SportsSuper Falcons Play World Champions US Women In Exhibition Tie

Super Falcons Play World Champions US Women In Exhibition Tie

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BEVERLY HILLS, May 06, (THEWILL) – BEVERLY HILLS, May 06, (THEWILL) – The repute of the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, has earned them the honour of playing an exhibition match at the Q2 Stadium, the state-of-the-art, 20,500-seat home of Austin FC, against the reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT).

The announcement was made on Thursday that the stadium will host the exhibition match on June 17, at 2am local time. The match will take place as part of the 2021 WNT Summer Series, an international women’s football tournament, consisting of a series of friendly games.

It will be a record honour as the USWNT versus Nigeria match will be the first-ever match to be played at the $260 million, privately-financed Q2 soccer stadium in Austin, Texas. It will also mark the debut of a U.S. Soccer’s senior team in the capital city as neither the USWNT nor U.S. Men’s National Team have staged a match in Austin, previously.

Andy Loughnane Austin FC President, commented on the excitement ahead of the debut experience: “We are both thrilled and honored that the first-ever match at Q2 Stadium will feature the four-time FIFA World Champions. Hosting the USWNT at Q2 Stadium speaks to the world-class nature of our city, our facilities, and the popularity of the sport in our region.”

Also thrilled with the Austin community and happy to play there was Vlatko Andonovski, team coach of the FIFA Champions. He said: “We are extremely excited for U.S. Women’s National Team to play the first soccer match at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium.

“The development of Austin FC has been impressive and fun to watch, and the way the community has embraced the Club is inspiring. We can’t wait to play there and feel that energy.”

Other national teams expected to feature at the USWNT Summer Series are Portugal and Jamaica on June 10 and 13, respectively. Those games will be followed by the Falcons match at Q2 Stadium against the American ladies on June 16. After the women have opened the stadium with their match, Austin FC will play its historic MLS home opener against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, June 19.

The friendly tie between the Super Falcons will be the final USWNT international game before Andonovski names the 18-player Olympic Team roster for Tokyo. The Stars and Stripes will also play two Olympic send-off matches in early July before leaving for Japan. At the Olympic Final Draw on April 21, the USA was placed into Group G where it will face Sweden (July 21 in Tokyo), New Zealand (July 24 in Saitama) and Australia (July 27 in Kashima) for the group stages of the football competition.

As another first of many, the match between the Super Falcons and the USWNT at the Q2 Stadium will also be the first time the Stars and Stripes will clash with their Nigerian counterparts outside of a world championship. However, it will be the third-ever exhibition match against an African country, with the previous two (2) coming against South Africa’s Bayana Bayana.

THEWILL recalls that the success of the Super Falcons at their last engagement, which was the four-nation invitational tournament in Turkey in February, was the first in history for Nigeria in Europe and the first crown under new manager Randy Waldrum. That triumph was pointed to as an indicator of the new stage of success that is expected of the team under Waldrum’s tactical direction.

The 64-year-old American, who previously played as a midfielder and has worked largely within the American women’s football circle, was head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national team between 2014 and 2016. In his previous role, he was head coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers women’s football team before he accepted the Super Falcons’ job.

His wide experience in women’s football in the US and the quality at his disposal in the Falcons’ team especially new names like the very impressive Toni Payne, will give Nigerians the confidence to believe in the ability of the Super Falcons to hold their own against the best team in female football in the world.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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