Ferns face friendlies in US against world’s best
The Football Ferns will play two international friendlies in September against the United States, the world’s No 1 women’s team.
The Tony Readings-coached team, who are looking to build for the 2019 Fifa World Cup in France and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will play the three-time World Cup champions on September 15 in Denver and September 19 in Cincinnati.
The Ferns, who were last in action in the Cyprus Cup in March, most recently played the US in the opening game of the Rio Olympics last year, when they went down 2-0 in Belo Horizonte.
Readings said the two international friendlies would provide a great test for his world No 20 team.
“It is going to be nice to have the team back together,” Readings said. “There are no better games that are inspiring to work towards than playing against one of the best teams in the world away from home. I am sure the players are looking forward to it and will be training hard to be selected for this squad.”
Readings said the US, who are also four-time Olympic champions, are always a massive challenge in any setting but even more so when on home soil.
“They are a team that have a lot of depth and they are looking to bring some new players and develop a different style of play.
“They have so much depth and it will be a good test for this group to see where we are at. It will be useful for our younger players to see the standard required to compete at the World Cup in 2019 and Tokyo Olympics in 2020.”
The international friendlies will be the first meetings with New Zealand on American soil since a 4-0 win in St Louis on April 4, 2015.
The tour will mark 30 years since New Zealand’s only victory over the US which came in the first match between the teams in 1987, a 1-0 victory for the Football Ferns.
The US and New Zealand have played once before in Cincinnati, a 6-0 US win in 2004 on the postOlympic tour after they won the gold medal in Athens, Greece.
Readings will name his squad for the US tour on August 26.