EIR SPORT HAVE announced that they will show Ireland’s friendly clash with all-conquering world champions USA on Saturday, 3 August.
The Girls in Green — still without a manager after Colin Bell’s shock departure — will come face to face with Jill Ellis’ side at the Rose Bowl in California next Saturday in the US’ first game since their World Cup final win over the Netherlands earlier this month.
The first leg of the States’ five-game victory tour in front of their home fans, the showdown at the 92,500-capacity stadium will kick off at 7pm local time, which works out at 3am on Sunday, 4 August Irish time.
It comes as a huge boost for women’s football in Ireland as the wait to reach a first-ever major tournament goes on — and a huge coup for the WNT ahead of their Euro 2021 qualifiers, where they’ve been grouped with Germany, Ukraine, Montenegro and Greece.
They’ll take confidence from their last World Cup qualifiers going forward, in which they drew with 2019 finalists the Netherlands, while Norway — the other team that prevailed from their group — reached the quarter-finals in France.
Ireland last played the USA in an international friendly in January 2016, losing 5-0 at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, while they were on the wrong end of a 3-0 result in San Jose in May 2015.
Elsewhere, there’s more good news for women’s football close to home, with Shelbourne’s Women’s National League (WNL) side welcoming Southampton to Dublin for a friendly next Tuesday night.
Kick-off at the Oscar Traynor Road centre is 7.30pm.
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