USWNT to play Nigeria in September friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team will finally return to the nation’s capital. Today, U.S. Soccer announced that the USWNT will face Nigeria in a pair of friendlies during the September window.

The first match will take place at Children’s Mercy Park, home of the Kansas City Current and Sporting Kansas City, on September 3rd, with kickoff set for 1:30pm ET on Fox. The second friendly will be at Audi Field, home of the Washington Spirit and DC United, in Washington, DC. That match will be shown on ESPN2 with kickoff set for 6:00pm ET.

The trip to Audi Field marks the first time the USWNT will play in the 4-year-old, 20,000-seat stadium and its first trip to the nation’s capital since the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. That match was a 3-0 loss to France, marking its final trip to soccer cathedral RFK Stadium. That match was the only loss the USWNT have had in DC.

The USWNT last played at Children’s Mercy Park last October, a 0-0 draw against South Korea. It will be the 6th time the USWNT have played at the 18,467-seat stadium since it opened in 2011.

The USWNT hold a 6-0-0 record against Nigeria all time. The teams most recently played in June 2021 in Austin, with the USWNT beating the Lady Eagles 2-0. Nigeria is currently ranked 39th in the world and is competing in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The USWNT recently qualified for its 9th straight Women’s World Cup and is currently competing to win the Concacaf W Championship and qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

“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 head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement. “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.”

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