The U.S. women's national team (USWNT) will travel to Australia for two friendlies to close out the team's 2021 schedule.
The USWNT will face the Matildas on November 27 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, and on November 30 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
Stadium Australia, which was built for the 2000 Olympics, is set to host the final of the 2023 World Cup which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
What was said?
“This trip and these games will be fantastic tests and learning opportunities,” said U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski in a federation release. “Getting to go to one of the countries hosting the next Women’s World Cup and having to deal with the travel and facing one of the best teams in the world is a great way to end the year.
"We really appreciate that Football Australia and the Australian government came together to make this trip possible.”
New era begins
The USWNT will likely feature several new faces on the roster as they look to move on from a disappointing showing at this summer's Olympics that saw them take home a bronze medal.
The team has had four post-Olympics friendlies, but those matches were contractually required to feature players from the Olympic roster with the only new faces coming in as injury replacements.
Andonovski will have the freedom to choose any players he wishes for the two games at Australia, which will give him the chance to test out some more inexperienced young players.
A familiar foe
The USWNT will face the Matildas for the 33rd and 34th time in their history, and the third and fourth time in 2021. The two sides met twice at this summer's Olympics: a 0-0 draw in the group stage and a 4-3 win for the USWNT in the bronze medal game.
Further reading
- 'Lloyd would stay 20 minutes after training to boost her fitness'
- How Brazil-born Macario made USWNT dream a reality