Carli Lloyd scored the lone goal against China in a 1-0 win in the 2015 Women’s World Cup. (Andy Mead/YCJ Photo)
CHICAGO – The U.S. women’s national team will face China PR in two summer friendly matches.
The first one is set for Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah Thursday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET (FS1) and the second one at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Tuesday, June 12 at (7 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
The match at Rio Tinto Stadium will mark the first appearance for the USWNT in Utah since the establishment of the Utah Royals FC, the newest team in the National Women’s Soccer League. Utah and Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake calls Rio Tinto Stadium home.
“Obviously, there’s a great history between the countries and we always enjoy the matches against China,” U.S. head coach Jill Ellis said. “They bring a level of technical skill and tactical savvy that challenges us, which is what we need as we continue to prepare for World Cup qualifying in the fall.”
The Americans played China in two consecutive international finals in the 1990s, winning 2-1 in the 1996 Olympic gold-medal game, the first contested in women’s soccer, and then winning the penalty-kick shootout that decided the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. and China have met 56 times, second behind Canada on the list of most common opponent for the U.S., but they have not played since the final game of 2015, a 1-0 loss for the USA in what was striker Abby Wambach’s final game.
That loss at the Superdome in New Orleans ended a 104-match home unbeaten streak dating back to 2004 for the Americans. The U.S. and China met in the quarterfinal round at the 2015 Women’s World Cup with the Americans emerging with a 1-0 victory on a header from Carli Lloyd.
