USWNT to face Thailand, Netherlands in post-Olympic friendlies

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The first two matches following the 2016 Olympic Games for the U.S. Women’s National Team have been set, with the Americans facing Thailand on Thursday, Sept. 15 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio before traveling to Atlanta to take on the Netherlands on Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Georgia Dome. The kickoff times and broadcast information for both matches will be announced when confirmed.

The match in Columbus will mark the first for the USA against Thailand, which made its debut on the world’s stage at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Thailand will be the 50th different country the U.S. WNT has faced in its history.

The USA has previously played the Netherlands six times, with the first meeting coming in 1991 in the only win for the Dutch, a 4-3 home victory in Vianen. The USA has since won five consecutive meetings including the most recent, a 3-1 win in The Hague in April of 2013.

Additional Notes:

• The USA is 14-0-1 in 2016 heading into the 2016 Olympics and will open Group G play on Aug. 3 – two days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies – against New Zealand (7 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN) at Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte. The USA will stay in Belo Horizonte – which is 270 miles north of Rio de Janeiro – to face France at Mineirão Stadium on Aug. 6 (5 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN) and finish group play against Colombia on Aug. 9 (6 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN) at the Amazônia Stadium in Manaus, the same arena in which the U.S. MNT tied Portugal 2-2 during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the furthest soccer venue from Rio (more than 1,700 miles).
• The USA is 5-1-0 all-time against the Netherlands. In the most recent meeting in The Hague in April of 2013, the USA won 3-1, getting a goal from Tobin Heath and two from Christen Press. Manon Melis scored for Holland.
• Thailand had a respectable Women’s World Cup debut last summer in Canada, falling 4-0 to long-time power Norway before picking up its first win in a FIFA competition with a 3-2 victory against Ivory Coast. Thailand then fell 4-0 to then world No. 2 Germany and bowed out of the tournament with distinction.
• The U.S. WNT has a long history at MAPFRE Stadium, formerly Columbus Crew Stadium, having first played there in October of 1999 after the Women’s World Cup. The USA also played a Women’s World Cup match there in 2003, defeating North Korea, 3-0.
• The WNT’s most recent game at MAPFRE Stadium was in October of 2013, a 1-1 draw with New Zealand.
• The USA has played in the City of Atlanta just once before, an 8-0 win against Russia at the Georgia Dome in February of 2014.
• The U.S. Women have played on five other occasions (all victories) in the Atlanta metro area, including three visits to Decatur High School in Decatur between 1993 and 1996, a 1999 trip to Dekalb Memorial Stadium in Clarkston, and a stop in Kennesaw for a match at KSU Soccer Stadium in 2010.
• A natural grass surface will be installed for the match at the Georgia Dome.
• Beyond metro Atlanta, the WNT has played two other games in the State of Georgia: a semifinal and then the gold medal match in Athens, Ga., for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. The 2-1 gold medal victory over China PR was played 20 years ago on Aug. 1, 1996.