U.S. Soccer announced on Monday that the U.S. Women’s National Team will host World No. 1 Spain in two friendly matches this October.
The teams will meet on October 10 at the Audi Field in Washington, D.C., and on October 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. The USWNT are currently the defending Olympic champion, and the Spanish women’s team is the defending FIFA Women’s World Cup champion.
The U.S. and Spain have met four times previously, and three of those four matches have been won by the U.S., before losing 2-0 in Pamplona, Spain, in 2022.
The U.S. women’s team is currently ranked No. 2 behind Spain in the FIFA World Rankings.
“Two more fantastic matches,” said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. “We’ve desperately wanted to get Spain on our schedule, but the difficulties of scheduling the top teams during the women’s international calendar are well known, so to be able to get these two games on the East Coast will be the perfect tests before we head into World Cup qualifying at the end of the year.”
There will be a pre-game retirement ceremony to honour the USWNT defender Crystal Dunn prior to the first friendly in the nation’s capital.
Dunn announced her retirement earlier this year. The surprising news came via Instagram, where she said she wanted to spend more time with her husband and her son.
She was a part of the U.S. squad that won the 2019 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Gold. Dunn has 160 caps for the national team and scored 25 goals in her career.
“This decision has not come easily, but I am at peace and deeply fulfilled with all that I have accomplished,” Dunn said.
“I’ve achieved nearly everything I dreamed of in this sport and gave all I had to give.”
“I’m ready to embrace the life that awaits me on the other side. I look forward to spending more time with my family and being a more present mom. This was not a decision made lightly, but was one made with immense gratitude for everything I’ve experienced as a professional soccer player.”
