The United States Women’s National Team were already slated to play two friendlies during their annual January Camp next month. After announcing their match against Paraguay last month, they now have a second
opponent. Today, U.S. Soccer announced that the USWNT will face Chile on January 27th at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara.
It’s the first time the USWNT will play in Santa Barbara and the first time they’ve played at a college stadium since 2012, when they played at Florida Atlantic University’s stadium against China. The match will come three days after they face Paraguay at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
“One of the goals of U.S. Soccer is to take our National Teams to new markets around the country, and I applaud that,” head coach Emma Hayes said in a statement. “Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history so I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries. This is the start of an important year for our team and as always, we’re focused on maximizing every minute we get with the players.”
The USWNT and Chile – ranked 45th in the world rankings – last met during the group stage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. That match was a 3-0 win for the USWNT on their way to their fourth Women’s World Cup title. They also met in two friendlies in 2018, both taking place in California. Those matches ended in 3-0 and 4-0 wins for the United States. They will now serve as part of the kickoff of a pivotal year for the USWNT.
