USA vs Republic of Ireland: Match Preview and Key Details

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

USA v Republic of Ireland, Dick's Sport Goods Park, Colorado, Friday, 2.07am

TV

Live coverage on RTÉ Player from 2am.

ONLINE

Live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app

WEATHER

A warm and humid day is forecast in Colorado with long sunny spells along with the chance of heavy downpours and thunderstorms come the local kick-off time of 3pm. Highest temperatures of 33c, feeling closer to 38c out of the shade.

WARD’S IRELAND FACE THEIR BIGGEST TEST YET

Still less than six months in the job, Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward faces her toughest challenge to date as she leads her side into a double-header with the number one ranked side in the world.

Ireland take on the US in Colorado in the early hours of the morning, Irish time, on Friday before travelling to face their hosts in Ohio on Sunday evening.

Ward’s side come into the game off the back of Nations League victories over Slovenia and Turkey which, which while welcome, still saw Ireland fall short when it came to securing Nations League promotion.

Having been thrown in at the deep end and straight into the Nations League, this double header represents Ward’s first friendlies in charge of Ireland but given the quality of the opposition, she’s unlikely to field anything but the strongest side available to her.

Ward will get the chance to experiment however and will have to get creative as some of her most experienced players are absent.

Arsenal’s Champions League winner Katie McCabe misses out as do Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne, Tara O'Hanlon, Jamie Finn, Lily Agg, Jess Ziu and Leanne Kiernan with many of those players needing a break after hectic domestic campaigns. In particular, Ward spoke of McCabe being in danger of burnout.

Defender Hayley Nolan and midfielder Ellen Molloy are handed their first squad call-ups under Ward who will be eager to get one over on her friend and USA manager Emma Hayes.

The Ireland squad

RECORD BOOKS AND CONDITIONS AGAINST IRELAND

Ireland’s record against the US does not make for promising reading. In the 15 games between the two nations, which have all been played in the States, Ireland have lost every match, conceding a totally of 51 goals and scoring just once.

However, there is reason for optimism for Irish supporters, despite the head-to-head record and the status of the US as the best team in the world.

Ward has no doubts as to their quality and she's expecting a difficult game, no matter how the hosts line up, especially given the conditions her side are likely to face.

With the game being played 1,600m above sea level and weather conditions set to be hot and humid, the game looks likely to be an endurance test for Ireland as much as anything else.

\"It's going to be difficult,\" said Ward. \"Anyone around the world would find it difficult to beat the US. I’m well aware of the history between the two sides, 16 games with 16 wins for the US and only one goal scored for Ireland.

\"The result is not what we’re going after. It’s more continuing the process and building on what we are doing. We’d be foolish to say we are coming here to win these games of football but we have to look bigger than that, where we’re at and trying to build.\"

Ward is also concerned by the weather conditions and high altitude the game will be played at: \"It’s difficult any time to play the beast that is the USA, but add in the heat and the altitude and, yeah, it’s going to be difficult. I went to the gym at five this morning and I struggled – and that was inside.\"

US BOSS HAYES GIVING YOUTH A CHANCE

Much like Ward, US boss Hayes is opting to rest most of her high-profile players and only one member of the squad she has named plays outside of America. Chelsea’s $1.1 million signing Naomi Girma is the only player in the squad who isn’t currently playing in the NWSL.

With the World Cup qualification campaign looming, Hayes is giving players a chance to stake a claim for a place in her squad and has been handing out debuts freely.

This time there’s four uncapped players in her squad with defenders Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale and Izzy Rodriguez and midfielder Sam Meza all receiving their first call-ups. Hayes has so far handed 27 players their first senior call-ups as she gives new faces a chance to impress.

Of the 24 players named in Hayes’ squad, six have yet to earn their first caps and 19 of them have fewer than 10 international appearances.

For Hayes, the two games against Ireland and an early July tie with neighbours Canada are all about her getting a chance to cast an eye over as many players as possible.

\"We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,\" she said.

\"On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposures required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches and as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.

\"Ireland is one of the most difficult European teams to play against, so I'm happy we could get these games,\" Hayes said.

\"We need to play teams that will push us and create an environment where our players have to solve problems and play under pressure. We're still early in our process of building towards World Cup qualifying for '27 and we still have a lot of growth to go as a team and as individuals.\"

Watch USA v Republic of Ireland on Friday from 2am on RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app

Watch USA v Republic of Ireland on Sunday from 7.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app