying playoff match that earned the USA a berth in the tournament. The U.S. also defeated China PR 4-1 on Aug. 27, 2006, and earned a 2-0 win against Ireland on Sept. 20, 2008, in two international friendlies at the stadium.
Rentschler Field, the 40,000-seat home to the University of Connecticut football team, also has hosted several U.S. Women’s National Team matches. The USA has a 3-0-0 record at the facility, last playing in East Hartford on July 17, 2010 in a 3-0 win against Sweden. In other matches at the stadium, the U.S. defeated China PR 3-1 on Aug. 1, 2004 and beat Norway 1-0 on July 14, 2007.
This team gave us so many memories this summer at the London Olympics, while these games certainly don't have the same lofty stakes, it is always fun to watch them compete no matter what the circumstances. If you love soccer in America, it doesn't get much better than these special women.
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