Global
Apr 19, 2016
USWNT to face Japan on June 5 in pre-Olympics tune-up
CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Japan on June 5 at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, as it continues its preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The match will kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
It will be the second leg of a two-game set between the 2015 Women’s World Cup finalists as the USA and Japan also meet on June 2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. (7 p.m. MT on FS1).
+Read: USWNT draws New Zealand, France, Colombia in Group G at 2016 Olympics
Additional Notes
- The USA is 11-0-0 in 2016 and has out-scored its opponents 42-1, winning 10 games by shutout. The only goal the USA has allowed this year came in a 2-1 victory against Germany in the SheBelieves Cup.
- These two games against Japan will mark the first meetings between the teams since the historic 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Vancouver, B.C. on July 5 of last year. The USA won 5-2 behind a historic hat trick from Carli Lloyd to win its record third Women’s World Cup title.
- The USA and Japan have met in the last three world championship finals – the 2011 Women’s World Cup, the 2012 Olympics and the 2015 Women’s World Cup – but Japan failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics at the very difficult Asia qualifying tournament earlier in March.
- This will be the USA’s third visit to Cleveland and the first in over six years, with the previous two matches at FirstEnergy Stadium (formerly Cleveland Browns Stadium) coming in June 2007, a 2-0 win against China PR, and May 2010, a 4-0 victory over Germany.
- These will be the first matches of the year against a team from the Asia Confederation, with the previous 11 games coming against CONCACAF, European and South American teams.
