The United States Women’s National Team takes on Ireland for the second time in the span of four days and the second match in this FIFA window on Sunday, June 29 at 3 p.m. ET at TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer.
While the opponent is familiar, this next matchup is a blank slate – there are new milestones to reach and more chances to create. Here are five things to know before the United States faces Ireland on Sunday afternoon:
1. The search for perfection
Head coach Emma Hayes told reporters earlier this week that she doesn’t believe in perfection, but her team will be looking to stay perfect against Sunday’s opponent.
The USWNT has never lost to Ireland in 16 meetings between the two sides, including the most recent Thursday night, a solid 4-0 win for the United States. The 100 percent winning record against Ireland is the best against any opponent in program history, and the current run is the USWNT’s longest winning streak against any UEFA opponent.
In 13 straight matchups with Ireland, the USWNT has kept a clean sheet, the longest run against a single opponent in program history. After stringing together three shutouts, going back to the 4-0 win over Jamaica and 3-0 win over China PR in early June, the USWNT will look to keep the Irish off the scoresheet for the second straight match.
2. Return for the hometown kid
Sunday’s match is the second in a three-match window for the United States. The group opened with a win in Commerce City, Colo., a meaningful place for Hayes. DICK’S Sporting Goods Park is the same venue where Hayes officially began her tenure as the USWNT head coach, making her debut just over one year ago.
On Sunday, the team will kick off at a different venue, but still one with significance for a member of the USWNT. Rose Lavelle, one of the most prolific and popular athletes to come out of Cincinnati in the last decade, will have the chance to play in front of her hometown where she attended Mount Notre Dame High School.
Lavelle is coming off a statement performance in the recent win over Ireland. In her first cap since December, Lavelle scored a goal and notched an assist to join an elite group of players in program history with 25+ goals and 25+ assists. The last time the USWNT played in Cincinnati, Lavelle showed out, scoring the opening goal in the fourth minute and adding three assists, including one just two minutes after her goal, to power the U.S. to a dominant 8-0 win over Paraguay in September 2021.
3. Players to Watch
The pace of the United States attack was on display the first time around against Ireland. The starting frontline of Ally Sentnor, Michelle Cooper and Alyssa Thompson pushed the tempo with their link-up play and speed. And no moment was a finer example than the one where Thompson scored. The 20-year-old speedster for Angel City FC charged the length of the USA’s attacking half with the dribble and delivered a golazo for the team’s fourth goal of the night.
Another attacker who could be a factor against Ireland Sunday is Lynn Biyendolo, the second leading scorer on the current roster behind Lavelle. The forward didn’t start the first meeting Thursday but entered as a substitute in the 73rd minute.
The two-time Olympian has proven to be effective for the USWNT, especially when playing in Cincinnati. She’s scored three times in the Queen City, including a brace against South Africa in 2023, the most goals she’s scored in any city while playing for the U.S. After bagging a second-half brace off the bench for the USWNT against Jamaica earlier in June, Biyendolo has been in good form and could be a strong attacking option Sunday.
4. Young talent on display
Hayes has been transparent about using these friendlies to develop young talent and inexperienced players. The head coach required most of the European-based players in the pool to take a rest this cycle, with defender Naomi Girma the only player on the roster currently on a European club. The result is a young squad with an average age of 24.9 and less experienced players – the average number of caps per player on the roster is 18.4.
In response, several players have received opportunities to see the pitch. Three players – Claudia Dickey, Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg – made their senior team debuts Thursday against Ireland, becoming the 20th, 21st and 22nd players to earn their first cap under Hayes. Dickey ended the night with a clean sheet and Reale recorded an assist on Thompson’s goal.
Hayes has now used 36 different players this year, the third-most in the first half of a calendar year in team history and the most since 2001. The 31 different starters are the third-most ever before July, only using more in 2000 and 2001 (36 each). On Saturday, Hayes said she wanted to see “the whole squad” during this three-match window and that she’s anticipating an improved Ireland, so look out for fresh faces and a rotation in the second meeting with the European nation
5. The venerable No. 600
The USWNT is one win away from reaching an incredible feat. If the team wins Sunday, it will be No. 600 overall in program history, emblematic of the excellence and high bar set by the United States in the sport of women’s soccer.
The 500th win in program history came in 2018 with a 1-0 win over Portugal. Jessica McDonald scored the game-winner in that match to ensure the USWNT reached the marker. The other winning goal scorers in each landmark victory were Tisha Venturini (No. 100), Shannon MacMillan (200), Lori Chalupny (300) and Megan Rapinoe (400).
In the seven years since then, the United States women has continued to rack up wins. Saturday’s match will be No. 765 in USWNT history, and the team enters with a 599-74-91 record.
