The U.S. women's national team will play a farewell match against Wales ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Wales will play outside of Europe for the first time in their program history, and the two sides are meeting for the first time at the senior national team level when they battle on Sunday. The match will serve as final match preparation for the USWNT before they head to New Zealand where they will play the entirety of their World Cup group stage against the Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, July 8 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Pay Pal Stadium -- San Jose, California
- TV: TNT | Telemundo
- Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
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Storylines
USWNT: The big news leading into this one is that Megan Rapinoe announced that she will be retiring later this year, and that means this will be her last World Cup. The team is finally back together since their last go-round against Ireland in April and a lot has changed. They have been in California for nearly two week, going through training and planning at Stanford University ahead of the tournament group stage. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski has said that they intend to use a final game against Wales as preparation for the group stage with key players like Becky Sauerbrunn, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario missing the tournament due to injury.
There's a possibility that his ideal starting lineup will flex their talents, but there are some unknown variables heading into the game. Midfielder Rose Lavelle hasn't played a competitive match since April after exiting the previous international window with a leg injury. How many minutes she gets ahead of the group stage is unknown, but that could mean NWSL standout Savannah DeMelo gets her first national team minutes ahead of the World Cup.
Wales: The Dragons will play in California for the first time as they go up against the No. 1 in the world in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. They are ranked 31st among the FIFA World rankings but are No. 10 among UEFA teams. Manager Gemma Grainger and the squad will be motivated by the historic opportunity between the two sides and are currently undefeated in five international competitions this year, with two wins against Northern Ireland and 2023 World Cup debutants Philippines.
Iconic NWSL midfielder Jess Fishlock has been working her way back from injury with the Reign, her long-time club, and is Wales' leading goal scorer with 36 over 141 matches. Angharad James also spent time in NWSL but now plays with Tottenham Hotspur in FAWSL. James has 17 goals in her 69 caps for Wales. Expect the duo to cause some problems in the middle third if they get time together on the pitch.
USWNT vs. Wales prediction
The two sides will have an opening 20 minutes of feeling each other out before things open up. First game together since April for the U.S. means goals might come in the second half. Pick: USWNT 2, Wales 0.
