The long-awaited news is finally official — the United States women’s national team will play New Zealand twice in October, first in San Francisco on Oct. 27 and again on Oct. 30 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Oct. 27 match will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET at Candlestick Park and mark the fist time the Americans have ever played in San Francisco. The Columbus match on Oct. 30 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET. These will be the first meetings between the teams since the U.S. beat New Zealand 2-0 in the 2012 Olympic quarterfinals.
New Zealand is a familiar opponent for U.S. coach Tom Sermanni, who previously coached Australia.
“New Zealand is a much-improved side over the past few years,” he said. ” Qualifying for World Cups and Olympics have helped them significantly, and now they are very composed and competitive team that plays with a great deal of confidence.”
The U.S. is set to face Australia on Oct. 20 in San Antonio, Texas.