CHICAGO (Aug. 3, 2011) – The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will return to the field for the first time since the conclusion of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup when it faces Canada during friendly matches in September, including a matchup at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com
The two-game series featuring the U.S. Women’s World Cup squad will begin at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. (CT) live on FOX Soccer.
Tickets, starting at $22, go on sale to the public for both games Friday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. local time through www.ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Kansas City and Portland areas, as well as at the stadium ticket offices. Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages which include a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.
A special pre-sale for Portland Timbers season tickets holders to purchase tickets for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s match against Canada at JELD-WEN Field will be held Wednesday, Aug. 10, starting at 10 a.m.
As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa® is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. local time and runs until Friday, Aug. 12, at 8 a.m. local time at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.
The U.S. team will come together for the first time since its dramatic run at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany where it captivated the country with an inspirational march to the final, coming tantalizingly close to winning the world championship before Japan scored a late overtime equalizer and then won the tournament in a penalty shootout.
The U.S. Women’s National Team features former University of Portland standouts Stephanie Cox and Megan Rapinoe, while Canada’s roster also includes two former Pilots in Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt.
Abby Wambach and Hope Solo led the U.S. effort at the Women’s World Cup and were recognized for their exceptional performances with the Silver and Bronze Ball awards, respectively, as the second and third best players in the tournament. Solo also grabbed the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper during a tournament in which she passed 100 career caps, and Wambach won the Bronze Boot as the tournament’s third leading scorer. Her four goals upped her career World Cup tally to 13 to break the U.S. record previously held by Michelle Akers (12). Wambach now has 122 career goals, just eight shy of tying Kristine Lilly for second on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list.
Canada is coming off a first-round exit at the Women’s World Cup. Although the Maple Leafs opened with a more than respectable 2-1 loss to host Germany in the tournament’s opening game in front of almost 75,000 fans in Berlin, losses to France and Nigeria prevented advancement to the knockout round.
The teams will be meeting for the 49th and 50th times in history, the most for the USA against any country, with the U.S. holding a 41-3-4 series edge. The teams most recently met in the second match of this year during the Four Nations Tournament in China, a 2-1 U.S. victory on goals by Lauren Cheney and Lindsay Tarpley. Canada features one of the world’s top strikers in Sinclair, who currently leads Women’s Professional Soccer in goal scoring, having knocked in nine scores for the Western New York Flash this season.
The appearance at the brand new, state-of-the art LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas will be the first in that state for the U.S., although the team has played in Arrowhead Stadium on the Missouri side of the state line four times compiling a 2-0-2 record. Two of those meetings came in post-Women’s World Cup tours in 1999 and 2003, and the most recent was a 1-0 win against Mexico in the Fan Celebration Tour following the 2004 Olympics.
This will be the second appearance for the USA in Portland following a Women’s World Cup, the last coming Oct. 17, 2007, in a 4-0 defeat of Mexico in a match that honored Wambach for her 100th cap. The Sept. 22 match will be the 10th for the U.S. in Portland and seventh at JELD-WEN Field, where the U.S. has a 6-1-0 record.
The U.S. Women have a record of 12-3-2 in 2011 and are riding a 49-game unbeaten streak at home, compiling a record of 44-0-5 during that time. Lloyd leads the team with six goals in 2011, while Wambach, Cheney and Alex Morgan have scored five each.
