LOS ANGELES — After suddenly becoming stuck for an opponent for a pair of April friendlies, the U.S. women's national team will face Uzbekistan for the first time April 9 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, followed by an April 12 game at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa.
The U.S. thought it had games lined up against another team from the Asian soccer confederation, but that unnamed country backed out recently, citing complications over COVID-19 travel restrictions.
With the top European teams playing World Cup qualifiers in April, as are many of the lower-ranked teams in CONCACAF, the Americans were left with few options. Not playing wasn't one of them: with the CONCACAF W Championship, which will determine the region's automatic qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics looming in July, the U.S. needed a game.
