"The 17,000-seat college soccer stadium sits on the campus of the UC Santa Barbara. The venue required approval from the USWNT Players Association since it is not a pre-approved venue listed in the team's collective bargaining agreement. Only one other USWNT game has previously been played north of Los Angeles and south of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is the first for the area known as the "Central Coast.""
""One of the goals of U.S. Soccer is to take our national teams to new markets around the country, and I applaud that," USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said. "Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history so I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries.""
The United States women's national team will play Chile at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara on Jan. 27, the first official USWNT match at that venue. Harder Stadium seats 17,000 and sits on the UC Santa Barbara campus; the venue required approval from the USWNT Players Association because it is not a pre-approved site under the collective bargaining agreement. Only one other USWNT game has been played between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, making this the first match in the Central Coast. The team will play Paraguay three days earlier at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson and will hold a Jan. 17-27 training camp there, likely composed of domestic players since it is outside an official FIFA window. Coach Emma Hayes said taking the national team to new markets and maximizing every minute with the players is a priority.
Read at ESPN.com
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