For Immediate Release Contact: Bobby Silvest! 813-350-6504! bsilvest@tampasportsauthority.com

U.S. WNT TO FACE FRANCE IN SUMMER FRIENDLY MATCH
 ON JUNE 14 IN TAMPA

U.S. Women’s Soccer Returns to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

TAMPA (May 5, 2014) – The U.S. Women’s National Team will face France in a summer friendly match on June 14 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ussoccer.com. Fans can also follow both games on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, May 9, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Tampa Bay region (including Walmart). [Note: Tickets are not sold at Raymond James Stadium, except on the day of the event.]

Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a custom-made official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Thursday, May 8, at 10 a.m. ET and runs until Friday, May 9, at 8 a.m. at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.

The U.S. and France have not met since the opening match of the 2012 Olympics, when the USA overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 on its way to winning the gold medal.

France, which is fourth in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, is widely hailed as one of the most talented women’s soccer countries and features some of the world’s best players at their positions. The squad is made up primarily of players from two of top women’s clubs in Europe, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. France was expected to contend for the title at last summer’s UEFA Women’s Championships but was upset on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round by Denmark despite dominating the match.

The U.S. Women do not have an extensive history against France, having played just 14 times and only twice since 2006. The two most recent encounters, however, were both epic matches in world championships. The USA defeated France 3-1 on July 13, 2011, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinal in Monchengladbach, Germany. The U.S. also won the Olympic curtain raiser 4-2 on July 25, 2012, in Glasgow, Scotland, as Alex Morgan scored twice, while Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd contributed a goal each.

Additional Notes:

  • The USA is 13-0-1 all-time against France.

  • France is off to a fine start in its 2015 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign, having won all four Group 7 matches to date by a 31-1 margin.

  • The U.S. WNT has made one previous appearance at Raymond James Stadium, defeating the Korea Republic 1-0 on Nov. 8, 2008, during the USA’s post-Olympic tour.

  • This will be the USA’s sixth appearance in Tampa, having also played three matches at Pepin/ Rood Stadium in the 1990s and one at the old Tampa Stadium in 1996.

- ussoccer.com -