WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
Saturday, 8 April
USA v Republic of Ireland, Austin, 7.30pm (Irish time)
TV
Watch live coverage from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
ONLINE
Follow the action on our live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
Temperatures will peak at 19C with low cloud and sunny spells. The thunderstorms of previous days are not forecast to be a factor.
IRELAND TREND OF TAKING ON BIG HITTERS
One of the strategies that paid off for Ireland in the run towards the successful World Cup qualification campaign was the deliberate decision to take on higher-ranked opponents in build-up friendlies.
Defeats against Denmark, Iceland (twice) and Belgium in the first half of 2021 could have proved demoralising, especially coming off the back of the petering out of the European Championship qualifiers.
A win over Australia that September was a first sign that the Ireland side were stepping up a level and so it proved during the qualifiers as history was made with the experience of taking on tougher opponents adding an extra layer of resilience and cohesion.
The same approach is being followed for the build-up to the World Cup itself. In February, they took on perennial qualifiers and world number 13-ranked China in Spain, coming away from that with a creditable 0-0 draw.
But it won't get tougher than two games against the side ranked number one on the planet by FIFA, starting with Saturday's match in Austin before a second fixture in Missourri.
Given the calibre of the opposition, a chastening result is a possibility but Ireland manager Vera Pauw is undaunted.
"When you need to get to a certain point you have to take risks of failure because otherwise you'll not get ready. You have to pull yourself out of your comfort zone to get to the highest level," she said.
"If you get a bad defeat then of course you don't want that and it will hurt us, but it’s better now than in the first game of the World Cup."
DAUNTING OPPOSITION
The USWNT needs little introduction. The four-time World Cup winners have been the best team in the world for most of the last 30-odd years and have never finished below third-placed at global football's showpiece.
The current crop, coached by Vlatko Andonovski since October 2019, maintain that tradition of excellence.
Bar a poor October 2022 when they lost three matches in a row against European champions England, Spain and Germany in friendlies, they have won every other match, whether friendly or competitive, since the start of last year.
Their last fixture was also in Texas, in the city of Frisco, three hours up the road from Austin in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. It saw them win their fourth SheBelieves Cup in a row with victory over Brazil, having beaten Japan and Canada in the round-robin tournament along the way.
The legendary Alex Morgan remains a cornerstone of the side, while fellow forward Mallory Swanson scored in all three games during the SheBelieves Cup.
Six of the 26-player squad to face Ireland have more than 100 caps, with two - Morgan and captain Becky Sauerbrunn on over 200, underlining the vast experience within their squad.
However, the outspoken talent and 2019 World Cup Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner Megan Rapinoe, who is one cap shy of the 200 landmark, is not involved in the squad to face the Irish due to injury.
Nevertheless, whichever line-up the USWNT name will give Pauw and her side their biggest test yet.
IRELAND'S SQUAD
The sight of captain fantastic Katie McCabe limping off a couple of weeks ago during a Champions League match against Bayern Munich was a worry but the Arsenal star's injury wasn't as bad as first feared - her wonder goal against Manchester City only underlining that further - and she will lead Ireland into the challenges on US soil.
Playmaker Denise O'Sullivan is on course to win her 100th Ireland cap in the country where the Corkonian has been playing her club football for the last few years.
Midfielder Lily Agg though was a late withdrawal due to an ankle injury and Lucy Quinn of Birmingham City is back in the travelling party as a result.
Key squad members Niamh Fahey, Chloe Mustaki, Ellen Molloy, Jess Ziu and Leanne Kiernan are all unavailable because of injury, while Megan Campbell is unavailable due to personal reasons.
The new faces in this selection are Peamount United's Tara O'Hanlon and Aalannah McEvoy of Shamrock Rovers as well as Lewes FC goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse.
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Jessie Stapleton (Shelbourne), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Claire O'Riordan (Celtic), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Tara O'Hanlon (Peamount United), Áine O'Gorman (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Roma McLaughlin (Fortuna Hjorring)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Amber Barrett (Potsdam Turbine), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Alannah McEvoy (Shamrock Rovers)
Watch USA v Republic of Ireland on Saturday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app.
