USWNT Sets Friendly With France, Two Tough Matches During April

On Tuesday morning the United States Women’s National Team announced that they would face France in an International Friendly during the April FIFA Window. The match will take place on April 13th at 3:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN2 from Stade Oceane in Le Havre. This is the second match in a two-match European swing for USWNT during the April window.

The first match of the window is slated for April 10th when the United States will take on Sweden at Friends Arena in Stockholm. That match will kick-off at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be on FOX.

France is currently ranked third in the world in the latest FIFA rankings while Sweden is ranked fifth. For the top-ranked USWNT side this will be a true tune-up series ahead of the Summer Olympics which will take place in Tokyo this Summer. Hearing news of this France match-up gave instant flashbacks of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. In the quarterfinals the U.S. defeated France 2-1 in a match that featured two goals from Megan Rapinoe.

“We feel really fortunate to be able to get these two games during the April match window,” said U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “Playing France in France is one of the most difficult games we could schedule and that’s exactly what we are looking for in the lead up to the Olympics. They have top class players at every position, play an exciting style and will certainly be highly motivated. They will present a lot of challenges that we will have to overcome both defensively and in the attack.”

So far this year the U.S. is a perfect 5-0 and these matches will be its first away match of 2021 and their first time in Europe since last November.

It is worth noting that the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup will be underway while these friendlies take place. The Challenge Cup kicks off on April 9th which is during the FIFA International Window.