The U.S. women’s national team will be thefirst U.S. national team to take to the field since March when it assembles in Colorado Oct. 18-28 for a training camp.
The U.S. women are 8-0-0 in 2020 and 10-0-0 since VlatkoAndonovski took charge last fall.
The camp will be for training only — no international matches — and likely involve only U.S.-based players. It will follow the NWSL Fall Series,which concludes on Oct. 17. (The camp falls in the October international window for women’s soccer so clubs would be required to release their players if Andonovski chose to include them.)
The training camp will take place in Commerce City, home of the Colorado Rapids’ complex outside of Denver. The team will stay inside a controlled environment at a Denver-area hotel.
Similar to what has taken place at other bubble events, all players and staff will undergo multiple COVID-19 tests before traveling, and then will be tested upon arrival and every two days afterthat.
“Getting the national team back together brings us relief and excitement, and I’m thankful for all the work done behind the scenes to make this happen, and make ithappen safely for all the players and staff,” said Andonovski, who has not yet announced the roster for the camp. “We’re going to be smart and efficient in how we conduct this camp,but we know that the Olympics will be coming fast once the calendar turns to 2021, so we have to make as much progress as we can during the time we have in Denver.”
The camp isexpected to consist mostly if not entirely of NWSL players. Another camp without games is expected in December.
The U.S. women are the last U.S. national team to play a game, completing asweep of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup with a 3-1 win over Japan on March 11, the night the NBA shut down following Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert‘s positive test result. The U.S. U-23 men were trainingin Mexico for Concacaf Olympic qualifying. Concacaf suspended that tournament on March 12.
2021 USWNT schedule:
Jan.9-28 domestic camp
Feb. 8-25 SheBelieves Cup
April 5-13 domestic camp
June 6-16 domestic camp
June 30-July 4 Olympics training camp
July. 21-Aug. 6 Olympics