Upbeat Ferns head out of village

The Football Ferns have moved out of the Olympic village and are upbeat about opening New Zealand’s effort at these Rio Games.

New Zealand play world No 1 and defending champions the United States in Belo Horizonte on Thursday (10am NZ time).

Betsy Hassett said the team was both ‘‘excited and nervous’’ about the challenge.

The midfielder, who played a full 90 minutes in the 4-1 warmup win over South Africa last week, said the team is full of confidence.

The 22-strong squad left the Olympic village in Rio yesterday and arrived in Belo Horizonte to start their final preparations in what they have found to be ‘‘world class facilities’’.

‘‘It is getting close now so everyone is a little bit nervous but we are all pumped,’’ said Hassett, who has played 92 internationals for New Zealand.

‘‘It has been a long preparation to get here so we are super excited to get on the pitch.

‘‘There is lots of pressure especially because they are No 1 in the world. It is going to be a good challenge. We are going to set the benchmark right on the first game so hopefully we can make New Zealand proud,’’ Hassett said of getting an official match in ahead of the opening ceremony, necessitated by the length of the football competition.

‘‘It is quite a relief to get out of the Olympic Village,’’ Hassett said.

‘‘It was a lot of fun there, lots of things to do and it was awesome to see the rest of the New Zealand team and the culture of the team was awesome. But now we are here we are getting down to business in the next four days and ready to take on the USA.’’

Coach Tony Readings used Hassett and forward Sarah Gregorius to great effect on the recent tour of Australia. The pair came off the bench and added energy and enthusiasm on attack.

Hassett doesn’t mind which role she is asked to perform.

‘‘Who knows what will happen in the first game. I am just going to do the best that I can and whether I am starting or not I just want to add as much value as I can and contribute to the team’s success.’’

Hassett, who recently signed for Ajax FC in the Netherlands, said the team took confidence from their strong performance against South Africa.