Ahead of the Olympic Games in August, the U.S. Women’s National Team revealed on Tuesday that they will take on Costa Rica in their final tune-up match leading up to the tournament.
The match will be played on July 22 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, 13 days after the the USWNT meets South Africa at Solider Field in Chicago.
Following two matches against Japan, where the U.S. drew one and won the other, Jill Ellis’ team continues their preparation for the Olympics, which is slowly closing in.
Ellis and her USWNT will announce their 23-player roster some time between the South Africa and Costa Rica matches, making the latter all the more important as the squad’s final chance to play a competitive game before the tournament.
The U.S. will begin group play at the Rio Olympics on August 3 against New Zealand, before closing out Group G against France and Colombia.
Between the Olympic qualifying, Friendlies, and the We Believe Cup, the USWNT has played
just about every good team around. Remember, Costa Rica played Canada tough in their match
for the last CONCACAF qualifying spot at Rio, and came within a shot hitting the crossbar of
making it to the knockout round of the WC. So they are about as good as we are going to get
at this stage of things.
South Africa? Costa Rica? Does anyone know why the USWNT plays these lightweight matches? No other team will come to the US to play them? A FIFA rule or tradition requires them to play matches against all kinds of teams? They are doing a favor for the other team? These matches really don’t help the team prepare for major tournaments. They would be better off playing against an NWSL team. It’s as if the USMNT played against the Mariana Islands to prep for the Copa America.