USWNT will host Germany in pair of November friendlies

The U.S. women’s national team will face off against Germany in its final matches of 2022, the team announced Tuesday.

The USWNT, which holds the top spot in the FIFA world rankings, will host Germany, the second-ranked team, for a pair of friendlies: on Nov. 10 at DRV Pink Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and on Nov. 13 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

𝙈𝘼𝙏𝘾𝙃 𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 🎉🎉🎉

Our final matches of 2022...

🇺🇸 USA vs Germany 🇩🇪
📆 November 10
📍 @DRVPNKStadium, Ft. Lauderdale

🇺🇸 USA vs Germany 🇩🇪
📆 November 13
📍 @RedBullArena, Harrison

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) September 13, 2022

The announcement of the matches comes one day after the team announced a friendly against Spain to finish a two-match European swing in October.

“Playing Germany in the final matches of the year will be ideal for our World Cup preparations for all of our players and coaching staff, but it’s also fantastic for all the fans,” coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “USA-Germany is always one of the most entertaining matchups in women’s international soccer and it’s a rivalry that has some wonderful history as well.”

The opening clash of the top two teams in the world will mark their first meeting since the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. The USWNT won that game 1-0 in Columbus, Ohio.

The USWNT is fresh off a Concacaf W Championship win this summer, while Germany finished as the runner-up to England in the European Championship.

Germany qualified for the 2023 World Cup with a 3-0 win over Turkey in October, which put them in the top spot in Group H in UEFA qualifying. In qualifying competition, Germany scored 47 goals while allowing just five.

For USWNT, a set of matches against Germany following after two top-10 matchups in October should help the team ramp up for next year’s World Cup. Andonovski has hammered home the need for preparation, noting during the Concacaf tournament that the team was not ready for the World Cup — but would be.

“We are not coaching with an eye toward the next game, we’re actually coaching with an eye toward the World Cup,” Andonovski said. “Everything we do now is a preparation for the World Cup.”