The United States women’s national team will face Haiti in the third match of their World Cup Victory Tour this Thursday. Kickoff is slated for 7pm Eastern Time at Ford Field in Detroit. The match, first of a back to back against their CONCACAF foes, has sold 31,000 tickets.
USWNT Head Coach, Jill Ellis will be bringing her full World Cup roster with the addition of the Crystal Dunn, who was cut from the final roster for Canada. The Washington Spirit Forward and NWSL Golden Boot winner will be looking for her 14th cap in the last three years with the senior team. It is unclear what position the 23 year-old will play, as she is currently listed as a Defender, but has been known to play further up as a forward for her club.
Originally, the USWNT was scheduled to play the next two matches against Australia, but a dispute with their federation led to a refusal to play. The match will mark only the fifth time Haiti and the United States have met. This will be just the first friendly, with all previous appearances being in CONCACAF qualifying. Most recently, the United States dominated their opponents in a 6-0 match which sent them to the 2014 CONCACAF Championship semifinals as the top seed. In their previous four matchups, the US has won a lopsided 29-0 in cumulative score.
The USWNT have played just four times total in the Motor City, three times at Ford Field. This will be the 3rd appearance at Ford Field in a victory tour. Previous two matches welcomed Olympic Gold Medalists after the Beijing Games in 2008 and London in 2012.
Jill Ellis’ lineup for the first of two matches in four days may not resemble what fans were accustomed to seeing during the World Cup. With the NWSL regular season wrapped up, and only the final remaining between FC Kansas City and the Seattle Reign FC, most players will be on extensive rest. Coaches for the two finalists, however, will want to see reserved minutes for their players. With those players taking up nearly a third of the roster, (five for FC Kansas City, two for Seattle Reign FC) and many of them World Cup stars, it’s unlikely everybody will go home happy.
The United States are currently running in fantastic form, decimating Costa Rica in an 8-0 match, followed by a 7-2 victory in a rematch three days later. Goal scoring has come from all over the roster, including World Cup stars, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd. Wambach, who declined to play professionally this past year, may see less time on Thursday, due to Christen Press’ availability being limited to only the first match of the week.
Prediction: USWNT Victory, 5-0